Salmon with Asparagus and Vegetables

I'm not really sure what this is categorized as.  There's pasta in it, but it isn't a "pasta" dish.  It's kind of like a stew, but not really.  Maybe a cooked salad?  The goal here was for the vegetables to be the sauce.  That is absolutely what it became.

While I used the last of the tomato and garlic confit camped out in my freezer, I'm giving directions as though you're cooking from fresh.  It will take longer than what I did.

Yes, I'm using canned asparagus.  I like it.  Substitute fresh if you prefer.  And while we're on the subject of asparagus, I have discovered it growing wild in my yard, mainly under bushes.  Huh?  I can't grow it on purpose.  I've probably been weeding it for the better part of the summer before realizing what it is.  The only explanation is seeds brought in by birds or squirrels.  Someone nearby must be growing it, or have some sprouting from a compost heap that went to seed.  It may be thick enough to eat next year.  Way too hot now for any of it to taste good.  I'll attempt to cut it back over the winter and see what happens.

1 lb salmon fillet
*1 C pearl couscous
1/4 C olive oil, more as needed
*1 dry pint cherry or grape tomatoes
*1 head garlic, cloves peeled and whole
*1/2 lb carrots, peeled and chopped
*1 bunch chard, chopped
*1 can asparagus cut pieces, drained
*1 can white beans, drained
salt and pepper to taste
Thyme, basil, and rosemary to taste

1.  For the salmon, preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly season with salt and pepper.  Roast until center is 145ºF, about half an hour.  Set aside to rest.  Can also be done ahead.

2.  In a large pan, heat the oil over medium low.  Add the tomatoes and garlic.  Sprinkle with salt and herbs and allow to stew until the tomatoes break down and the garlic browns, about half an hour.

3.  Raise the heat to medium, which is where the photos are starting because I already had the cooked tomato & garlic.  Add the chard and carrots to the saucepan and allow to cook down another 15 minutes or so.  This is a good time to start the pasta according to package directions.

4.  Once all the fresh vegetables are cooked, add the canned asparagus and beans.  Stir together, taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary.  If the sauce is too thick, add more oil.

5.  Drain pasta and plate, then add vegetable mixture and top with pieces of salmon.

Difficulty rating  :)

Eggplant with Red Lentil Salad

I didn't want to turn on the oven, but this felt like a great meal for August.  It isn't exactly a stuffed eggplant, which would be a fully baked dish.  It's roasted eggplant with the lentil mixture spooned over, and could be eaten cold as well as hot.

I definitely need to make this again.  The eggplant acted like "steak".  A roasted portobello mushroom would also work, or a zucchini boat.  Fish or chicken would be a good base as well.  The tahini dressing makes everything tangy and gives heft to a very light dish.

2 medium eggplant
1 C red lentils
*2-3 green onions, finely chopped
1 C finely chopped parsley
1 C finely chopped cilantro
1/4 C olive oil, plus a little for the eggplant
*2 Tb tahini paste
*3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
2 Tb lemon juice

1.  Preheat the oven to 375º.  Cut off the caps of the eggplants and split down the middle.  I chose to scoop out some of the insides and roast it separately to make baba ghannouj on the side, but it isn't necessary.  Rub all sides lightly with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast until easily pierced by a fork, about 30-40 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

2.  While the eggplant is cooking, rinse the lentils well until the water runs mostly clear.  Simmer in water to cover by one inch until split but not mushy, about 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

3.  Chop onions, parsley, and cilantro and add to the lentils in a bigger bowl than you think you need.  Herbs are fluffy.

4.  Whisk together oil, tahini, minced garlic, salt, and lemon juice.  Add a tablespoon of hot water if needed to thin.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

5.  Add dressing to the lentil and herb mixture and toss to coat evenly.  At this point, everything can be chilled to serve cold or plated to serve warm-ish or room temperature.

6.  Plate one half roasted eggplant per serving and spoon over 1/4 of the salad for each.  Serve at desired temperature.

Difficulty rating  π

Chicken and Chickpea Curry

Two months until my next bloodwork, I'm doubling-down on fiber and anti-inflammatory spices.  Indian food is one of those naturally healthy cuisines.  This was also a half-hour dinner, even with cooking the chicken in the gravy.

Despite the considerable list of ingredients, curries are quite easy.  You get in the groove of how the flavor is built and how much time it takes to prep each stage.  It only takes a long time if you're reading a recipe and measuring out each spice.  This can be done in advance, or you can go by your heart and put whatever amount of the spices in that feels good that day.

2 Tb olive or avocado oil
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1/2 tsp mustard seed
*1 Tb tomato paste
*1 C diced onion or leek
*2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
*2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
*1 15 oz can diced tomatoes 
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
*1 15 oz can chickpeas
*1 15 oz can coconut milk (lite ok)
1 Tb lemon juice
cilantro and/or parsley for garnish, optional

1.  Add the oil to a large, deep skillet or soup pot.  Heat over medium and add the cumin, coriander, and mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the tomato paste and stir to caramelize.

2.  Add in the onion, garlic, ginger, and all the powdered spices.  Once heated into an oniony paste and the onions themselves are softening, add the chicken.

3.  Stir-fry the chicken in the spice mixture until lightly browned, about five minutes.  Add the tomatoes, including their juice, and bring the mixture to a simmer.  I also added a couple of cups of frozen kale as greenery, but I'm not putting that in the ingredients list.  You could add kale, spinach, or another green if desired.  Cover and cook 15 minutes, while you make the rice or noodles you're serving it with.

4.  Once the chicken is cooked through, add the chickpeas and coconut milk.  Bring back to a simmer.  Finish with lemon juice and herbs.  Ladle into a bowl with a scoop of rice or pasta and serve.

Difficulty rating  :)

Watermelon and Cactus Pear Salad

This was my first experience tasting prickly pear (cactus fruit).  They were four for a dollar, and I thought they would make a good dessert.  Small watermelons were $1.50, so that was happening no matter what.

What surprised me was that they taste a lot like watermelon.  Once I got the hang of peeling them, the salad came together quickly.  I could have added more fruits for a color variety, but it was already overflowing the bowl.

4 prickly pear (cactus fruit), redder is sweeter
1/2 "personal" sized watermelon, about 4 cups diced
2 Tb lime or lemon juice
pinch of salt
Tajin or other savory/sweet seasoning, optional

1.  To peel the prickly pear, cut off top and bottom to reveal the deep red interior.  Cut lengthwise into the skin about 1/8".  When you peel with your fingers, both the greenish outer peel and red inner peel will come off easily, leaving the red core.  The seeds inside are edible, but crunchy.  Cut into large dice.

2.  For the watermelon, peel and dice.  I do it by cutting off the top and bottom, cutting it in half, and putting the large, flat part down.  Slice the rind off the fruit, then dice.

3.  In a large bowl, toss both fruits with lime juice, salt, and any seasonings you choose.  Chill until ready to serve.

Serves about 6

Difficulty rating  π

Nopales Quesadilla

I was looking for something interesting to put in a quesadilla, and sliced nopales were on special.  I forget to cook with them.  They taste like green bell peppers, but without upsetting the stomach or triggering my capsicum allergy.

Ok, I'll admit that a quesadilla doesn't really need a recipe.  These were very nice for throwing stuff on a tortilla, so I blogged it.  Consider it as something unexpected to add to the repertoire.

4 flour tortillas
*2 C shredded "Mexican" cheese, about 8 oz
*2 C sliced nopales paddles
Granulated garlic and paprika to taste

1.  If the nopales are raw, cook them first.  Check for pointy bits, then slice thinly.  Either sauté in oil or simmer for 5 minutes and drain.  I did the latter.

2.  Place a tortilla in a large skillet that has been preheated over medium heat.  Scatter 1/2 C cheese on top, followed by 1/2 C prepared nopales.  Sprinkle with garlic and paprika.

3.  Allow cheese to melt open-faced.  Fold over tortilla and press lightly.  Continue cooking until the outside crisps, flipping as necessary.  Repeat with all of the tortillas and other ingredients.

4.  Cut finished quesadillas into wedges and serve.

Difficulty rating  π

Almond Apple Crisp

I should make crisps more often.  They're easy if you use canned fruit, and go in the oven in less than ten minutes.

This one was inspired by the jars of apples I canned last Fall.  The way I made it, it's lower in sugar than a typical dessert.  Since apples canned in light syrup aren't a thing in the grocery store, I'm going to assume you're using pie filling.  It will be sweeter than what I made.

Once again, I'm putting the vanilla protein powder to the test.  It is not an essential ingredient.  In my case, it replaced the sugar.  I'm really amazed that my sense of how much sugar counts as "sweet" has been slashed after a few years of eating less of it.  I know, multiple studies say the same thing.  Seeing it in action is not what I was expecting.

*1 20 oz can apple pie filling
1/4 C flour
*1/4 C almond flour
1/4 C rolled oats
*1 scoop vanilla protein powder or 2 Tb brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 Tb butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
sliced almonds for garnish

1.  Grease or pan spray a standard loaf pan.  Preheat oven to 350º.

2.  Pour pie filling into the loaf pan.  Sprinkle in the cinnamon and stir a bit to distribute.

3.  In a small bowl, stir together flour, almond flour, oats, salt, and protein powder or sugar.  Cut in butter to make a crumbly paste.

4.  Sprinkle crumb paste evenly over apples.  Scatter almonds on top.

5.  Bake until bubbly and starting to brown, about 40 minutes.  It's going to look like a liquid mess.  Allow to cool, when it will firm up.

6.  Scoop into bowls and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Difficulty rating  π

Grilled Tri-Tip

I've only made tri-tip once before, and it got the oven very messy.  There was one on sale for $5 per pound.  Um, yeah.  A quick search showed that the grill is the perfect place for this cut of meat.

I found recipes that advised doing a seasoning rub, then basting the roast and flipping it frequently, every 10 minutes or so.  Those recipes also referred to 350º.  Charcoal grill here, no temperature dial.  Time to wing it.

*One 2-3 pound tri-tip, well trimmed
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp paprika
1/4 C olive oil
*2 Tb red wine vinegar
*1-2 Tb Marsala, optional

1.  Preheat one side of the grill on 350º, or only pile charcoal/wood on one side.  While that is happening, trim off any excess fat and allow the roast to come up to room temperature.

2.  Combine salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika and sprinkle over all sides of the roast.  Whisk together oil, vinegar, and Marsala (or other red wine).  Get together your set up of tongs and a probe thermometer and take everything out to the grill.

3.  Place roast on the unheated side of the grill.  Close the lid and cook for 10 minutes.  Baste with the oil and vinegar mixture.  Flip, close, and cook another 10.  Baste again.  Repeat until interior temperature is 125º.  This took over an hour in my case.  Your results may vary, which is why you need a thermometer.  Also, if using the same platter to bring in the roast that you used to take it out, like I did, wash it between to avoid cross-contamination.

4.  When the thickest part probes at 125º (still mooing), move to hot side of the grill.  This time, you're flipping every 5 minutes, and the goal is a caramelized crust.  Remove roast at 145º for rare, 150º medium rare, etc.  I was going for just short of medium, and 155º in the center was it.

5.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Serves 8-10

Difficulty  π

Oaty Pancakes

It is very depressing to go to IHOP and realize how much of the menu is not low-carb friendly.  Yes, they have protein pancakes, but the sheer volume means you're getting a lot of carbs as well.  I decided to make my own and add oats for fiber, protein, and staying power.  There's also some protein powder in here for flavor, but it isn't necessary.

I guess I don't make pancakes more often because there isn't such a thing as a small batch.  One egg makes 4 to 6 servings.  For a household of one, this counts as meal prep.  The pancakes I didn't eat the first day went into the freezer.

The original recipe I started with was from the Sunset Easy Basics for Good Cooking, copyright 1982.  That was for quantities of dry vs wet ingredients.  What I ended up with was vastly different.

1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C rolled oats
1 Tb baking powder
*2 scoops (1 serving) vanilla protein powder
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/4 C milk (or water for dairy-free)
*1 egg
3 Tb butter or margarine, melted
oil for the pan

1.  Whiz the oats in a food processor or coffee grinder to make a coarse flour.

2.  Stir together flour, oat flour, protein powder, and salt in a bowl.  In a separate container, stir together milk, egg, and melted butter.

3.  Combine wet and dry ingredients.  Stir several times, then let sit for 10 minutes, to allow the oat flour and protein powder to hydrate.

4.  Preheat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.  Grease with a thin layer of oil.  When it's hot enough for drops of water to dance, you're ready to begin cooking.

5.  Pour 1/4 C of batter onto the skillet for each 3-4 inch pancake.  These came out thinner than I was aiming for, but got thicker as the batter matured.  Cook until bubbles stop popping on the surface, 2-3 minutes.  Flip and cook until the other side is golden, another 1-2 minutes.  Remove to a platter, re-oil the griddle as necessary, and repeat until all the batter is cooked.

Makes about 20 small pancakes, serving 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)

Part XVIII: Prepping for Success

One of the things I'm looking forward to in retirement is not stressing about wanting to eat dinner the minute I come home.  I'll be able to do a 2-3 hour cooking project any day I choose.  Since I'm not there yet, I'm reluctantly getting into banking my own freezer meals.  One bacon western cheeseburger is a fun treat after a hard day.  More than one after-work drive thru in a month is a cry for help.

I already do this with baked goods.  It started with making four half-pound loaves out of a batch of challah dough and freezing them until needed.  It has gotten to the point that up to half of the chest freezer at any given time is bread, cookies, or another baked product.

It doesn't take much time or money to make your own freezer meals.  Whatever you're making, double it and freeze the rest.  This works great for lasagna, casseroles, and stews.  Buy the larger piece of meat if there's a sale, cook all of it, and slice the leftovers for another use.  Make that double batch of cookies or brownies and freeze what you don't need yet.  Cook up a whole pound of dry beans and freeze the result in 2-cup (one can) baggies.  If you keep an inventory taped to the freezer, items won't languish.  Just remember to update it whenever you add or remove items, or you could end up short one meal.

Yes, I know many people don't have a chest freezer.  The trick is to make the space you do have work for you.  Turn the little half-bags falling out every time you open it into something.  Rotate so nothing is freezer-burned.  If something is in there longer than six months, ask yourself why.  (For me, that's nuts and a bag of cranberries.  Nuts are a given since that's the best place to store them, but I really do need to use the cranberries.)

Most recently, I threw too many veggies into a teriyaki stir fry.  It ended up being five servings, so I was able to freeze the rest.  Another day, I grilled a whole tri-tip roast.  A pound was left after four servings, so that is in Freezer Camp for a month or two.

I haven't yet dedicated a day to intentionally making freezer meals.  Haven't had time for it.  When I do, that will be shared.  It's also a way to get ahead of holiday cooking.  Six weeks until Rosh Hashanah.

Lentil Sloppy Joes

Ground meats are still very expensive.  Lentils were on sale for 89¢.  I had not really considered vegan sloppy joes, but it kind of sounded good.  Besides, I still have some pizza/pasta sauce starter that I canned last year.  I have about half of what I made out of the $15 case of Romas.  Ok, so I only have to go through that once every other year.  Nice to know.

The easiest way to make sloppy joes is with canned sauce like Manwich or a seasoning packet.  Second easiest is half a jar of regular spaghetti sauce.  I got interesting with a mushroom marinara.  The smell is amazing because I put too much fresh oregano in it, which is being adjusted for the posted recipe.  (The oregano plant continues to thrive.)  I would gladly use this mixture in a lasagna or moussaka instead of the beef layer.

1 C brown lentils
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 stalk celery, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
*1 Tb Marsala or 1/4 C red wine, optional
*1 15 oz can tomato sauce
*1 Tb oregano, or 1/4 C fresh leaves
*4 hamburger buns for serving

1.  Sort and rinse lentils.  Bring to a boil in a saucepan with water to cover by one inch.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until lentils split but are somewhat firm, about 30 minutes.  Drain.

2.  While that's going on, make the sauce.  In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium.  Add diced onion, garlic, and celery.  Cook until slightly softened.  Add chopped mushrooms.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until the mushrooms have given off their water, about 10 minutes.

3.  If using, add Marsala or wine to the pan and deglaze.  Add tomato sauce and oregano.  Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, and cover until the lentils are ready.  It's going to look like way too much sauce.  That will be fixed once the lentils are added.

4.  Add cooked lentils to the tomato mixture and allow to simmer while you toast the buns.  When everything is ready, spoon lentil mixture generously over toasted buns and serve open-faced.

Difficulty rating  :)