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  :)

Pumpkin Protein Custard

I read several recipes for pumpkin pudding that are high protein, but didn't really find what I wanted.  I was kind of in the mood for a keto version of the pumpkin chiffon pie.  So that's what this is, except I put in the whole eggs instead of doing the chiffon whip part.  I didn't think I could finish the batch before the egg whites started to weep and separate.

The custard part of the title is because this will be cooked.  I'm doing the stovetop version and not baked like a crème brulée.  The mixture just has to get to 145ºF to be safe.  I went to 155º because some would be in the fridge for longer than three days.  Just being extra cautious.

The protein powder does the heavy lifting here for sweetness.  The date syrup/molasses is for flavor.  To make this truly keto, simply omit it, but you will be missing a layer of complexity.

I got five ramekins because they hold a cup if you go up to the rim.  Where I filled them, it made five servings.  This will also make enough filling for a 7" graham cracker pie crust.  Or you could make some kind of trifle or tiramisu with it, if you build the layers before the gelatin sets.

1 envelope plain gelatin, softened in 1/4 C cold water
*1 15 oz can pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
1 C milk
*1 serving (2 scoops) vanilla protein powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
*1 Tb date syrup or molasses
2-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
whipped cream for serving, optional

1.  While the gelatin is softening, add all remaining ingredients to a saucepan.  Stir to combine, getting out the lumps of protein powder.

2.  Heat the pumpkin mixture over medium, stirring frequently.  When it starts to spit, stir constantly.  Cook until mixture reaches at least 145ºF and thickens, about 8 minutes.   Remove from heat.

3.  Stir in gelatin until dissolved.  Portion into serving cups.  Chill until ready to serve.  If desired, top with whipped cream.

Makes about 4 C, 4-6 servings

Difficulty rating  π

Curry-Blackened Tilapia

I gave the buckwheat another try, which meant I needed something very flavorful to go with it.  It has been a long time since I've done a blackened fish.  This time, I decided to make a curry blend.  There's no cream or coconut base to dull it, relying on the blandness of the buckwheat to counteract the spice.

I need to "blacken" fish more often.  Putting together the spice mix is the most involved part.  Brush, rub, toss in hot pan, flip.  It's quick on a hot day and ready before the side dishes are.

While I'm using butter here, you can also use olive or avocado oil.  I felt like a lean fish could benefit from butter, plus it browns better.

4 tilapia filets
2 Tb butter or 1 Tb olive oil
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika

1.  Open the windows and turn on the range fan.  Start preheating a large, dry skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.

2.  In a small bowl, stir together all the spices.  You will end up with roughly 4 generous teaspoons of mix.

3.  Melt the butter and brush on both sides of the fish.  Sprinkle all sides of the filets with the spices, roughly a little over half a teaspoon per side.

4.  Working in batches if necessary, add the fish to the pan and allow it to sear.  The pieces are ready to turn when they easily release from the pan, about 4 minutes.  Flip and cook other side, another 3-4 minutes, until thickest part is opaque and flaking.

5.  Serve hot, over rice if desired.

Difficulty rating  π

Leek-Yogurt Dip

Since my leeks aren't as wide as the ones you buy in the market, I didn't realize they were past time to harvest.  June 30th, I found my first scape.  Since I was leaving the next day on vacation, I decided to let it go for the week and harvest it when I got back.  That meant I was going to have to put the leek in whatever I made first.

After a week of eating out and mostly carnivore, I made a vegetable platter.  While not as elaborate as Purim, I did include the charred cabbage.  For the rest of the veggies, I made this dip.

This is barely a recipe.  Apologies.  It's a yogurt-based "onion" dip.  I didn't add any additional herbs, but you could make it your own with dill, oregano, thyme, or any favorite.

*1 leek, white and green parts only
1 Tb olive oil
*celery salt to taste
*1-1/2 C plain Greek yogurt
1 Tb lemon juice

1.  Trim off root and leafy green ends of leek.  Slice in half and rinse under running water to remove any grit.  Thinly slice.

2.  Heat oil in a small skillet on medium heat.  Add leek and cook until softened, stirring occasionally.  It will take 5-8 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

3.  Whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp celery salt.  If using additional herbs, add now.  Stir in cooked leeks and taste.  Adjust seasonings as needed.  Chill until ready to serve.

Makes about 2 cups

Difficulty rating  π