Showing posts with label lunch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lunch. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
Cream of Mushroom Soup: What To Do When a Good Mushroom Goes Bad
If you're like me, you have a busy fridge. You know, leftover spaghetti, some baked ham for brekkie, maybe a roasted squash or two kicking around. Maybe you even have a bunch of mushrooms kicking around that you overbought for a recent kid's birthday party because you forgot that kids DON'T LIKE MUSHROOMS, MOM. So. They're not bad mushrooms, per se, just slightly neglected and maybe they slipped your mind and need to be acknowledged RIGHT NOW. This is a great soup for that! You can use them all up and they will stop staring at you with their slightly browning rounded edges every time you open up the crisper. Somebody help, I've gone too far into the analogy!!
Anyway! Easy fast soup using kitchen staples! Somewhat healthier even! It is snowing like a mofo here and a day in the kitchen is just what the foodie ordered.
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Muffaleta Sandwiches: SHV
Back in 2010? 2011? I was in a series of cooking classes at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology for those of yous ootside of the area); this is one of the first things we made. After several litres of mayonnaise. Anyway, I haven't made it since, because I am the only one in my house that loves olives like we should all love air. HOWEVER, if you've read this blog before (Mom), you know that this day of the week is also known as Vegetarian Wednesday or HusbandisoutsoIgettocookweirdfoodday! Yay for unusual food!
Once I started messing around with the ciabatta bread, I couldn't get these sandwiches out of my head. You can also use an Italian loaf, or even just whatever bread you have kicking around. The cheese is similarly customizable by your fridge, as is the meat. Use whatcha got!
You will need:
1/2 c large green stuffed olives
1/3 c unstuffed sliced black olives
2 tsp capers
1 Tbsp EVOO (Yes! Finally the extra-virgin olive oil!)
1/2 tsp fish sauce (or anchovy paste)
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Black pepper
70 g light cheddar or marble cheese (you know, a little over 2 ounces, enough to cover two sandwiches)
90 g fat-free chicken kolbassa (sounds disgusting, tastes delish), about 12 rounds
4 slices ciabatta bread (or Italian loaf)
This recipe is basically all prep, no cooking. Chop all the olives up niiiice and tiny, start filling a large stainless steel bowl.
Mince the garlic really finely, along with the capers, dump along with the rest of the ingredients into the bowl. Give it a good stir, cover and refrigerate while cleaning up and prepping the bread, cheese and meat.
Lay out your bread on top of a large piece of plastic wrap. Spoon a quarter of the olive mixture on each slice, gently press down with your spatula. You were totally using a spatula, right??
Place one full layer of cheese across one side, top with the kolbassa (honestly! It tastes so.good!) and top with the other half of the sandwich. Carefully. Pick up the olives that fell out and push them in the sides. Or eat. I did both.
Wrap as tightly as possible, refrigerate for at least half an hour.
This makes two large sandwiches, and the filling, including meat and cheese, comes to 297 calories per each. I didn't include the bread, because I didn't work out the nutritional information for the ciabatta bread. I didn't work that out because it is too tricky to figure out how many / what size each piece would be. So just add in your bread and Bob's your uncle! I wonder if a pita would work...
Enjoy!
Once I started messing around with the ciabatta bread, I couldn't get these sandwiches out of my head. You can also use an Italian loaf, or even just whatever bread you have kicking around. The cheese is similarly customizable by your fridge, as is the meat. Use whatcha got!
You will need:
1/2 c large green stuffed olives
1/3 c unstuffed sliced black olives
2 tsp capers
1 Tbsp EVOO (Yes! Finally the extra-virgin olive oil!)
1/2 tsp fish sauce (or anchovy paste)
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Black pepper
70 g light cheddar or marble cheese (you know, a little over 2 ounces, enough to cover two sandwiches)
90 g fat-free chicken kolbassa (sounds disgusting, tastes delish), about 12 rounds
4 slices ciabatta bread (or Italian loaf)
This recipe is basically all prep, no cooking. Chop all the olives up niiiice and tiny, start filling a large stainless steel bowl.
Mince the garlic really finely, along with the capers, dump along with the rest of the ingredients into the bowl. Give it a good stir, cover and refrigerate while cleaning up and prepping the bread, cheese and meat.
Lay out your bread on top of a large piece of plastic wrap. Spoon a quarter of the olive mixture on each slice, gently press down with your spatula. You were totally using a spatula, right??
Place one full layer of cheese across one side, top with the kolbassa (honestly! It tastes so.good!) and top with the other half of the sandwich. Carefully. Pick up the olives that fell out and push them in the sides. Or eat. I did both.
Wrap as tightly as possible, refrigerate for at least half an hour.
This makes two large sandwiches, and the filling, including meat and cheese, comes to 297 calories per each. I didn't include the bread, because I didn't work out the nutritional information for the ciabatta bread. I didn't work that out because it is too tricky to figure out how many / what size each piece would be. So just add in your bread and Bob's your uncle! I wonder if a pita would work...
Enjoy!
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Roasted Garlic Potato Chow-dair
I had a bunch of roasted garlic left over from the mayo the other day, so I figured I would put it to good use in a yummy soup, mostly because it has been ALMOST -40 the last couple of days. Gross! Anyway, I used red-skinned potatoes, because that's what I had, but really, you should use russet. That's what all the cool kids say. I also threw in cauliflower because I get all excited when I see something in which I can potentially hide vegetables.
You will need:
2 slices bacon (I like reduced-sodium because I like to suck the fun out of everything)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 large carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 heads roasted garlic
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp thyme
Salt, pepper
1/4 c white wine
4 c chicken stock
1 lb red-skinned potatoes, diced
2 c cauliflower, chopped
2 c milk
Lots of prep! Dice your potatoes, carrot and celery, chop everything else finely. Cut the bacon into small chunks. Don't make your potatoes too small, say about half a centimetre across. Gotcha! Slipped in the metric system when you weren't looking. Don't worry about your cauliflower being any particular size, you just want it relatively easy to break down. Now, start! If you haven't any roasted garlic already (whaaat? doesn't everyone have 9 roasted bulbs just kicking around??), see here for instructions
Brown the bacon in a large Dutch oven, remove the bits and set aside.
Add in the onions, celery and carrot, cook until softened, 3-5 minutes.
Add in a head and a half's worth of roasted garlic, about 10 cloves. Cook for one more minute. Add in the 2 Tbsp flour and 1 tsp of thyme, stirring to combine. Add in salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, until it starts to stick to the bottom.
Deglaze with the wine, stirring to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom. Cook until the wine is all gone, then add in the chicken stock, potatoes, cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes and cauliflower have softened.
Taste! Re-season as necessary. I like to break up the potatoes a bit, using a potato masher, but you could also use a hand-held blender. I prefer the masher because I like to leave chunks, but it you are into smooth soup, use one by all means.
Turn the heat up a smidge and add in the milk. Using a garlic press, crush the rest of the roasted garlic cloves into the soup - about 4 or 5. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes or so, uncovered, until it has thickened somewhat. Taste again! More pepper, probably. More thyme for sure. Make it so!
I garnished each bowl with the cooked bacon from the beginning and portioned this into 6 1 1/2 c servings at 209 calories per. Add on a slice of whole wheat, whole grain bread and some butter, good to go for supper or lunch on a really FREAKING cold day.
Enjoy!
You will need:
2 slices bacon (I like reduced-sodium because I like to suck the fun out of everything)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 large carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 heads roasted garlic
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp thyme
Salt, pepper
1/4 c white wine
4 c chicken stock
1 lb red-skinned potatoes, diced
2 c cauliflower, chopped
2 c milk
Lots of prep! Dice your potatoes, carrot and celery, chop everything else finely. Cut the bacon into small chunks. Don't make your potatoes too small, say about half a centimetre across. Gotcha! Slipped in the metric system when you weren't looking. Don't worry about your cauliflower being any particular size, you just want it relatively easy to break down. Now, start! If you haven't any roasted garlic already (whaaat? doesn't everyone have 9 roasted bulbs just kicking around??), see here for instructions
Brown the bacon in a large Dutch oven, remove the bits and set aside.
Add in the onions, celery and carrot, cook until softened, 3-5 minutes.
Add in a head and a half's worth of roasted garlic, about 10 cloves. Cook for one more minute. Add in the 2 Tbsp flour and 1 tsp of thyme, stirring to combine. Add in salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, until it starts to stick to the bottom.
Deglaze with the wine, stirring to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom. Cook until the wine is all gone, then add in the chicken stock, potatoes, cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes and cauliflower have softened.
Taste! Re-season as necessary. I like to break up the potatoes a bit, using a potato masher, but you could also use a hand-held blender. I prefer the masher because I like to leave chunks, but it you are into smooth soup, use one by all means.
Turn the heat up a smidge and add in the milk. Using a garlic press, crush the rest of the roasted garlic cloves into the soup - about 4 or 5. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes or so, uncovered, until it has thickened somewhat. Taste again! More pepper, probably. More thyme for sure. Make it so!
I garnished each bowl with the cooked bacon from the beginning and portioned this into 6 1 1/2 c servings at 209 calories per. Add on a slice of whole wheat, whole grain bread and some butter, good to go for supper or lunch on a really FREAKING cold day.
Enjoy!
Friday, 23 August 2013
Turkey Burgers
I've been craving turkey burgers all week; and since I just happen to have half a pound of the ground big bird, I am going for it. Simplest recipe ever! 3 ingredients! Use whatcha got. I am making 2, double it for four and on and on.
I used:
1/2 pound ground extra-lean turkey
3 large stuffed olives (mine have garlic and jalapenos because I like to be stinky AND uncomfortable whilst pooping)
1 oz goat cheese (I bet feta would be amazing)
Chop your olives, warm your grill. That's it for prep. Spray your grill with oil, so that's like another half a step. Throw all three ingredients in a bowl, mix together and form two patties.
Place on grill over medium-ish heat, cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping after about 10.
Note: I am not a burger presser. I know people that are (some of my best friends!) so no judgement, but I like to keep all the juices inside the burger, as then they have a better chance of getting in my belly.
You can tell they are done when their juices run clear when you press (gently!) on them. A thermometer would help if you really want to get technical.
These babies came in at 165 calories each, add a bun, some salad and there we are, another meal under 500 calories. We totally rock.
Enjoy!
I used:
1/2 pound ground extra-lean turkey
3 large stuffed olives (mine have garlic and jalapenos because I like to be stinky AND uncomfortable whilst pooping)
1 oz goat cheese (I bet feta would be amazing)
Chop your olives, warm your grill. That's it for prep. Spray your grill with oil, so that's like another half a step. Throw all three ingredients in a bowl, mix together and form two patties.
Place on grill over medium-ish heat, cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping after about 10.
You can tell they are done when their juices run clear when you press (gently!) on them. A thermometer would help if you really want to get technical.
These babies came in at 165 calories each, add a bun, some salad and there we are, another meal under 500 calories. We totally rock.
Enjoy!
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Saturday: Crab Cakes with Caesar Salad
I haven't decided whether or not I will be making the Caesar salad; I am the only salad-eater in the hizz-ouse. This is something I typically make when we have people over, but shutdown is making us shut-ins. However! I will post the recipe, crab cakes are still on. These are nice and crunchy yet flavourful and not too fussy.
You will need:
1 lb crab meat (real or imitation**)
3/4 c bread crumbs, either whole wheat, whole grain bread crumbs or panko
6 green onions
3 Tbsp light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp 1% milk
2 Tbsp egg whites (about 1 if you are using an actual egg)
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp butter
This is another throw-together dish, you will want to start at least an hour before you want to be noshing. If you are planning to make the salad as well, start now by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees.
Start your cakes! Mix your crab, breadcrumbs, green onions, mayo, parsley, egg whites, milk, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper together in a large-ish bow.
**A note about what type of crab to use: you want a somewhat flaky one, and since the star of the show is the crab, you may want to go with real crab. However, if you live a long way from a large body of water like myself, the expense can be prohibitive. I used what turned out to be a rubbery imitation crab and it was much more difficult to work with than other types I have used in the past. If you do end up with something kinda rubbery, make sure you really squeeze it when forming the rounds, it should help everything stay together.
Wet your hands and form the mixture into 8 round cakes. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. Start your Caesar dressing!
You will need:
1 thinly slice whole grain whole wheat bread
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic powder
Romaine lettuce
2 to 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or any oil, I am just excited to be able to use mine!)
2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed if you have it, about 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp anchovy paste
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper - to taste
2 Tbsp parmesan
Melt your butter, spread on both sides of the bread. Sprinkle on your garlic powder and bake in your pre-heated oven for 7 minutes, flip and turn off the oven, cook for 7-8 more minutes, until golden. Ish. Alternatively, should you not want to use powdered garlic, you could leave it off and when the bread comes out of the oven, rub it all over with a cut garlic clove. Either way, cut it into crouton-sized pieces while it is still warm.
Whisk the oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic cloves, mustard, anchovy paste, sugar, salt and cayenne / pepper in a bowl until fully combined. Taste and add more oil / seasonings as required. You can use right away, but I find the flavours develop if left for a little while. Refrigerate whatever you aren't going to use.
Back to the crab cakes! Dump your flour in a cake / pie pan and coat both sides of the cakes.
Melt the butter in a non-stick pan, cook each crab cake until golden and a leetle crunchy, 4-5 minutes per side. Don't crowd your pan, so if you don't have a monster-sized cooking surface, do it in batches.
Back to the salad! Toss the dressing with the romaine lettuce, sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese and croutons. Done!
I came up with a calorie count for one fourth of the dressing and croutons and two crab cakes and got 368 calories. Mind you, as always, this is somewhat subjective as I am using my own bread and checking my own labels. It's a ballpark!
Enjoy!
You will need:
1 lb crab meat (real or imitation**)
3/4 c bread crumbs, either whole wheat, whole grain bread crumbs or panko
6 green onions
3 Tbsp light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp 1% milk
2 Tbsp egg whites (about 1 if you are using an actual egg)
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp butter
This is another throw-together dish, you will want to start at least an hour before you want to be noshing. If you are planning to make the salad as well, start now by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees.
Start your cakes! Mix your crab, breadcrumbs, green onions, mayo, parsley, egg whites, milk, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper together in a large-ish bow.
**A note about what type of crab to use: you want a somewhat flaky one, and since the star of the show is the crab, you may want to go with real crab. However, if you live a long way from a large body of water like myself, the expense can be prohibitive. I used what turned out to be a rubbery imitation crab and it was much more difficult to work with than other types I have used in the past. If you do end up with something kinda rubbery, make sure you really squeeze it when forming the rounds, it should help everything stay together.
Wet your hands and form the mixture into 8 round cakes. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. Start your Caesar dressing!
You will need:
1 thinly slice whole grain whole wheat bread
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic powder
Romaine lettuce
2 to 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or any oil, I am just excited to be able to use mine!)
2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed if you have it, about 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp anchovy paste
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper - to taste
2 Tbsp parmesan
Melt your butter, spread on both sides of the bread. Sprinkle on your garlic powder and bake in your pre-heated oven for 7 minutes, flip and turn off the oven, cook for 7-8 more minutes, until golden. Ish. Alternatively, should you not want to use powdered garlic, you could leave it off and when the bread comes out of the oven, rub it all over with a cut garlic clove. Either way, cut it into crouton-sized pieces while it is still warm.
Whisk the oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic cloves, mustard, anchovy paste, sugar, salt and cayenne / pepper in a bowl until fully combined. Taste and add more oil / seasonings as required. You can use right away, but I find the flavours develop if left for a little while. Refrigerate whatever you aren't going to use.
Back to the crab cakes! Dump your flour in a cake / pie pan and coat both sides of the cakes.
Melt the butter in a non-stick pan, cook each crab cake until golden and a leetle crunchy, 4-5 minutes per side. Don't crowd your pan, so if you don't have a monster-sized cooking surface, do it in batches.
Back to the salad! Toss the dressing with the romaine lettuce, sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese and croutons. Done!
I came up with a calorie count for one fourth of the dressing and croutons and two crab cakes and got 368 calories. Mind you, as always, this is somewhat subjective as I am using my own bread and checking my own labels. It's a ballpark!
Enjoy!
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