What's for Dinner? November 9 to November 15, 2013

Another month passed by.  I started taking a six-week on-line class since the middle of October.  The class will be over one day before Thanksgiving.  Hooray!

Saturday, November 9, 2013: Ate at co-op. 
Too tired to make dinner.


Sunday, November 10, 2013: Taco Salad at Bible Study.  



Monday, November 11, 2013: Chicken Paprika
My old neighbor from Hungary taught me how to make it.   


Tuesday, November 12, 2013: Coconut Chicken Curry
This may not be authentic, but my husband likes it.  I'll post my recipe when I make next time.



Wednesday, November 13, 2013: Everyone ate something different...
My younger one became ill, and I pulled something out of the freezer.



Thursday, November 14, 2013: Ate out.
My son's birthday.




Friday, November 15, 2013: Pizza Friday for the boy.  I had Kale and White Bean Soup 
Even though I did not have some of the ingredients, the soup turned out great and fulfilling. 

I made the soup with
- white beans (Great Northern)
- kale
- onions
- carrots
- bacon
That's all.  
★★★★☆

Baked goods:
Fudgy Gluten Free Chocolate Cake (no dairy and egg)
★★★★★
It is hard to tell it is gluten free!  I never thought of using avocado for baking.    

  
Paleo Pumpkin Bars
★★★★★
I want to freeze some pumpkin bars to see if these freeze well or not, but they dissapear before I save a piece for my experiment. I reduced the amount of honey from 3/4 cup to 1/4 cup.  It is super easy to make. 

What's for Dinner? October 5 to October 11, 2013

Here is the list of dinners I ate for the past week:

Saturday, October 5, 2013: Vegetarian Cauliflower and Potato Curry

★★★★★

I love this dish.  I usually eat with coconut rice.  Mmm....



 
Sunday, October 6, 2013: Salmon and Vegetarian Chili (again!)

★★★★★
This time added three varieties of beans - black, kidney and garbanzo. 


 
Monday, October 7, 2013: Adzuki Bean Rice Burger for me.  Pork Cutlet for the rest of the family.
★★★★☆
Having the burgers with the pineapple salsa was good.  I'd need to add more spices and maybe cilantro if I would eat the burger alone.   







Tuesday, October 8, 2013: Leftover day



Wednesday, October 9, 2013: Everyone ate something different...
My younger one became ill, and I pulled something out of the freezer.





Thursday, October 10, 2013: Chicken with Tomatoes & Mushrooms

★★★★★
I needed a recipe with lots of tomatoes.  I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned.
Friday, October 11, 2013: Ate out. 

What's for Dinner? September 28 - October 4, 2013

Here is the list of dinner menus for the past week:

Saturday, September 28:Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread
★★★★★
I am not able to eat corn for a while, but my boys gave me thumbs up for the cornbread.  Chili was very tasty.  I'll make it again next week.  I still have some cooked beans in my freezer and a huge zucchini to use.  

Sunday, September 29: Northwoods Wild Rice and leftovers
★★★★★
I jazzed up this recipe a bit using Lundburg Wild Blend^® instead of using wild rice.  I did not use bacon, but it turned out really well.  As a matter of fact, I ordered more of this rice from Amazon.  :-)



Monday, September 30: Vegan Sweet Potato Bowl with Chimichurri
★★★☆☆　
I really liked the roasted sweet potato and red quinoa, but I did not acquire taste for parsley.  Thus, it was only "OK" taste to me. 



Tuesday, October 1: Cashew Chicken (chicken, celery and mushrooms stir-fry) 
★★★★★
This is my creation.  So, why not giving five stars to my own recipe?  Hehe.  I will post the recipe next time I make this.  



Wednesday, October 2: Ate out at local co-op.



Thursday, October 3: Ethiopian Cabbage Dish
★★★★★
This is our go-to recipe for easy and quick meal.  



Friday, October 4: Pizza day
I made some gluten free dough for me.  The rest of my family ate wheat based pizza dough. 


Snacks:
Pumpkin Bread

Please follow the instructions provided on the original recipe.  Because of the high fat and sugar content, I altered the recipe for my liking. 

 

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

→ 2 eggs and 1 Tablespoon of ground flax meal + 3 Tablespoons of water

1 cup vegetable oil

→ 1/2 cup oil + 1/2 cup apple sauce

2/3 cup water

3 cups white sugar 

→this is too much sugar to me!  I use 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar. 

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Almond-Date Balls with Carob and Coconut

I am sure you can use cocoa powder instead of carob powder.  I make a lot of these date balls and freeze them.   
 

Recipe Test: Northwoods Wild Rice

When we have salmon for dinner, this is the side dish I make.

Northwoods Wild Rice

Ingredients
1/1/2 cups uncooked wild rice, rinsed 
→　I used 1 cup of Lundburg Wild Blend® instead
4 cups of water
→　Per the cooking instruction, 1 3/4 cups of water
1 teaspoon salt
→　Reduced to 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 cup butter, cubed
→　1 Tablespoon of olive oil used
4 slices bacon, diced
→　Skipped
1/2 cup celery, sliced
→　Increased to 1 cup
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
→　Increased to 1 cup
Seasoned salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup salted cashews
→　Skipped

Yield: 6-8 servings

Here are the ingredients:
Chopping veggies ahead of time helps reducing the total cooking time. 

Let's start cooking!

Recipe Test: Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread

I have been using this cornbread recipe for a while. 



Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (that is 1 stick of butter)
→　I use 4 Tablespoons of butter (1/2 stick)
2/3 cup white sugar                             
→　I use 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar instead
2 eggs
1 cup butter milk                                 
→　1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar) + milk to make 1 cup of butter milk substitute

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
→　1/4 teaspoon salt

Yield: 6-8 servings

It is very easy and quick to make.  Let's begin!

Recipe Test: Vegetarian Chili

I made Vegetarian Chili and corn bread (for my family) last Saturday dinner.

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch

Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

At first, I was overwhelmed by the list of ingredients!  I skipped some of the veggies as I did not have them.  

Here are the list of ingredients I used (I marked my changes in pink): 

1 Tablespoon (instead of Tablespoons) canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced, depending upon taste (I didn't have any)
1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears) (I skipped it as I am not able to eat corn while on the elimination diet)
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed (I used 8 large white mushrooms instead.)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespooon ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (I skipped it as I don't like it too spicy)
4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce (I used tomato paste + water)
1 cup vegetable stock, or water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

I skipped the following (I made corn bread instead):
Cooked brown rice, accompaniment
Sour cream or strained plain yogurt, garnish
Diced avocado, garnish
Essence, recipe follows, garnish
Chopped green onions, garnish

 I usually chop onions, mushrooms and celery on the day I purchase.  This reduces overall cooking time tremendously.  Another tip: buy dry beans and cook at home.  Not only this will reduce the cost, but also will reduce the amount of cans for recycling.  

What is an easy way to peel tomatoes?  Make a shallow X in the bottom end.

Put the tomatoes in the hot water.

 

See how easy it is!?  This technique can be used for peaches.

Let's start cooking!

I'm back

It's been a while since I posted the last entry...  I became very busy both at work and home.  

Since I am on the elimination diet, I am excluding some items such as:
Gluten
Dairy
Corn
Orange
Red meat (this is no problem for me)
Soy (this is hard for me!)
Sugar, honey, and maple syrup


I've been eating mostly Gluten free vegetarian/vegan meals.  Before I started this diet, some people told me it would be hard.  For me, it is full of experiment opportunities!

I will post some of the recipes I tried.

Brown Rice, Lentil and Spinach Soup

Even though I live in the lentil capital of the world, I never cooked with lentils until a few weeks ago!  While I was browsing the Saveur magazine, one recipe looked really good.

The serving size is six.  Since I was not sure how the soup would turn out good, I decided to try with a smaller portion to reduce the risk of waisting the ingredients. 

Here is the recipe.

I kept the original amount for the vegetables (onion, carrots and celery)

INGREDIENTS

½ lb. sweet Italian sausage   → 1/4 lb.
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil  → 1 tablespoon
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. cumin seeds       → 1/2 teaspoon
½ tsp. dried thyme      → 1/4 teaspoon
1 dried chile de árbol   → I did not have it 
12 cups chicken broth  → I did not have it , I added 4 cups of water instead of 6 cups
1 cup long-grain brown rice, rinsed  → 1/2 cup short-grain brown rice (I didn't have long-grain kind)
¾ cup brown lentils, rinsed → 3/8 cup brown lentils
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ lb. spinach, coarsely chopped


It was super easy to cook!  It was very hearty soup.  I will make it again (and again) for sure.

Granola Bars

I was looking for a recipe for granola bars, and found this recipe.

When I cook or bake, I do not follow to a tee.  As soon as I saw the list of ingredients, I decided to omit the brown sugar.  As I consume very little sugar, my tongue does not handle sweet stuff very well.

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ                           → Replaced with ground flaxseed
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour                      → 1/4 cup instead
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt                    → 1 pinch instead
1/2 cup honey                                    → 1/3 cup instead
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil                          → 1/3 cup oil plus 1/3 applesauce instead
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried sour cherries, chopped
                                                     → 1/2 cup of dried fruits (I like to use dried cranberries or raisins)
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips             → 1/4 cup or omit
3/4 cup slivered almonds                   → 1/4 cup nuts (I have tried with unsalted cashew nuts)

Serving size 16 bars

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

 

2. Add all dry ingredients (oats, flour, cinnamon, ground flaxseed and salt) in a bowl.

3. Measure wet ingredients (oil, honey, applesauce, vanilla and egg).  Note: If you do not have applesauce on hand, you may use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup honey.

Mix all wet ingredients well.

4. Pour the wet ingredient mixture to the bowl. Mix well.

My little helper was a great help! 

5. Add nuts, dried fruits and chocolate chips.  Mix well.

6. Press the mixture to the pan.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes in a 350F oven.

7. Cool for 10 minutes and cut into pieces. 

 

Update (March 24, 2013):

• Baking in a 9x9" pan makes a thicker bars. 
• Coconut, Chocolate & Almonds: Yummy!  I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.  I omitted vanilla.  

Applesauce

We bought 50 lbs. of apples in Hood River, Oregon at the end of the year 2012. As I often substitute applesauce for oil and sugar, I wanted to try making apple sauce!

We visited Kiyokawa Family Orchards. They had some rare apple.  The lowest price was 39cents per pound!  We should have bought more.

 

I used a few different kinds of apples for the applesauce.

 

 First, I pealed apples and chopped them.

 

Next, I cooked them in my pot.  Finally, I mushed the cooked apples.

The whole process took some time, but it was easier than I had thought. I froze half in a ziplock bag, and I canned the other half.

Cupboard for Kids

 

Hello!

 

It has been a while since last post!  The part of the reason for the long break was our main computer was down. 

 

I try to update my blog more often.

 

Our older son was claiming on the kitchen counter to get glasses whenever he wanted water to drink.  My husband and I wanted to create a solution.

 

We have a small buffet table where I used to keep my recipes books.  Now we keep the dishes and silverware for our boys.  After dishes are done, we put their dishes on the top of the buffet table for the boys to put them away. 

 

This has been working great for us.

 

Oven Fries

My boys asked for some French fries. I had some potatoes. I didn't want to do clean up afterwards.

My solution was 'cook' potatoes in the oven!

First, slice potatoes to the shape you like. Then, coat them with olive or vegetable oil.

Bake the potatoes in the oven at 375F for 20 to 25 minutes.

That's all!

Crispy Oven Baked Zucchini Fries

I started browsing more meal ideas on Pinterest. Never heard of it? It is a bit difficult to describe what it is. Here is the site is about: http://m.pinterest.com/about/

I bought one zucchini specifically for this recipe:

http://pinterest.com/pin/232779874460585808/

The recipe calls for panko, Japanese bread crumbs. It is available in the international or ethnic section at most grocery stores.

I make my own. Here is how.
1. Dry sliced bread for about half a day.
2. Make crumbs in a food processor.
That's it! I usually use 8-10 slices of bread. I keep them in the freezer.

These were very good! Next time, I will increase the amount of garlic powder and paprika, and add a little of salt. Even my super picky son said good and actually ate some. :-)

Useful Websites

Boy!  I have not posted anything about two months!  I try to update at least once a week from now on. 

I would like to post a few useful websites:

Calorie Count
I modify baking recipes A LOT to reduce the amount of sugar and fat.  I use this web site to find out how much calories I was able to reduce. 

The tool I use is called "Recipe Analyzer."

Once a Month Mom
I found this website recently.  I have quite a few freezer friendly recipes already, yet this site offers more than recipes!  I haven't fully utilize this website yet.  I'm hoping to add more freezable recipes to my recipe collections.

Meal Planning: 40 Recipes for Shredded Chicken
We buy chicken already frozen.  This is something I would like to try. 

King Arthur Flour
For baking recipes, this web site is my go to site.  I found most of the treats recipes are way to sweet for my taste.  I cut sugar by 1/2 at least. 

Homemade Granola

My first (successful) granola!

Japanese Hamburger （ハンバーグ）

My husband does not complain if I make stir-fried veggies, but he gives me a hint that he wants to have beef or pork in the dish. 


Okay, okay. 


How about this?  Japanese Hamburger

Hamburger Buns

I don't know what made me wanting to try baking hamberger buns on Sunday.  For bread baking recipes, I always check the recipes at the King Arthur Flour web site.  Beautiful Burger Buns is the recipe I tried this time. 

One of the best wedding gifts we received.  This bread machine has been working faithfully almost eight years.  I use this machine for kneading only.  I prefer to transfer the dough in to bread loafs and bake them in the oven.

I used the dough cycle.  This was after 1.5 hours from the beginning. 

Divide dough in eight pieces using my electronic scale.  You don't need to do this way, but I like to get each dough ball close to the same size. 

Flatten each dough ball with a rolling pin.  Let them raise for about one hour.

Brush the buns with melted butter.

Bake for 15-18 minutes at 375F.

I made a portobello mushroom burger.  Mmm!

Preparing ahead...

This week is going to be busy! 

As soon as I come from grocery shopping, I wash and prepare packable fruits and veggies such as grapes and celery. 

I recently purchased these BPA free plastic lunch boxes (set of four on the right) from Amazon.  There are three compartments.  I filled the smaller compartments with cut fruits and veggies.  I can pull the frozen sandwich in the morning to put in the main compartment, or fill with something else.  I hope this will save me several minutes in the morning this week.  



Flourless Chocolate Cake

To accompany the latte, we needed something chocolaty (coffee and chocolate - perfect combination, right)?

The quick easy chocolate cake recipe is Flourless Chocolate Cake.  I love King Arthur Flour products and recipes.  I actually flew all the way to Vermont to take their baking lesson. 

Here are the main ingridients.  I'm sure the recipe was tested by their bakers, but I always cut the amount of sugar in half even for a recipe I never baked before.

The original recipe calls for 3/4 cup of sugar, but I only used 1/3 cup here.

I used 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of unsweetened chocolate to even reduce the sugar content. 

Melt butter and chocolate (in microwave for 1.5 minutes).  

Mix well.  The texture should be very silky.

Espresso powder is optional.  I used probably 1/4 spoon to enhance the chocolate flavor. 

Add sugar, eggs and a pinch of salt.  Mix well.  Add cocoa powder.

Ready for baking!

The original recipe calls for glaze, but this is sweet for us. I occasionally serve this cake with whipped cream. My husband likes to eat with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.





Latte

I thought June would be warmer and sunny.  It has been rainy and cold.  :-(

It was a perfect time to have a cup of latte...

We don't have an espresso machine.  I don't remember when I purchased this stove-top espresso maker, but this is at least eight years old.     

While waiting for espresso to be brewed, I warm milk in the microwave.  I love this milk frother (Aerolatte).

Milk frother in action!

Ready...