KitchenKatalog: Blog 207

We made a a ton of cuban black beans using the same idea as that time, but we used the pressure cooker. We based it on the pressure cooker using the guide from Fast Cooking (Local). We also aimed to adjust the times by 20% as suggested by Hip pressure cooking (also on that local page).

The pressure cooking times are usually from when it starts to sizzle. And we let it naturally release. We split it into batches and the first batch was a bit overcooked (the natural release took like 15 or more minutes).

On the second batch, the seal must not have been as good since we heard the steam coming out for almost the entire time. And we timed it for less time. This worked a bit well, though neither were too bad.

The flavor of the beans after just the first stage was already really good. Then it got even better with the additional steps at the end. They came out really good!

We also made Avocado Pickles from The Kitchn (Local). Meredith followed the recipe really closely. One of the avocados was more firm than the other but both worked fine. The jalapeños were also very hot but it all worked well.

We also just made onions and peppers with some butter and salt. Not much to that either.

This was actually a pretty involved meal. We did the prep the night before, but it wasn't too bad. Maybe the kind of thing we could prep on the weekend.

Snow Pea Stir Fry

We again made the stir-fry from 2016-01-18. Same basic recipe. We followed it pretty closely except again, we did it in batches of ginger, vegetables, and then the shrimp. I think I overcooked the snow-peas, but they weren't too bad. And we made a about double the amount of snow peas.

Rolled Oatmeal

I made oatmeal for my mom. I do not remember the exact proportions, but I followed some recipe. And I just used almond milk in place of water. As it was almost done, I added some raisins and almonds. Other than that, I just added some (too much) salt. Actually, I could have gone a lot lower on the salt.

It was ok. Not really sure what else I did. And I didn't eat much of it. Most of it was for my mom.

Green Chile Shrimp and Grits

The package of grits said something like a 3:1 ratio and something like 5 minutes. That was a bit fishy so I more closely followed 2012-10-29 with a 4:1 ratio and about 15-20 minutes.

I did my usual creamy trick and used almost entirely almond milk in place of the water. I added two packets of frozen Green Chile to the grits. I started with one but it wasn't looking particularly green and it was getting dry. The second packet seemed to do the trick. Maybe a bit too hot but not bad. In addition, I threw in some salt, pepper, and some grated parm cheese. I forgot butter.

I just steamed the shrimp right from frozen. I didn't really have any good idea of timing so I just watched it.

Overall, it was pretty good. Shrimp was maybe a bit strange for breakfast but it worked.

Huevos

Pretty standard Huevos without much in the way of toppings. Mine had some honey-roasted turkey but the others didn't.

My mom was visiting and she can't stand runny eggs so I scrambled hers and just put it on top. Other than that, it was just the 505 Roasted Green Chile¹

They apparently make a distinction between just the green chile condiment and a sauce. This was the condiment version. Mostly just the chile with a few other things ↩

Breakfast Omelets / Scramble

The original intent was omelets but after two of them failed, I made the last one (pictured) a scramble.

I sautéed mushrooms, onions, and peppers in a bit of oil. When ready, I added the eggs and scrambled them. Also served with some oven-baked, center-cut, bacon.

Eggplant Poached Eggs

Not the prettiest meal, but we made a very quick meal of Trader Joes Grecian Style Eggplant and poached eggs. Just put the eggs in the stuff on a hot pan and served it over bread. It was very easy, very quick, and pretty good. The eggplant stuff is not exactly healthy (lots of oil) but we don't use too much of it.

I also made myself a very quick salad of tofu and roasted red pepper (also both from Trader Joes...) in some green mix. Not much to the salad either.

Additional Photos

Tofu and Broccoli Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing

We made Tofu and Broccoli Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing from this The Kitchn Recipe (Local). We followed the general gist of it but made some changes to the dressing.

To cut down on the calories and fat in the dressing, we used half peanut butter (1/4 cup) and 1/4 cup of PB2, the powdered peanut butter. I was a bit weary since I know that you usually do a 2:1 PB2:water ratio but this was certainly still peanut buttery enough. You could even go a little higher and still save a ton of calories. We also did it in the Vitamix.

For the tofu, we just chopped up the Trader Joes "Super Firm" tofu which is really easy and very good. I think we figured about 9 points plus total for the whole thing.