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KitchenKatalog: Blog 303
Sunday, October 07, 2012, 09:45 AM
I made italian wedding soup. I looked at a bunch of recipes and basically just made some meatballs with bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper and other seasonings. I read a bunch of different recipes; some suggested cooking the meatballs first while others said to cook in the soup. I decided to cook it in the soup. It was hot enough and I let it boil for a while to make sure that not only the meatballs were well cooked, but the soup was well boiled.
I used chicken broth (better than bouillon) and carrots. When it was almost done, I put a whole bag of spinach in the soup. For the pasta, I smacked a bunch of rotini and used that.
The soup was okay, but definitely not as good as others I have had. It just didn't have that much flavor. I do not know what other recipes do, but I will read more recipes before I try again.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2297, 2012-10-07_094534
Friday, October 05, 2012, 11:15 AM
This was a classic what-can-I-make-with-normal-stuff-I-have. Basically, I sautéed some onions, then I added a can of tuna. I then mixed in about 1.5 servings (~3oz) "Plus" pasta. I added hot sauce, pepper relish (hoagie spread), and spicy mustard. Finally, I used some laughing cow and a bit of low fat mexican blend. I added some of the pasta water to help give it moisture, and to steam it all.
It ended up being pretty good. I didn't calculate the points, but it is presumably a bit high. But lots of protein (from the tuna) and carbs (I was doing a 100+ mile ride the next day)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2291, 2012-10-05_111544
Wednesday, October 03, 2012, 08:23 PM
I wanted a big but very low point meal. This is what I ended up with. I roasted the broccoli in the oven (425 for about 25-30 min, rotated once). As usual, it was awesome. I love broccoli like this.
For the spaghetti quash, I tried something difference. I halved it raw (no easy task, BTW), and scooped out the seeds cold. I then pammed it, put some salt and pepper on, then microwave dit (cut side up). I started with 8 minutes but ended up adding like 6 more. The advantage of cutting it first was that I didn't have to scoop out the seeds of a hot squash. And, I felt like more came off the skin.
I made a pretty standard tomato sauce. Half an onion, some garlic, 28 oz can of diced tomatoes and a full can of paste. I added two frozen basil cubes (not sure if I could taste them), lots or oregano and dried parsley, plus other seasonings. I also added some balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Finally, I added sriracha to kick up the spice!
All in all, the meal was HUGE but almost no points. Really, the only points came from the small amount of oil on the broccoli and the onions.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2284, 2012-10-03_202323
Monday, October 01, 2012, 10:07 PM
First, the salmon. I used the technique discussed on 2011-12-25 involving both the oven and a cast-iron pan. I figures that since the fish was thin, I figured it would need less time. When I was transferring the fish to plate I dropped a piece on the floor. I guess the good thing about that was I could see that it was woefully undercooked. Back in the oven it went! (and the floor piece became mostly lunch and partially Gracie's dinner). Overall, it was pretty good. Nothing special. I think higher quality fish would have helped.
I made the cabbage from the recipe below but completely skipping the bacon. Basically, I quartered it, cut the stem out, and cut it again. The pieces didn't stick together too well. I liked it a lot, but I had higher hopes. I figured that since I LOVE roasted brussel sprouts, I would love this. Well, I did like it, but again, it wasn't out-of-this-world. I think next time I will try to shred it (and then have to mix it more in the oven). I want more smaller pieces.
I was happy with the meal though. Lots of food for very few calories.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2281, 2012-10-01_220756
Thursday, September 27, 2012, 08:47 PM
I made tacos using lean ground beef. I only used 2/3 lbs but used the while package of seasoning. I put a lot of garlic powder and some crushed red pepper into the seasoning water. This really helped to infuse the meat with the flavors. I again used kale instead of lettuce. I also had tomato and avocado. I use the taco shells I talked about on 2012-07-01 but cooked them a little less so they were softer.
I also tried making the zucchini chips again with the same recipe as before. I used the 2nd from smallest setting (3mm I think). They seemed to need longer to cook but that isn't surprising. I switched pans about half way through, but the_top_ pan (for the second half) seemed get much more done. Usually you expect that to be the bottom, but I wonder if, at such low heat (250), the hot air rising trumps the affect of radiative heating from the element. You can see in the picture the different amount they came out cooked. The brown ones were still good, but, had a slight burn taste. The green ones were still a tad soggy. I did give them 5 minutes to harden after being taken out.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2272, 2012-09-27_204743
Monday, September 24, 2012, 01:48 PM
I made Pozole with the normal recipe (which I am finally just including pictures of it below). I basically followed it but used canned peppers instead of the serrano. I also, as usual roasted the tomatillos in the broiler along with the poblano. I used fresh cilantro but dried parsley and skipped the spinach. Also, because I was out of regular Better than bouillon I had to use Osem, so this ended up being truly vegetarian. Also, I put everything in the pot except the beans and hominy then used the immersion blender. It made life much easier. (this is what I think we have always done). The final result was very good. I saved a big portion for lunch, but then ate way too much that night. I should have saved some more for another time. Also, after my too-hot experience with the pumpkin soup the other day, I resisted the urge to add Dave's Insanity.
I also made zucchini chips. I was intrigued since the premise of these were low heat for a long time instead of high heat for a little. I sliced them to the smallest setting on the mandoline. I think I will try the next one up next time. Anyway, I baked them based on the recipe below. I think I let them cook a bit too long since they were kind of browned, but still very good. When I use thicker slices, the time may be okay. We will see. They were good.
Pozole (From The HomeSick Texan)
Local Copy-- password is the name of my dog, all lower case
Oven Dried Zucchini (from The Tasty Bits)
Local Copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2263, 2012-09-24_134853
Friday, September 21, 2012, 10:28 PM
I basically made use of the beet bunches. I chopped the beats and cooked them on the stove like I was making hash browns. Meanwhile, I sautéd the stems to soften them, then added the leaves. Mixed it all together and added 1.5 servings of the "plus" type pasta (extra protein and fiber). I grated some rosemary and olive oil toscano on top.
Overall, it was very good. The meal was well-balanced and had a good mix of carbs and protein Also pretty low in points. The one note is that I needed to wash the leaves better. I did wash them but it was a bit gritty.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2258, 2012-09-21_222815
Thursday, September 20, 2012, 11:57 AM
I bought a pumpkin that was supposed to be more sweet and flavorful than the bigger ones (see the bad experience on 2010-10-26). It was not easy to do, but I cut the pumpkin into small pieces, boiled it for a while in broth, then immersion blended it. I added lots of seasonings focussing on garlic powder (lots of it) and pumpkin pie spice. I also needed to add some splenda, but not too much. Finally, I added a tiny bit of Dave's Insanity to kick it up a bit. Well, that stuff is truly insane. It was so hot! tolerable, but very hot. Overall, I liked it quite a bit but would not use hot sauce again.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2255, 2012-09-20_115710