Trout on Toast

This could be a new favorite snack...if I make trout more often. I had baked steelhead trout and leftover trout straight up is always a little too fishy tasting to be enjoyed. So I added a dollop of  Miracle Whip, smashed it up and put it on toast with some herb & garlic cream cheese. REALLY YUMMY. Well...til the next time I make trout I guess.

Trout

Miracle Whip

Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese

Toast

Cumin wings on sweet potato spinach salad

 

I love chicken wings...and so I bought some. I was too lazy to mince garlic for some honey garlic wings (plus I can't really eat the honey right now) so I went with my next favorite flavor which is curry/cumin wings. There was a random sweet potato in my fridge so this got worked in as well.

Chicken Wings

Cumin

Soy sauce

Coconut sugar (or any sugar you want....I just used a slight pinch though normally I'd probably use a tbsp or two)

Salad:

Gouda cheese

Sweet potato - cubed and pan seared in butter

Spinach

Dressing:

Grainy mustard

Olive oil

Cider vinegar

a couple drops of Stevia (plant based, zero glycemic index, sweetener)

It was a nice hearty salad. The sweet potato was filling when paired with some meat. Yum.

Baked Potato Hash

We needed a carb item to round out our dinner. Actually I'm perfectly ok not eating carbs at dinner, but my husband doesn't feel a meal is complete without carbs. So, I rummage through the kitchen and come up with this:

Potatoes
Basil
S&p
Mozzarella
Plain greek yogurt

Basically toss the potato chunks in everything and then top with mozzarella. It was pretty good...you know what would've made it better? Sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt. But yes, yogurt is healthier. =)

 

Crustless Quiche

I was too lazy to make a crust...so I made one of my regular quiches in a cast iron pan, then put the whole thing in the oven to bake. Lovely.

Kale
Mushrooms
Onion
Cheese
Eggs
Almond Milk (remember it's 3 eggs to 1 cup milk)
Cumin
Paprika
Salt/Pepper



One of the best parts was that I did the whole thing in the same pan from start to finish. A couple less dishes to wash. =)

Caprese Salad

I wasn't sure whether to post this since the idea is not original or inspired at all. ha ha. But here it is...one of the easiest and yummy salads to make.

Sliced tomatoes
Sliced fresh mozzarella
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Basil (fresh basil would've been WAY better)

Leftover Makeover : Bean Patty

Remember the nine bean patty? I decided I would throw it into a salad. It's flavorful and good protein. So...there it went. And the Salad was a very good one because of it.

Bean patty
Fresh mozzarella
Avocado (half)
Walnuts

Dressing: Honey Dijon Summer dressing...minus the garlic this time

 

Broccoli Mushroom Quinoa Salad

Another Meatless Monday and I was toying with the idea of a warm salad. The broccoli, yellow heirloom tomatoes and mushrooms in my fridge was asking to be used but it wasn't quite enough to make three meal-size servings. (I like to have enough to pack my Husband lunch the next day.) I was tired of pasta so the next carb-type substance I thought of was quinoa. It cooks quickly, has great protein, is low in gluten and has a low glycemic index. I love the stuff.

I cooked the broccoli, 'shrooms and quinoa separately then tossed it together with the tomato and dallops of ricotta in a casserole dish before putting it in the oven for 15 min to meld the flavors together. I guess you could call this a casserole too...but I'm sticking with the warm salad description.

Broccoli - tossed in grapeseed oil, S&P and roasted
King oyster mushroom - sautéed with onion in cumin, paprika, salt, garlic salt in butter
Ricotta
Yellow Tomato
Quinoa

Super yummy...it will be going into rotation...when I next have these ingredients in my fridge at the same time. =)

Ricotta Scramble

I've become a Chatelaine reader...I always thought that was for older women until I realized, I've become that. And by older I mean in your thirties. Because I don't care which celeb is hooking up with whom or who's in or out of rehab. And because I can't afford the beautiful clothes and accessories found in InStyle, nor do I ever aspire to own Jimmy Choo's...though I still check the online magazine for fashion inspiration. Ya, so I read Chatelaine because it has home decor tips, which I like and can execute, and it has recipes and food ideas, which I also really enjoy. Anyways, they have this awesome section covering what to do with the leftover bits of food and sauces that are in too small a quantity to make a proper meal with. I hate waste, so there's lots of great ideas.

One such idea was what to do with ricotta when you only have a spoon or two left. You put it in scrambled eggs!

Ricotta
Eggs



It makes the scramble really fluffy and fragrant. Yum!
I might do this on purpose instead of waiting until I just have leftover ricotta. =)

Veggie Casserole

I'm still working on the vegetarian repetoire of meals. It can't just be a regular salad because there isn't enough "stuff" in it to fill me up. A lot of people think that's what a vegetarian meal is like but there's so much more. What I'm trying to learn is how to create a healthy, hearty and tasty vegetarian meal...that won't leave me hungry 2 hrs after I eat.

So, after rummaging through my fridge for suitable veggies (I'm not very proficient with meal/grocery planning in advance...though mind you, it's sometimes the more economical way to just buy whatever is well priced and then figure out the meal later) I have:

Five cheese ravioli
Zucchini
Tomato
Onion
Eggplant
Goat cheese
Tomato paste
Various dried herbs


I chopped the onion and tomatoes and sauteed it first to make a tomato-y type sauce. I added tomato paste to thicken and add flavor. And then I layered it all together.


And ta-da!

The starch and cheses from the ravioli made the dish quite filling. Yes, I could've cooked it all separately and had ravioli with roasted veggies on the side, which I will probably do one day, but I was lazy and just wanted everything in one dish. =) Enjoy!

Skillet bread

I don't bake...unless it's meat or a casserole. Not sure what it is, but something about breads, cakes and etc scare me. I think it's because the correct amounts of ingredients added is actually kind of important and I can't "wing" it. Then I came across this easy skillet bread recipe...and it's not baked!

I added Basil and Oregano....as well as some parmesan cheese.

It's quite a hearty bread to go with a soup. I imagine I can also slice it in half through the middle and make a grilled cheese or something. Enjoy!

Bacon grilled cheese

This is one of those indulgent snacks that I will only allow myself once a year. Or so I say right now. We had defrosted a pack of bacon for some holiday cooking and had a few strips leftover that we couldn't re-freeze....so it went into a grilled cheese!

Bacon
Squirrely bread
Smoked Gouda
White cheddar
Cranberry sauce
Butter



It was DELISH!!


The cranberry sauce added a really nice touch of sweetness and tartness that cuts through the richness of all the cheese. Bacon...bacon speaks for itself.

Mom if you're reading this, please note the bowl of veggies in the background. =)

Spaghetti Squash Pasta

This time I made the spaghetti squash one of the mains instead of a side....and ate it as "pasta" to go along with some pan seared, soy sauce marinated drumsticks. I tossed it with a few more veggies so it was a little heartier but otherwise, it's similar to the previous spaghetti squash side.

Spaghetti Squash
Onion
Tomato
Broccoli
Gouda (You can tell what block of cheese we've got in the fridge because that's all I'll use until it's gone.)
Dried herbs

Drumsticks
Light Soy Sauce
Dark Soy Sauce (this gives it the dark caramelly color)
Honey (to drizzle over after it's cooked)

Broccoli Gouda Melt

This photo doesn't show a very appetizing broccoli gouda melt I'm afraid. I didn't time the lamb chops and broccoli very well so of course the veggies finished first and while the stove was off, I kept the lid on the pot which overcooked the broccoli so it's a little discolored. But....it tasted good!

Broccoli
Onion
Shredded Gouda

Tomato Zucchini casserole

I was running out of vegetables in the fridge.
There was some leftover tomato paste that would go bad soon if I didn't use it up.
It was cold out.
I had dishes to do.

And this tomato zucchini casserole became the solution! Baked veggies, especially with cheese and panko on top always tastes good. Cold season = casserole season. And while it baked, I was free to do the dishes. Genius!

Tomato
Zucchini
Tomato paste
Frozen corn niblets (found those in the freezer)
Cheese
Panko
S&P
Dried basil flakes (Really, whatever dried herbs you have around would do)

I got the thin slices of zucchini with a mandoline and then just layered everything together. Adding a spoon of tomato paste now and then. Baked it at 400 F. And it was delish! The dishes got done too.

Turkey Grilled Cheese

Did I mention grilled cheese sandwiches were my latest love? It was turkey season and I was looking for yummy ways to incorporate the bird leftovers into various meals other than the staple turkey soup. I saw the bread and cheese....and the turkey....and **lightbulb**!

Bread
Turkey
Hot pepper jelly
Frulani Cheese
Butter

So yum!

Tomato Soup

 

I've been making a lot of tomato soup of late. It's actually pretty easy...and you can adjust the flavors however you like. The first time I made it, it was too "carroty" said my husband. I was lacking chicken or vegetable broth and used some carrot juice instead. I thought the soup tasted fine. But whatever....

 

Tomatoes

Peppers (red, orange or yellow)

Onion

Broth (I made turkey broth from leftover bones...yum!)

White wine

Baby carrots

S&P

Thyme

Basil

Marble Cheese (I remember recipes asking for heavy cream which I didn't have, so thought cheese will do.)

 

What's also really nice is a pinch of chili powder for some kick.

I also have to say, immersion blenders are the bomb.

Mushroom Onion Kale Omelet

It was Meatless Monday and I was thinking about making a quiche again, but my only pie dish held a very yummy bake-less cheesecake in the fridge. So I opted to make a crustless quiche, but in the frying pan. So I guess I'll call this an omelet.

Kale - thinly chopped
Onion
Mushrooms
Eggs
Almond Milk
Salt & Pepper
Paprika
Cumin
Frulani cheese

I think I mentioned it previously, but the magic egg/milk ratio is three eggs to one cup of milk. It's a light, fluffy and fragrant mix every time! Enjoy!

Zucchini Tomato Soup

It was Meatless Monday...and it was cold. I had a flat of tomatoes where some were starting to show spots, as well as two green zucchini's at the bottom of the veggie drawer that needed eating. So I decided to do a zucchini tomato soup.

Tomatoes

Zucchini

Onion

Garlic

Couscous

Tomato paste

Cumin

Basil flakes

Chili flakes

Oregano flakes

Carrot juice

Sugar

Water

Dash of white wine

While grating the zucchinis, I found I had way too much, so as a last minute idea, I made some zucchini patties to eat with the soup:

Zucchini

Spelt flour

Frulani cheese

Egg

S&P

It was perfect for a cold day. The chili flakes added extra heat and kick to the soup. The zucchini patties were flavorful with the cheese and absorbed some of the heat from the soup when eaten together. The couscous in the soup added heartiness without it getting too heavy. Will be made again I'm sure.

Avocado Grilled cheese

I recently rekindled my love of a good grilled cheese sandwish. Alas I'm not supposed to eat very much cheese as it's usually quite high iodized salt content. But once in a while, I indulge. 

This one is made of:

Squirrely bread (all sprouted seeds so low/no gluten)

Frulani cheese

Avocado

It would've greatly benefited from having some crispy bacon in it. But good nevertheless. =)

Veggie Quiche & Broccoli Salad

The Salmon & Swiss Chard quiche turned out so well I wanted to try again. This time with tomatoes replacing the salmon. A true Meatless Monday meal. Oh wait....I have eggs...

Quiche filling:
Onion
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Marble Cheese
Eggs
Almond Milk
S&P

I think I failed to mention last time that the eggs:milk ratio is 3 eggs: 1 cup of milk. I think the almond milk gives it an extra layer of depth in flavor....the magic for aromatic, fluffy goodness!

Broccoli salad:
Broccoli
Raisins
Pumpkin Seeds
Flax Seeds
Cilantro

Dressing:
Mayo
Mustard
Vinegar
Sugar