Tag Archives: vegetables

April 5, 2020 · 2:37 pm

Quarantine Cuisine Day #4 – Chef Salad

Previously, I mentioned we have our main meal at lunchtime and prefer a light dinner. For the next several days, dinner is a variation of the chef salad. Light, yes. Quick? Well … not so much.

Unless you buy bagged salad mix, you must first wash and chopped your produce. (Quarantine tip: save the chopped ends of lettuce in water and grow another serving) I prefer chopping lettuce and slicing tomatoes with a knife, but a food processor or Kitchen Kutter makes quick work of shredding carrots, slicing celery and onions, and whatever else you want to add.

Romaine micro-gardening

I usually add chopped boiled egg, a bit of Parmesan cheese,and a meat to finish the salad. The meat can be a shredded cooked chicken breast, thawed frozen cooked shrimp, chopped lunch meat, or tonight’s selection, canned tuna.

Tuna Chef Salad

A salad is a good way to get a couple of servings of vegetables, and it doesn’t have to be boring. Add grated zucchini, sliced fresh mushrooms, or even fruit. We plan to enjoy salads until we run out of fresh produce. That’s when my 30-Day challenge will get, uh, challenging.

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April 2, 2020 · 3:22 pm

Quarantine Cuisine Day #2 – Fiesta Salad

Day #1 wasn’t challenging as I had stocked up Tuesday with a pickup order from Walmart. Today I found myself with aging produce and a pound of ground turkey nearing its sell-by date.

Lunch is typically our main meal, so today I used these items to make two large servings of fiesta salad. It may contain Fritos chips, but it’s surprisingly healthful.

Brown and season the ground turkey.

Basically a salad of chopped lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and (optional) cilantro, the only cooking was browning the ground turkey. The cheese sauce was cheddar cheese soup heated in the microwave oven, thinned with 1/4 cup milk.

According to my recipe builder, we each ate 556 calories, including 57 g. protein and 18 g. fat. and 6.2 g fiber. It’s a fun dish as well as a good use-up of produce.

It’s early in the month, so we’ll see how the thirty-day challenge progresses. So how’s your quarantine going?

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June 5, 2019 · 2:23 pm

Zesty Pinto Beans

We often eat beans. We like them, they’re good for us, and they are inexpensive. Today’s pintos (made in my Instant Pot) are made zesty with the addition of hot Hatch Chilies.

We discovered Hatch Chilies in Texas one summer. Although next to impossible to find fresh in my area, Hatch Chilies in cans are usually found in my pantry.

Here’s my recipe:

Zesty Pintos

RECIPE

Zesty Pinto Beans

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  1. 1 cup Dried Pinto Beans
  2. 1 cup Chopped Onion
  3. 1/2 cup Diced Sweet Pepper
  4. 1/2 cup Hatch Chilies (we like hot, but choose your heat level)
  5. 1 clove garlic, minced
  6. Water or Broth
  7. Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

  1. Soak beans overnight or do a 1-hour Quick Soak in a Pressure Cooker.*
  2. Rinse beans and set aside. Wipe the pressure cooker dry and preheat (Sauté Mode).
  3. When pot is hot, add 1 Tbsp. oil. Allow oil to heat.
  4. Sauté chopped onions for 2 minutes before adding peppers.
  5. Sauté peppers 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat (or hit Cancel).
  6. Stir in garlic.
  7. Add presoaked beans. Add liquid just to cover beans. Set cooker for 30 minutes.
  8. Seal and bring to pressure. After cooking, allow pressure to drop on its own.
  9. Open cooker, stir, and serve.

*For the 1-hour Quick Presoak, place beans in a pressure cooker. Add water to completely cover the beans. Add 1 Tbsp salt. Pressure cook for one minute, cancel, and then allow beans to soak undisturbed for one hour. Rinse and drain before cooking.

.

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July 10, 2016 · 7:35 am

More on Brussels Sprouts

BS

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Washed & Ready to eat

In my previous post, I sang the praises of shaved Brussels Sprouts. This week I picked up a free recipe card at the grocery store and tried it. It paired Brussels Sprouts with carrots, adding a sweetness to balance the sulfur-like taste of veggies in the cabbage family. Yum! So with apologies to Publix for a couple of modifications, here it is. 

RECIPE

Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 package shaved Brussels sprouts
  • 5 oz. carrots cut into matchsticks
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • ¼ tsp. Kosher or pink Himalayan salt
  • ¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper

Directions:

  1. Spray skillet with cooking spray and preheat on medium 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add Brussels sprouts and carrot matchsticks, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 5 minutes or until sprouts and carrots are tender but not overcooked.
  3. Remove skillet from heat. Add butter, salt, and pepper and toss.
  4. Serve immediately.

Note: This dish also works in the microwave oven. Use a microwave-safe dish, rinse sprouts and carrots, and then cover with a wet paper towel. Microwave on High 2-3 minutes, stir, and add butter. Cover and let stand for five minutes. Season, toss, and serve.

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