Black Eyed Peas + Creole Okra side dish

https://www.simplyhappyfoodie.com/instant-pot-black-eyed-peas/

This was delicious, made it for new years with corn bread. Definitely add to rotation.

and a creole okra side dish:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/77400/creole-okra/
Tasted pretty well for okra that had been frozen over a year. Would make again if had okra that needed to be used. was maybe a 3.

Mung Bean curry soup

Based on this with alterations in parenthesis:
https://www.heynutritionlady.com/mung-bean-and-coconut-curry/

4 Tbsp sunflower oil
1 Tbsp whole cumin seeds
9 cloves garlic crushed (about 3 Tbsp crushed garlic)
14 oz can crushed tomatoes (i used stewed)
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger (i used frozen cubes from trader joes)
2 Tbsp ground coriander (omitted, did not have)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper (1/8 tsp only)
4 cups water (only did 3 cups)
1 cup mung beans picked over for stones and well rinsed (I used less water because I used split yellow mung beans.)
14 oz can coconut milk
1-2 medium limes juiced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped (omit, did not have)

This turned out to be a very delicious soup. I served it with flatbread and it is really great. I used the instant pot to saute and did ~30 minutes on low after the beans went in. The beans still had some bite which was nice.

Tomato and Cream soup

garden fresh roma tomatoes, about a dozen (peels removed, frozen fine)
1 quart chicken broth
1 minced onion
2 tsp "justice" from penzeys
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup cream
salt

boil tomatoes in broth. Puree in blender on low so there are still a few little chunks. Add spices and bay leaf, boil for 15 minutes. remove bay leaves, add cream. Then add salt to taste (a couple tsps at least?)

Serve with jalopeno cheese bread or cheese toast or breadsticks.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/soft-chewy-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/

I made this as written except i used 1 cup of lily's dark chocolate chips which are stevia sweetened. The cookies were sweet but not as sweet as regular oatmeal cookies, but I liked them and it was perfect. Will remember this recipe.

Waffle crab cakes

http://www.skinnytaste.com/waffled-crab-cakes/
Waffle crab cakes

This can be any kind of tinned fish cakes, really. I made a double recipe of this but used 1 can 14.5 oz salmon and 1 can 6 oz lump crab. Drained of course. The rest of the recipe was doubled. It was so good. We ate it with salad greens and ranch for dipping sauce.

Clyde loved this. He likes fish already, but he was as excited about these as real waffles with syrup. Win. I will have to make more savory waffle dinners. We all liked the dish quite a bit. I used 1/4 cup liquid whites to equal 2 egg whites.

Better Broccoli Casserole

http://eatwithinyourmeans.com/pressure-cooker-quinoa/
http://cookieandkate.com/2016/better-broccoli-casserole-recipe/
Better Broccoli Casserole

This is the first dish I've made with quinoa that I actually like. I rinsed the quinoa and made it using the pressure cooker method described in the first link. (1:1 ratio using wet grains...high pressure 1 min, depressurize for 15)

I used 1 lb broccoli, stems included.

This was really tasty. I just used a handful of gluten free breadcrumbs and didn't do any garlic saute. That probably would have made it even better, but it was super tasty as it was.

Protein Waffles

http://damndelicious.net/2016/07/15/healthy-protein-waffles
Protein Waffles

I also made this to go with it: https://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2015/11/blueberry-syrup-unsweetened.html and it didn't use an entire 12 oz bag. so 10 oz seems about right. It made about a cup. I did add a little bit of stevia (one 1/16 tsp scoop) to the syrup. The syrup made about 1 cup total.

These definitely seemed more filling than usual waffles. I did 1.5x the recipe and it made 8 waffles with my waffle maker (the first one was pretty small though). If I'd measured it right from the beginning and used nearly 3/4 cup batter per waffles, it would probably have been more like 7 full circular waffles. Cottage cheese and eggs really make it super filling.

I also served it with trader joes bacon...my favorite...but totally unnecessary with this recipe since it is already high in protein. Based on the original recipe, the 1.5x version should make 9 waffles with 240 calories each. So if it only makes ~7 then the calories are 308 per waffle if 2% cottage cheese is used.

Ila and Clyde both asked for waffles for the next two days so they really loved waffles. I need to make these regularly.

Winter Minestrone Soup

Lisa made this soup for me after I had Henrik. She used frozen meat balls in place of the bacon. It was the best minestrone ever, I really loved it. She also "added a head of cauliflower and a zucchini. I usually just throw in whatever sad vegetables are dying a painful, not-fresh death in the back of my crisper drawer. That soup is a great redeemer of sad vegetables."
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/winter-minestrone-soup-with-garlic-bruschetta/

Notes 1/31/17:
I made this, without spinach, and added a head of cauliflower and a yellow squash. Plus the other vegetables were more 2 cups instead of 1.5 cups. It made nearly 8 quarts. It is so delicious though! I think the sweetness of the butternut squash is what really makes it so tasty for me. And the pesto is a must.

Lisa suggests removing and freezing half the soup before you add pasta, then when you thaw it you can add the pasta then and cook a bit more. I think this keeps the pasta from breaking down since it does not freeze well.

Notes 2/28/17:
I made this with leftover christmas ham. It was amazing. I added a whole cauliflower again, and 1 cup tomato sauce (or puree...it was home canned and was a bit thick). Also I used my food processor to slice most of the vegetables and squash, and added spinach this time. It was great again!

Ultimate Taco Salad

This recipe uses "Ultimate Taco Meat" from p23 of the Frugal Paleo Cookbook. Preview page here.

Prepare the taco meat as instructed in the recipe, along with the extra veggies. Chop the kale extra tiny (also, do NOT use 200g. Just get a couple big handfuls. I have an enormous bag of chopped kale that is 285 g, so I can't imagine 2 cups of raw kale equaling 200 g, unless you measured 2 cups cooked.) Instead of the scratch seasoning the cookbook has in the back, I used 4 T of store bought taco seasoning. Or you could use a taco seasoning packet if you don't have bulk seasoning.

I didn't have zucchini, so I just left that out and used an entire green bell pepper and onion, which i think made up for the missing cup. But it doesn't need to be that precise anyway.

I serve this over ribboned romaine lettuce for me, and the rest of my family makes burritos with it.

My favorite salad is this:
ultimate taco meat
lettuce
avocado (OR olives)
tomatoes
refried beans (a little)
yogurt ranch dressing.
chopped cilantro!!!

I don't care about sour cream or cheese when I have the other things. But I still serve them so others can have them.

Sausage and Peppers

Jessica's Sausage and Peppers (as emailed to me)

(this is a picture of leftovers, solely in here so i can pin it.)

1 med onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
1.5 tbsp garlic (or 3 minced garlic cloves)
1 tbsp butter
1 can mushrooms, undrained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can tomato paste
Kielbasa Sausage, sliced in half circles
1 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp pepper
1 tb Italian seasoning
8 oz pasta cooked

Boil water for pasta. Then start on sausage part.

Saute onions and garlic with butter
Add peppers
Add cans (with all juices)
Add seasonings (salt pepper Italian seasoning)
Sometimes I add 1/2 cup or more water if it looks to thick
Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes till whenever your veggies are as soft or hard as you want.

Enjoy.
Jessica's notes: sometimes we add corn, sometimes I use fresh tomatoes if we have them from the garden or our CSA
Sometimes I put a little chili powder if we want more of a kick. And sometimes I add a little sugar to off set the acidity


Serves 5, 368 cal/serving

Tater Tot Casserole

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/178993/tater-tot-casserole/

Tater Tot Casserole

This casserole was very loved. David especially, and both kids liked it a lot. Definitely one to make frequently. I used gluten free Pacific brand cream of mushroom and it worked perfectly.

Thai Peanut Sauce Pasta w/chicken and vegetables

http://www.betternpeanutbutter.com/recipes.php?page=3

Thai Peanut Sauce

1/3 cup Better 'n Peanut Butter
4 tsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. red curry paste (perfect for adults, but Ila refused to eat it. Try a half Tbsp next time.
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. grated ginger root
1 tsp. cornstarch
2/3 cup vegetable broth

Before you mix up the sauce, pound out a couple chicken breasts and let them cook in the skillet so they have a little crust. Flip, and then set on plates while done. 

Mix up all ingredients in sauce except broth, then slowly stir in broth at the end.

Saute onions, peppers, green onions, small cut greens (like kale), and whatever other veggie you wish after the chicken is removed from pan (on in a second skillet depending on timing). Once cooked, add the peanut sauce and let it thicken and bubble. Add chopped cilantro last.

Cut up chicken and mix into sauce/veg mixture. Serve over rotini noodles

Chinese Chicken Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

2 cups shredded leftover chicken, or pieces.
1 small napa cabbage (aka chinese cabbage)
soy sauce
2 T black bean sauce
1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce/paste
a few peanuts thrown in (I had chili-lime peanuts so it worked well)
sesame seeds
cilantro
sesame seed oil to saute chicken
green onions
garlic
ginger

Mince garlic and ginger (large clove of garlic and equal amount of ginger), saute in 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Add chicken and soy sauce (a couple tablespoons maybe?), then the other sauces, both of which are in the asian aisle. Mix it up. If you have other veg you want to add that needs to be cooked/softened, put it in.

When done with saute, add to thinly sliced napa cabbage, and mix in cilantro, chopped green onions, sesame seeds, and peanuts. Toss together in a large bowl.

I really loved this meal. DH seemed to like it too.

I also put in some spiralized gold beet, that I sauteed with the chicken, but that was just because I needed to use it up. It just took on the flavors of the dish.

Notes: The last two times I made this the flavor has been a little too strong/salty. I'm not sure which seasoning is overpowering it, so I may try a different recipe next time.

Breadcrumb Crusted Cod

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/breadcrumb_crusted_cod_for_two.html

I really enjoyed this, but David didn't give it as high a rating as I would have.

Note: If only doing 8 oz fish, make half the mayo/yogurt  mixture. It is plenty for topping before baking, and no one ever needs any later on. For a pound of fish make full recipe.

Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

This is from Meals Made Simple, p152. The filling is fantastic. This is a great way to use up the leftover sweet potato bits after spiralizing for the arrabbiata recipe. You can just make the filling and serve it with tortillas and avocado.  That is more kid friendly and faster too, when needed.

Sausage and Peppers Arrabbiata

This is on p156 of Meals Made Simple. I adore this recipe. It also makes a large amount, enough to feed our family plus leftovers for 4 lunches for me. I used mild sausage and 1/4 tsp of red pepper.

Ground beef and potatoes

http://www.food.com/recipe/ground-beef-and-potatoes-oh-so-simple-282620

This was easy and delicious. I added some veggies too. David loved it especially.

Pesto Pasta

This is one of my favorite quick meals.

Boil or saute 2 chicken breasts, then chop up. Also boil 1/2 lb rotini pasta. If gluten free, make sure to use 3 quarts of water in a 5 quart pot and stir a lot at the beginning so it doesn't stick together. When done, add pesto, a can of corn, toasted pine nuts, and avocado. Or, add chopped sundried tomatoes (drained). Any additions are fine. Use ~1/3-1/2 cup pesto.

Biscuits and Gravy (gf/df)

Semi based on this: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/06/quick-easy-drop-biscuits-recipe.html

I used coconut oil in place of butter, 8 oz of gluten free flour and 3/4 cup of soy milk. The flours I used were not measured individually, so this is approximate: 2 oz sorgham, 2 oz buckwheat, 1 oz tapioca flour, 1 oz almond flour, 1 oz millet flour, and I can't remember another--perhaps the add .3 oz to the first 3 listed.

Anyway, I baked it 20 minutes and they were good. I think it was done after 15 but it crisp on the bottom after 20.

For the gravy, I used 1/2 lb ground pork sausage, 2 cups cashew milk, 1 cup water, 2 T tapioca starch, and salt and pepper plus some green garlic I had. The cashew milk is from the recipe on my blog. Also I added 2-3 tbsp lard. It was really tasty. Ila loved it, and even wanted leftovers when I was eating them for lunch the next day. The tapioca starch could be switched for a different starch. It does have a strange gumming effect, but it was tasty and smooth anyway.

Beanie Weenie

Beanie Weenie

1 lb polish sausage

greens, or celery (including celery leaves). Saute this with 1 tsp red palm oil. 

~30 oz can Pork & Beans

Get celery sauteing in red palm oil. The strong flavor is masked in this dish, so I like to use it since it is a good vit e source. If using greens of some kind, they can be put in at the same time as sausage.

Slice sausage in half longwise, then sliced into cross sections. Add after a few minutes.

When sausage/celery looks browned enough, add pork and beans and saute another 5-8 minutes until thickened.

Serve with a veggie side dish!

Beanie Weenie

http://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2015/04/beanie-weenie.html
Remember to use turkey kielbasa for accurate calories

Source: www.myfitnesspal.com

Course: Main Course

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup(s), Celery raw
• 2 container (1 4/5 cup, (130g) ea.) Pork & Beans In Tomato Sauce
• 1 container (14 oz ea.) Lean Turkey Polska Kielbasa

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 383
Fat: 11
Sugar: 11
Carbohydrate: 50
Protein: 25

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