You can get ready-made tostadas, but they're normally deep fried and have salt added. They are quite tasty. But if you're trying to be health-conscious, sometimes it's preferable to make your own.

Baked Tostadas

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2018

Ingredients

• 6 corn tortillas (15cm size works well for this)
• olive oil spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).¹
2. Spritz each tortilla lightly with oil on both sides and brush to spread it over the whole surface.
3. Place the tortillas on a baking sheet in a single layer and place an inverted baking/cooling rack on top of them to help keep them flat and stop them from puffing up too much in the oven.
4. Bake at 230°C (450°F) for 8-10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and top as desired.

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¹ I actually absent-mindedly used the convection setting on my oven, so I baked mine at 220°C (425°F) fan/convection instead. It seems to have worked out fine. It's basically equivalent to air-frying them. ^Back

This is a nice quick weeknight dinner and it's really tasty and filling! Good on its own and over rice.

Kimchi, Beef, and Tofu Soup

Cook's Country December/January 2021 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 450g ground beef
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 15mL grated fresh ginger
• 120mL (½ C) mirin
• 500mL water
• 750mL home-made chicken stock
• 750mL kimchi, drained and coarsely chopped
• 60mL (¼ C) kimchi brine
• 225g firm tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
• 30mL soy sauce
• 4-6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 15mL toasted sesame oil

Directions

1. In a large pot, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until the moisture has evaporated and it is browned, 8-10 minutes.
2. Add ginger and cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
3. Stir in mirin and deglaze.
4. Stir in water, chicken stock, kimchi, kimchi brine, tofu, and soy sauce.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the flavours are blended, ~15 minutes.
6. Remove from heat, stir in scallions and oil, and serve.

Palak Suva (Spinach with Dill)

I've never seen dill used as a vegetable before. I'm used to it being treated as an herb. You add a teaspoon or two to your dish -- maybe a tablespoon if you really want to make sure its presence is felt -- and it adds some nice flavour to the dish. Perfect. Great. I love dill.

But this recipe takes it to a whole new level! I whole cup of fresh dill goes into this incredible curry! There's honestly not much else in it: lots of spinach, lots of dill, hardly anything else. And yet it's so good! I would definitely make this one again.

Palak Suva

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• ~1100g fresh spinach (or ~700g frozen)
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground Deggi chilies¹
• 1/2 tsp. Kashmiri garam masala
• 1 c. chopped fresh dill

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add cumin and sizzle for ~10 seconds.
3. Add the spinach a handfull at a time until it's all been added to the pan and wilted.
4. Add salt, chilies, and garam masala.
5. Continue cooking until the spinach leaves being to bread down (~10 minutes).
6. Stir in dill and serve.

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¹ Or 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne + 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika. ^Back

Cholar Dal (Chickpea Dal)

The convenience store down the street is wonderful. They're always well-stocked with all manner of useful things. They have a little bit of everything. They have all the usual convenience store fare, of course: chips, pop, candy, lotto tickets. But they also have a small selection of office and school supplies, hardware and tools, and grocery items above and beyond what I'd normally expect for a convenience store, including various spices and dried legumes! The last time I went, they even had a couple of whole coconuts in stock. So I bought one because, well, why not?

TF cracked it open yesterday and we all snacked on it a bit and stashed the rest in the fridge for later. And then I remembered this recipe. One of the only ones in the book that Iyer absolutely insists on fresh coconut for. Many other recipes suggest fresh coconut, but offer reconstituted dried as an alternative -- not so this one!

We're not in the habit of regularly buying coconuts, so I figured now was a good time to get this curry made.

Iyer actually wrote this one using yellow split peas (chana dal). However, as far as I can tell, "cholar dal" actually refers to split chickpeas (also called chana dal). It's all a little confusing and I wouldn't be surprised to find out that both are regularly used for this dish in India. I made it with split peas this time, but I think I'd like to try it with chickpeas next time.

Cholar Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. yellow split peas (or split chickpeas)
• 3 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3 c. boiling water
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
• 2-4 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh coconut

Directions

1. Rinse the legumes well.
2. Place in a pot with 3 c. of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Skim any foam off the surface, stir in turmeric, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~25 minutes.
4. Increase heat to medium, uncover, and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the water has been absorbed.
5. Stir in 1 c. of the boiling water and cook until it's been mostly absorbed (5-10 minutes).
6. Repeat with remaining water, adding it 1 c. at a time.
7. Stir in sugar, salt, and cayenne.
8. Melt ghee over medium-high heat.
9. Add cumin and sizzle for ~10 seconds.
10. Pour hot ghee and cumin into the dal.
11. Stir in fresh coconut and serve!

Ube Halaya (Purple Yam Jam)

I had a bunch of grated ube left after my ube waffle experiemnts the other day, so I decided to go looking for ideas of what to make with it. I contemplated various cakes and puddings but, after consulting with TF, we opted for ube halaya as it's delicious on its own and also an ingredient in many other ube-based desserts.

I ran across a few different variants on the basic theme of ube, sugar, and milk (either dairy, coconut, or both). Most included coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk. Some also included evaporated milk, granulated sugar, and/or brown sugar. And a few called for grated cheddar.

Most of the pictures of homemade ube halaya that I've seen show it being quite thick. As in, moldable and sliceable. I got tired of cooking and stirring mine, so I stopped it before it got that thick. Mine came out more like Nutella or tahini than butter or membrillo.

Ube Halaya

Slightly adapted from Decorated Treats

Ingredients

• 300g thawed frozen grated ube
• 1 tsp. ube extract
• 150g sweetened condensed milk
• 150g coconut milk
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 45g unsalted butter

Directions

1. Combine the ube, ube extract, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut milk and mix well.
2. Cook over medium-low heat¹, stirring constantly, for 30 minutes.
3. Mix in the salt and butter and continue cooking and stirring for another 10-15 minutes.
4. The original recipe called for cooling the jam with the lid on, periodically wiping away condensation before transfering to the fridge for storage. I didn't do this; hopefully my jam won't suffer for the missed step.

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¹ The original recipe called for cooking it over low heat, but after 35 minutes at low, the mixture still wasn't thickening up as much as I'd hoped, so I nudged it up to medium-low. After another 20 minutes at low, it still wasn't sliceably thick, but I was tired of standing over the pot, so I called it. I'm hoping that if I put it on medium-low from the get-go next time, I can get it to a reasonable consistency within the original 40 minute timeframe given. ^Back

I've been working my way through some healthy breakfast ideas found online. Sadly most of them still work out to way more Points than I feel I can afford for a breakfast, but I've been tweaking some of the ingredients and portion sizes to try to bring the Points cost down to a reasonable level.

This oatmeal, for example, was originally meant to serve 4 and was cooked in milk and sweetened with honey. It got topped with more honey, dark chocolate, chopped walnuts, and sliced bananas. I made a half batch, but split it into 3 servings instead of 2. I also replaced half the milk with water (and then ended up adding quite a bit more water because I don't like my oatmeal so thick). I replaced the honey with chopped date and a bit of extra banana and used only the nuts and sliced bananas for topping. (No chocolate for me. :( )
All these changes did significantly reduce the Points cost. And I might be able to shave another Point off by replacing the walnuts with almonds. But I'm not sure I enjoyed this breakfast enough to keep tinkering with it. It was alright. And it had the virtue of being pretty quick and easy to throw together. But... for 5 Points, there are other things that I like better. (Like egg salad, okonomiyaki, or cottage cheese pancakes for example.) But, at least now I've tried it and I can check it off my list! And, despite the somewhat high Points cost, I do think this makes a reasonably healthy breakfast. And, if you're not cutting calories, being able to top it with chocolate as indicated in the original recipe would probably go a long way to making it richer and more delicious.

Chocolate Oatmeal

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 Medjool date, pitted and chopped
• 2 bananas, one chopped, one sliced
• 1 c. water
• 1/2 c. milk (or oat milk)
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1 c. rolled or quick oats
• 1 Tbsp. cocoa (I used Dutched)
• 3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, or almonds
• 1 Tbsp. chopped dark chocolate (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the date, chopped banana, water, milk, vanilla, and almond extract and bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Add the oats and cocoa and cook until desired consistency.
3. Divide into three equal portions and top with sliced bananas, nuts, and chocolate (if using).

A Cook's Country recipe card; we cooked it almost as written, but reduced the amount of butter called for and added parsnips (and halved the salt, as we always do with ATK recipes).

Sage-Crusted Steaks with Roasted Vegetables

Cook's Country December/January 2019 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 6 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 2 large parsnips, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 340g small potatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• ¼+1 tsp salt, ground, divided
• ¼+1 tsp pepper, ground, divided
• 2 (~500g) ribeye steaks
• 2 tbsp minced fresh sage (or 1 tbsp dry)
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• ½+½ tbsp butter, divided

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat to 450°F.
2. Toss vegetables with melted butter and ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper.
3. Arrange vegetables on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast until tender and browned, ~25 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and sprinkle with thyme.
5. Meanwhile, combine 1 tsp each of salt and pepper, the sage, and the lemon zest in a small bowl.
6. Pat steaks dry and rub sage mixture onto both sides.
7. Heat a large skillet over medium heat (600W) and melt ½ tsp of butter in it.
8. Add a steak and cook, flipping every 2 minutes, until desired doneness is reached (between 125°F and 160°F). This may take anywhere from 10 to 20+ minutes depending on the steak.
9. Remove and buffer steak on a covered plate. Repeat with the remaining butter and the second steak.

Someone shared their method of making sourdough okonomiyaki in a bread forum a while back and I jotted the recipe down for future use. It's similar to my existing okonomiyaki recipe. The main differences being that this one contains neither oil nor soy sauce (just salt and pepper). It also includes leavener, which my previous recipe did not. And, of course, sourdough starter replaces the flour and water in the original.

All-in-all it worked pretty well. I used kale, shredded carrots, green onion, smoked tofu, and a little bit of frozen "spaghetti mix" for mine, but you could easily change up both the protein and the veggies depending on what you feel like or what you have available.

Suggested veggies (~2 1/2 c.): kale, spinach, cabbage, brussels sprouts, onion, bell pepper, shishito pepper, green onion/scallion, carrots, mustard greens, corn, cremini or shiitake mushrooms
Suggested proteins (60-120g): tofu, smoked tofu, Chinese sausage, hotdog, tinned tuna, SPAM, poached chicken or turkey, back bacon

Sourdough Okonomiyaki

Ingredients

• 280g sourdough discard @ 100% hydration
• 1 large egg (or 1 small egg + 1 egg white)
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt¹, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1-2 Tbsp. water or milk
• 1-2 carrots, grated (probably ~1 c. total)
• 1 c. frozen chopped kale
• 1/4 c. frozen "spaghetti mix"
• 3 chopped green onions
• ~75g diced smoked tofu
• soy sauce, mayo, hoisin sauce, and/or furikake, to serve

Directions

1. Combine starter, egg, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and baking soda and mix well.
2. Adjust consistency with water (or milk) to form a thin batter.
3. Mix in the veggies and tofu (or protein of your choice).
4. Heat pan over medium heat.
5. Lightly grease or spray pan with cooking spray and pour in ~1/3 of the batter. Spread it out thin. This should form a large (~25cm/10") pancake.
6. Cook until underside has begun to lightly brown, bubbles form, and top begins to set.
7. Carefully flip the pancake over and cook until the other side and browned slightly and pancake is cooked through.
8. Remove from heat and repeat process with remaining batter.
9. Serve pancakes topped with soy sauce, mayo, hoisin sauce, and/or furikake.

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¹ I may consider replacing the salt with dasida next time. I have a bunch that I need to use up and I think it could be a nice flavour. ^Back

This recipe was supposed to include pancetta, but I couldn't find any at the new grocery store that I've been going to, so I used diced smoked tofu crisped in a bit of bacon grease instead. It was pretty good, but I think next time I might add a few olives as well.

TF and I both like bucatini, but we agreed that it was a difficult shape for this dish. I would be inclined to try a short pasta next time. I think orecchiette would work quite well. Gemelli might also be good and it's not a shape I find myself using that often, so this recipe would be a nice excuse. And if neither of those can be found, then I think shells or cavitapi would do well here.

Photo goes here.

Bucatini with Peas and Kale

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2021

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. bacon grease or olive oil
• 90g smoked tofu, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, divided
• 2 Tbsp. chopped green or kalamata olives (optional)
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 2 c. vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 1/2 c. water
• 450g dried pasta
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2-3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, divided
• 140g kale, chopped
• 1 c. frozen peas

Directions

1. Melt the bacon grease over medium heat.
2. Add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, until crsip (~5 minutes).
3. Add the garlic, 2 tsp. of the lemon zest, and olives (if using) and cook for another 30 seconds or so.
4. Add the wine and cook until mostly evaporated (~3 minutes).
5. Add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.
6. Add the pasta and cook until molto al dente (8-10 minutes for bucatini).
7. Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper and microwave on high in 20- or 30-second bursts, stirring between each one, until golden-brown (2-3 minutes).
8. Stir 1/4 c. of the Parmesan and the remaining 1 tsp. of lemon zest into the panko mixture and set aside.
9. Stir kale and peas into pasta and cook for another minute or two until pasta is desired doneness.
10. Add remaining Parmesan and stir vigorously for 30 seconds.
11. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper and serve topped with the panko mixture.

These pancakes are very easy to make and relatively healthy. And tasty! Top with generous amounts of fruit.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 1 C cottage cheese
• 1 C quick oats
• 1 banana
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend on low until smooth.
2. Cook using normal pancake procedures, ¼ C at a time, on a lightly buttered tawa.

Warm Broccoli-Chickpea Salad

Broccoli has been on sale lately, so I've been looking for good ways to work it into the meal plan. I hadn't tried this "garlicky broccoli salad" yet, so I figured now was a good time to give it a try.

You start by making a caesar-esque dressing of Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mayo, and red pepper flakes. You then toss that with your cooked chickpeas and add in some sautéed onions. The last step is to char the broccoli and let it get nice and dark on the bottom while the top layer steams. That gets tossed with everything else and, voilà, you have your salad.

Photo goes here.

Broccoli-Chickpea Salad

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2021

Ingredients

• 14g¹ Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 c. olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. (1/2 fat) mayonnaise
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 (445mL) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground, divided
• 680g broccoli, stems cubed and florets cut into bite-sized pieces

Directions

1. Whisk together Parmesan, 2 Tbsp. of the oil, lemon juice, garlic, mayo, and pepper flakes until combined.
2. Stir in chickpeas and set aside.
3. Heat 1/2 Tbsp. of the remaining oil over medium heat.
4. Add onion, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes.
5. Add onion to chickpeas.
6. Add remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp. of oil to the pan.
7. Add broccoli, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, and remaining 1/2 tsp. pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring once every 5 minutes.
8. Add broccoli to chickpeas and toss to combine.

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¹ More if you're not on a diet. The original recipe called for 28g of Parmesan. It also called for 1/2 c. of oil! (1/4 c. in the dressing, 1 Tbsp. for the onion, and 3 Tbsp. for the broccoli.) ^Back

Soft and Chewy Sourdough Bread

We're all out of bread and the starter was looking hungry, so I figured it was time to make some more. This was the next on my list of recipes to try, so I threw together a batch of the dough. I replaced all of the flour in the autolyse mixture with whole wheat flour (and also reduced the quantity of flour called for by ~60g). Even so, I found that I wasn't able to incorporate all the flour called for in the final dough. I ended up with maybe 1/3 of a cup left over. I used some of it for flouring the work surface and rolling pin later (since I ended up using all of the dough to make cheesey stuffed pockets rather than loaves of bread), but there was still a bunch that didn't end up getting incorporated. Next time I'll reduce the white flour as well.

Here are some of the filling ideas I had for making foldovers/stuffed pockets:
(Please note that I have not actually tested any of these ideas yet. I just thought they sounded nice.)
Salmon: (smoked) salmon, cream cheese, green onions, roasted bell pepper, lemon zest, black pepper
Chicken florentine: poached chicken breast, creamed spinach, cherry tomatoes
Breakfast scramble: your favourite scrambled eggs, maybe some ham, cheese, hashbrowns, and/or extra veggies
Pizza/Calzone: pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, your favourite pizza toppings (pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc.)
Ploughman's lunch pocket: Branston pickle, sliced apples, Cheddar cheese, pickled onions, boiled egg
Brie en croute: brie, dried cranberries, sliced pears, honey
Veggie lover's: mozzarella, broccoli, roasted red pepper, sautéed onions and mushrooms, spinach and/or kale
Southwest: cheddar or pepper jack cheese, cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, pickled jalapeños and/or chipotles in adobo, onion, garlic, cilantro, poached chicken breast
Reuben: pastrami, sauerkraut, mustard, swiss cheese
Obviously there are many more possibilities. Those are just a few ideas off the top of my head. Feel free to experiment with it!

Soft & Chewy Sourdough Bread

Slightly adapted from Northwest Sourdough

Ingredients

• 255g active (ripe/fed) sourdough starter @ 100% hydration
• 482g water
• 680g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 113g evaporated milk
• 28g oil
• 28g malt syrup
• 18g coarse sea salt
• 200-225g hard (strong/high grade/bread) white flour

Directions

1. Get your starter fed up and nice and active.
2. Combine starter with water and whole wheat flour. Mix well, cover, and set aside for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, combine the milk, oil, and malt syrup and cook over low heat until the malt syrup has dissolved.¹ Set aside to cool.
4. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the dough and mix it in.
5. Add the salt and white flour and mix until combined. Start with just 200g of flour and add the extra 25g as needed to make a reasonable dough.
6. Cover and ferment at room temperature for 4-5 hours, stretching and folding every hour or so.
7. Transfer to fridge to ferment overnight.
8. The next day, if making foldovers/stuffed pockets, divide the dough into 8 equal portions and round each one. (For loaves or rolls, divy up as needed to get the shape(s) and size(s) you desire.)
9. Cover and rest for ~10 minutes.
10. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll each one flat.
11. Add desired fillings, fold in half, and crimp edges to seal.
12. Place on a greased baking sheet, spritz lightly with oil, cover, and proof at room temperature for ~2 hours.
13. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F) and boil some water.
14. Once oven is preheated, pour a cm or two of boiling water into a large pan and place it on the bottom rack of the oven.
15. Slash your breads as desired and place them on the middle rack, above the pan of boiling water.
16. Bake at 230°C (450°F) for 10 minutes.
17. Remove pan of water from oven, reduce temperature to 200°C (400°F), and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes. (You may need longer or shorter baking times depending on the shape and size of breads you make and whether or not they're stuffed.)
18. Transfer breads to wire rack to cool.

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¹ The original recipe just has you mixing all these ingredients into the dough cold after it's finished it's autolyse period. I tried that, but my malt syrup is... very stiff and I couldn't get it to mix evenly. I tried softening the syrup in the microwave, but it just "froze" when it hit the cool milk. So, next time I think I'll try dissolving it into the milk to get a more even distribution. ^Back

Ube Waffles (Purple Yam Waffles)

I was looking for birthday cake ideas the other day and stumbled across a few recipes for ube cake. I liked the idea of an ube chiffon cake with coconut icing, but I ultimately decided that I'd rather have an Italian cream cake for my birthday. While I was looking at all the various cake configurations though, I also spotted this waffle recipe. It sounded intriguing enough that I couldn't resist giving it a try.

Since this is a new recipe and uses a few ingredients that I don't often bake with (ube and tapioca starch), I followed the recipe pretty closely this time. The only change I made was to swap out half the sugar for monk fruit sweetener (the kind with erythritol, so it's 1:1 with regualr sugar). So, these waffles are very not dietary. They are, however, quite delicious. The original recipe promised crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. We had a little trouble getting them to be nicely crispy outside, but they certainly delivered on the chewy on the inside aspect. (And the crispiness improved a bit once the waffle iron temperature was dialed up as well.)

I'd like to try making this with coconut milk in place of coconut cream at some point as that would go a long way toward making these waffles a bit healthier and less calorically dense. But if you're not counting calories or just want a fancy dessert waffle, then I feel like these would be an excellent choice. An ube waffle topped with mango ice cream and a bit of whipped coconut cream would make for an excellent, decadent, and visually striking dessert.

Ube Waffles

From Hungry Huy

Ingredients

• 134g thawed frozen grated ube/ube purée
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. ube extract
• 2 large eggs
• 385mL coconut cream
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 290g tapioca starch
• 73g rice flour¹
• 70g all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 200g sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground

Directions

1. Whisk the ube, water, and ube extract together into a smooth mixture.
2. Mix in the eggs, coconut cream, and oil.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the tapioca starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder.
4. Mix the sugar and salt into the dry ingredients.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine. Stir until just combined, but still lumpy.
6. Let the batter rest for 10-20 minutes.
7. Preheat your waffle iron to a slightly higher temperature than you normally use for waffles.
8. Cook waffles, but leave them in the waffle iron for an extra 20-30 seconds beyond what you normally would.
9. Transfer waffles to a rack after cooking so they can crisp up a bit more.
10. Serve with whipped coconut cream, fresh mango, mango ice cream, halo-halo, cream of coconut, and/or halaya jam.

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Variations

Lighter Ube Waffles (untested)

Ingredients

• 134g thawed frozen grated ube/ube purée
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. ube extract
• 2 large eggs
• 385mL coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
• 290g tapioca starch
• 73g brown rice flour
• 70g whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 200g monk fruit sweetener with erythritol (or 1:1 sweetener of your choice)
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground

These changes should just about halve the WW Points cost of these waffles. They're still not dietary by any stretch, but they're at least a bit less reprehensible from a calorie standpoint if made this way.

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¹ NOT glutinous rice flour, just regular rice flour! I acutally used brown rice flour for mine. This seems to have worked nicely, so I might try swapping out the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour next time just to get a little extra fibre in and make these decadent waffles slightly healthier. ^Back

Alex does not like brussels sprouts, but she does like Caesar salad, so maybe she'll like these? Well, not so much as it turns out, but she dislikes them less than most preparations, at least. And symbol and I enjoyed them!

The recipe is for 2 pounds of sprouts; we made it with one pound. Quantities have been adjusted accordingly.

Caesar Brussels Sprouts

Cook's Country December/Janary 2019, by Ashley Moore (p. 9)

Ingredients

• Dressing
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • ½ tbsp mayonnaise
  • ½ tbsp worchestershire sauce
  • ½ tbsp roman mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 anchovies, minced
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
• Sprouts
  • 1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
  • 1 + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • ⅛ C panko
  • ¼ C grated parmesan

Directions

1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Combine sprouts, 1 tbsp oil, and the salt in a large skillet. Cook, covered, over medium heat, until sprouts are bright green and begin to brown on the underside, ~10 minutes.
3. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until they are deeply browned and can be easily pierced with a paring knife, ~10-15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl or plate and buffer.
4. Combine panko and remaining oil and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, ~3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan.
6. Toss sprouts, dressing, and panko together and serve.

I'm still experimenting with various "healthy" and low-calorie recipes. I was still hungry after dinner tonight and wanted a treat, but I didn't quite have enough Points left for a slice of apple-cinnamon bread. (And I knew that I wouldn't be satisfied with half a slice.) So I went in search of ideas for something tasty I could make for not too many Points.

I'd seen a few variants of chickpea cookie dough kicking around the Internet, so I figured I'd give one of those a go. The recipe author claimed that the dough tasted "INCREDIBLE" and that you couldn't taste the beans at all. She said that she used to bring chickpea-based cookies and treats into work all the time and no one could ever guess what her "secret ingredient" was.¹

I made this according to the recipe. It was... not good. It was not sweet. It was not peanut butter-y. And it did, in fact, taste of beans.

After adding more sweetener and more peanut butter it was passable. Still not great, but at least okay. I think with some more adjustments it might be possible to make this dough actually good, but it's definitely not there yet. Below are my, as yet untested, suggestions for what to do next time.

Chickpea Cookie Dough

Adapted from Well Plated

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. cooked chickpeas or white kidney beans
• 1 medium banana
• 6 Tbsp. maple syrup (or a "no-sugar added" pancake syrup)
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 c. peanut butter powder² (de-fatted peanut flour)
• 20-25g oat flour
• 65g dark chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Rinse chickpeas (or beans) very well and place them in a blender along with the banana, syrup, vanilla, baking powder, and cinnamon.
2. Purée until smooth.
3. Pour mixture out into a bowl and stir in peanut flour and enough oat flour the make a dough of your preferred consistency.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.

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¹ I would just like to point out, that not being able to guess the secret ingredient does not necessarily mean they were good, just that the ingredients were unexpected. ^Back
2 I may revisit using peanut butter either instead of or as well as the peanut flour, but I'm going to try it this way for now and see how it goes. I'd love to just use all peanut butter, but I don't think I'd have the Points budget for it. ^Back

It's been a while since I've done a pan loaf. I've mostly been doing crusty, hearty sourdough loaves lately. But I came across this recipe for "sourdough soft wheat rolls" and figured I'd give it a try as a pan loaf. I had intended to mix in some of the pâte fermentée that has been lying forgotten and unloved in the back of the fridge, but it wasn't part of the original recipe, so it completely slipped my mind. I've added it as an optional ingredient here. Just be warned that I haven't actually tested how it bakes up with the pâte fermentée included yet.

Soft Sourdough Bread

Slightly adapted from Northwest Sourdough

Ingredients

• 450g sourdough starter @ 100% hydration
• 113g water
• 85g fat-free Greek yogurt¹
• 28g malt syrup (or honey)
• 56g unsalted butter, softened²
• 11g coarse sea salt
• 100g pâte fermentée (optional)
• 420g all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Feed your starter very well and make sure it is nice and active.
2. Combine the starter with the water, yogurt, malt syrup, butter, and salt.
3. Break up the pâte fermentée and mix it in (if using).
4. Mix in the all-purpose flour until completely incorporated.
5. Shape dough into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise for ~4 hours, stretching and folding every hour or so.
6. Shape dough into rolls or loaves. (I made two small pan loaves with mine.)
7. Place shaped dough into greased pan(s), cover, and place in fridge for 2-12 hours.
8. Remove from fridge and allow to proof at room temperature for 1-3 hours.
9. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for ~30 minutes for loaves or 220°C (425°F) for 20 minutes for rolls.
10. Remove from oven and brush top crust with butter.
11. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

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¹ The original recipe called for full-fat (14%) sour cream here. I only had fat-free (1%) sour cream or fat-free Greek yogurt. After giving it some thought, I decided that the yogurt would actually make a better stand-in for the full-fat sour cream than the fat-free sour cream would. (I was worried about how the stabilizers in the sour cream would affect the dough.) I'm very happy with the results I got with the yogurt, so I've written it up that way. I suspect that "light" (5%) sour cream would also work well. I'd still be wary of making it with FF sour cream, but give it a try if you're feeling adventurous! ^Back
2 My malt syrup is pretty firm at this point so I decided to warm it up in the microwave along with the butter to try to soften both of them and make them easier to mix into the dough. I ended up softening them a bit too much and completely melting the butter. But the bread doesn't seem to have suffered any for it. ^Back

We made this long enough ago that I remember little about it and cannot find the photos, if, indeed, there are any. I think it was tasty?

Summery Stuffed Peppers

Cook's Country June/July 2016, by Diane Unger (p. 12)

Ingredients

• 120mL olive oil
• 6 large bell peppers
• 1 500mL tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ~1 L baguette, cut into 1cm cubes
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• ¼ + ½ tsp salt, divided
• 8 green onions, sliced
• 60mL chopped fresh parsely
• 60mL chopped fresh basil
• 3 tbsp capers, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp pepper, ground
• 360mL crumbled goat cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Use 1 tbsp of oil to grease a large baking pan.
2. Cut off top cm of bell peppers. Reserve. Discard stems and seeds.
3. Place peppers and pepper tops in baking pan, open side down. Brush with 1 tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake until softened and starting to blister, ~20 minutes. Remove and place open side up so they can cool while you work.
5. Season insides with salt and pepper.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
7. Mash chickpeas in a large bowl.
8. Chop bell pepper tops and stir into chickpeas.
9. Heat ¼ C oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
10. Add bread and cook until crispy-golden, ~7 minutes.
11. Push bread aside and add remaining oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic.
12. Cook until fragrant, then mix together bread, garlic, and salt.
13. Stir bread into the chickpea mixture.
14. Stir in green onions, parsley, basil, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper.
15. Gently fold in goat cheese.
16. Fill peppers with chickpea filling.
17. Bak until filling is 100-120°F internally and browning gently on top, 15-20 minutes.

I totally missed the part of the instructions that mentioned that this recipe absolutely requires fresh corn and that frozen corn must not be substituted for this crucial ingredient because, being par-cooked, it wouldn't release the essential starches. Unfortunately, I was in a bit of a hurry and I didn't read that bit until after I'd already made the soup. My soup may not have been as thick as would have been ideal, but it was still very good! Definitely use fresh corn if you can get it but, as it turns out, frozen will do in a pinch, although the texture won't be as thick and the flavour won't be as rich.

Roasted Corn and Poblano Chowder

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country June/July 2016

Ingredients

• 2 poblano chilies
• 1/2 Tbsp. oil, divided
• 6 ears of corn, kernels cut from cobs (~5 c.)
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground, divided
• 1 Tbsp. bacon grease (or fat of your choice)
• 1/2 package smoked tofu¹ (~90g), sliced thin and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 7 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 450g potatoes, cubed
• 1/4 c. half-and-half²
• 2 (15cm/6") corn tortillas
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• sour cream, to serve
• queso fresco³
• fried corn tortilla pieces or crumbled tostadas or corn chips, to serve
• lime wedge, to serve

Directions

1. Halve the peppers and remove the stems and seeds.
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and adjust oven rack to be ~15cm (6") from the broiler.
3. Toss the peppers with 1/2 tsp. of the oil and place them at one end of the baking sheet.
4. Toss the corn with the remaining 1 tsp. of oil, 1/4 tsp. of salt, and 1/2 tsp. of the pepper and place it at the other end of the baking sheet.
5. Broil for ~15 minutes, flipping the peppers and stirring the corn halfway through.
6. Place the peppers in a plastic bag and set aside for ~10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, heat the bacon grease over medium heat.
8. Add the tofu (if using) and cook until slightly crispy.
9. Add the onions and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
10. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
11. Add the broth, potatoes, and roasted corn and bring to a boil.
12. Cook at a vigorous simmer for ~20 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, take the roasted peppers out of the plastic bag and peel off and discard the skins. Chop the flesh and set aside.
14. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the soup from heat and stir in half-and-half.
15. Transfer ~500mL of soup to a blender.
16. Add the tortillas to the blender with the soup and purée until smooth.
17. Pour puréed soup back into pot and add the chopped peppers.
18. Bring to a simmer and cook for another minute or two.
19. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, lime juice, and the remaining 3/4 tsp. pepper. If you use homemade or low-sodium stock, you may need to adjust the salt as well.
20. Serve chowder topped with extra cilantro, sour cream, and queso fresco (or a cheese of your choice) with lime wedges on the side.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 4 slices of bacon here. You fry the bacon, then cook the onions in the bacon grease, then serve the crumbled bacon as a topping for the soup. I was going to just crisp up a bit of smoked tofu in some bacon grease and mix that into the soup along with the onions, but I ran out of smoked tofu. So, in the end, I just left it out. (And TF and the Kidlet topped their soups with a bit of chopped kielbasa instead.) I definitely recommend adding it if you have any available though: smoked tofu is delicious and I'm sure the smokiness would've been a nice addition to the soup. ^Back
2 I might try experimenting with using whole milk (3.25% MF) in place of the half-and-half (10% MF) next time. Especially if I'm making it properly with fresh corn rather than frozen. I think having fresh corn would add a lot of richness so, as long as the heat doesn't curdle the milk, you might be able to get away with a lower fat content in your dairy. ^Back
3 If you can't get queso fresco, then ricotta salata or cotija make reasonable substitutes. If you can't get those either (I rarely see any of the above three for sale around here), then feta is probably your next best bet. I've also seen cottage cheese recommended as a substitute, but I haven't tried it yet. ^Back

I modified and abused this recipe quite a bit. The original was meant to be a 30-minute meal. It used pre-cooked chicken sausages along with "quick-cooking barley" (which I'd never heard of before). I had some regular old pot barley and some beef and barley sausages, so I made it with that. And, since my sausages were not pre-cooked, I decided to cook them on the stovetop. And since I already had the pan out for that, I decided to just convert the whole recipe to be done on the stovetop. Oh, and I also omitted all but 1 Tbsp. of the oil called for (1/3 c. in the original recipe). And, because I'm trying to be a bit health-conscious, I also cut back (slightly) on the Parmesan and the pistachios. Personally, I think it worked quite well! But I realize that it's quite a bit different from what the original recipe described.

Also, I didn't think of this until after I was already eating a bowl, but I think some pomegranate seeds/arils and/or a drizzle of pomegranate molasses would go quite nicely with this dish. Pistachios and pomegranate are such a nice combination! I've listed pomegranate as an optional ingredient below. Feel free to give it a try!

Photo goes here.

Barley with Broccoli and Sausage

Adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2018

Ingredients

• 1 c. pot barley
• 1-2 c. chicken stock
• 1-2 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 450g beef, chicken, or lamb sausages
• 340g broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/3 c. shelled pistachios
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 c. pomegranate arils (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the barley with the chicken stock and water. You want a total of 3 c. of liquid, but the exact proportions aren't super important. If you're using mostly water, or if your chicken stock isn't very salty, add ~1/4 tsp. of salt as well.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover and reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cook the sausages.
4. Once the sausages are mostly done, add the broccoli and continue cooking.
5. Once the sausages are nicely browned on all sides and cooked through, remove them from the pan.
6. Season the broccoli with 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper and drizzle with the oil and continue cooking over medium heat until broccoli starts to develop some good browning.
7. Reduce heat slightly and add the pistachios and cook until they are toasted and dark, but not burnt.
8. Remove from heat and add the garlic. Let it sizzle in the residual heat of the pan.
9. Chopp the sausages and return them to the pan.
10. Once the barley is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed, remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
11. Stir the contents of the pan into the barley.
12. Stir in the basil and pomegranate (if using).

I've been trying to come up with different healthy breakfast ideas. My problem is that I get bored pretty easily, so I don't like to have the same thing too many days in a row. And I also want my breakfasts to be filling. I hate it when I eat breakfast only to feel hungry again half an hour later.

To that end, oatmeal is generally out. People always talk about how filling oatmeal is -- how it's a good stick-to-your-ribs breakfast that keeps you feeling full -- but I've never found it to be so. Oatmeal can be really tasty, but even if I have a big bowl of it, I'm ALWAYS hungry ~20 minutes later. Very disappointing. I still eat oatmeal occasionally becuase I do like it. I just wish that it didn't mean either feeling ravenously hungry for half the day or accepting that I'll need to have second breakfast halfway through the morning.

So, oatmeal is a sometimes food, but not a good breakfast go-to for me. Eggs in various forms have been a pretty good bet lately. I had scrambled eggs with feta and spinach for a few days. Then egg salad on bread. Then I switched to salmon salad for a few days. And now I've finished off all of those and I was on the hunt for some new breakfast options.

I probably should have made some sourdough okonomi yaki this morning. But I was feeling extremely tired and flattened and I've also been craving chocolate a lot lately so, in the end, I went with some purportedly healthy chocolate waffles instead.

I will grant that these waffles have very little added sugar. And almost no added fat. So they have that going for them. Unfortunately they are also incredibly bitter. Like, pretty much inedibly so.

The author said that she deliberately didn't add much sweetener to the recipe because she knows how much syrup her family drowns their waffles in, but... man, the amount of syrup these need to be palateable pretty much negates their healthfulness.

I've modified the recipe a bit. I haven't had a chance to test this (hopefully) improved version yet. But I'm optimistic that these changes will cut some of the bitterness without reducing the healthfulness of the recipe.

My first idea was to swap out some of the cocoa powder for powdered peanut butter. I figured that less cocoa == less bitter. And while, yes, that will also mean less chocolate flavour, I'm hoping that replacing some of the chocolate with peanut butter will still result in something pleasingly tasty, even if it is less chocolate-y.

The second change isn't so much a change as a restoration. I normally halve the salt most recipes. I did that here as well. But I think maybe it would be best to keep the original quantity of salt as salt also helps to mask bitterness in food.

And finally -- and this one is probably the riskiest -- I think I'd like to try swapping out the natural cocoa powder for Dutch-processed cocoa. The recipe author gives dire warnings against doing this because of the difference in pH and because natural cocoa powder has a stronger chocolate flavor than Dutched¹. This recipe contains a lot of baking soda, so switching from acidic natural cocoa powder to neutral Dutch-processed is a bit risky. That said, there is also a massive quantity of vinegar in the batter. Way more than I would've thought necessary to react with 2 tsp. of baking soda. So, I suspect that I will be able to get away with the swap here. But I haven't tested that theory yet. If I can though, that should also help cut the bitterness. We'll see how it goes...

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Waffles

Adapted from Amy's Healthy Baking

Ingredients

• 150g whole wheat flour
• 60g Dutched cocoa powder
• 1/4 c. peanut butter powder (de-fatted peanut flour)
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. coconut oil, melted
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 c. fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c. vinegar
• 3/4 c. milk
• 5 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. Get your waffle iron out and start it preheating.
2. Meanwhile, combine flour, cocoa, peanut flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix well.
3. In a separate (large) bowl, combine the coil, egg whites, vanilla, maple syrup, yogurt, vinegar, and milk and mix well.
4. Add ~1/3 of the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.
5. Mix in ~2 Tbsp. of the water followed by half the remaining dry ingredients.
6. Mix in the remaining 3 Tbsp. of water followed by the remaining dry ingredients.
7. Scoop the batter into your waffle maker and cook according to the instructions for your model.
8. Carefully remove waffles from waffle iron and set on wire rack.
9. Serve with syrup, jam, yogurt, fresh fruit, and/or peanut butter fluff².

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¹ Interestingly, I was always told the opposite: that Dutched cocoa was both darker and carried a richer, deeper chocolate flavour than natural. Now I don't know who was right. But, either way, the point about the pH is relevant regardless of what the flavour is like. ^Back
2 I actually made a slightly variant on the original peanut butter fluff recipe to top my waffle with. I'm trying to keep things low calorie, so I replaced the peanut butter with powdered peanut butter (same volume, but 1/2 c. of peanut flour is equivalent to roughly 1/4 c. of actual peanut butter, so I effectively halved the peanut butter). I also swapped out the honey for Splenda since we have a bit left and it should be used up anyway. I think the Splenda gives it a weird flavour. It's not my favourite sweetener. I'm just trying to use up what we have because I don't want to throw it out. Might try the new monk fruit sweetener or some stevia at some point in the future and see if I like that any better. But the Splenda was good enough to get the job done today. ^Back

This started out as Amish cinnamon bread, but I made enough changes that I don't think I can really call it the same recipe anymore.

The original recipe called for a total of 3 1/2 c. of sugar and just over 1 1/3 c. of oil. I opted to replace some of the sugar with a monk fruit and erythiol sweetener and I replaced ~75% of the oil with apple sauce. I also swapped out about half the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour. I think next time I'd just use 100% whole wheat flour. And I'd also cut the sugar back slightly. (Not that it wasn't delicious as it was. I'm just trying to figure out ways to make it a bit healthier.)

Apple-Cinnamon Bread

Adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2019

Ingredients

Coating

• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. monk fruit sweetener with erythiol (or more sugar)
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. oil

Bread

• 500g whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 c. monk fruit sweetener with erythiol (or more sugar)
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 oil
• 3 large eggs
• 2 vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).
2. Oil two loaf pans with 1/2 tsp. of oil each.
3. Combine the sugar(s) and cinnamon for the topping and use 2 Tbsp. of the mixture to coat the inside of each loaf pan. You will use 1/4 c. total for the pans and have ~1/4 c. left over.)
4. Add the sugar(s) and cinnamon to the flour.
5. Sift in the baking powder and baking soda.
6. Stir in the salt.
7. In a large measuring cup (or bowl) combine the milk, applesauce, oil, eggs, and vanilla and mix well.
8. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. (Some lumps are okay.)
9. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
10. Sprinkle each loaf with 2 Tbsp. of the coating/cinnamon-sugar mixture.
11. Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 70-80 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and let cool in tins set on wire racks for ~1 hour.
13. Run a knife around the edges of the pans and turn the loaves out onto wire racks to finish cooling.
14. Serve warm or cold.

This didn't come out being quite as healthy and low-points as I'd hoped. But it was still a tasty vegetable side to round out our meal.

Skillet-Roasted Cauliflower

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2018

Ingredients

• 900g cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp. grated Pecorino Romano

Directions

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Recommended method is to remove outer leaves and use kitchen shears to cut the florets from the stock. Then use a paring knife to cut the florets smaller as needed. Aim for 1-2cm florets.
2. Cut the stalk into 1cm cubes.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
4. Add cauliflower and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5.
5. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring every 1-2.
6. Push cauliflower to sides of skillet and add pepper flakes and remaining 1/2 tsp. of oil to the centre.
7. Cook for ~30 seconds, then remove from heat and mix with the cauliflower.
8. Stir in cheese and serve.

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Variations

Skillet-Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic and Thyme

Ingredients

• 900g cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• lemon wedges, to serve

I was super hungry this evening, so I made myself a quick salmon salad to top me up so I wouldn't go to bed hungry. I used frozen "spaghetti mix" as a shortcut to avoid needing to chop any veggies. It's a mixture of chopped onion, carrot, celery, and red and green bell pepper.

Quick Salmon Salad

Ingredients

• 200g canned salmon, drained
• 1/3-1/2 c. frozen "spaghetti mix"
• 2 dill pickles, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. 1/2-fat mayo
• 2 Tbsp. fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1/4 tsp. sweet or smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill, optional

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2. Serve on cucumber slices or over chopped salad. For a slightly less healthy take, serve on bread or crackers.

I've been wanting to try out this recipe for ropa vieja since this issue of Cook's Country first came out back in 2017. My original plans to make it ended up falling through and it just never quite made it back to the top of the stack again after that.

Well, I am pleased to report that I finally made it and it is delicious!

The original recipe is written for the slow cooker with an initial sauté of the veggies on the stovetop. Given that format, I was able to do the whole thing in the InstantPot. It worked quite well. Although I did have to bump the temperature up partway through cooking as the "medium" slow cook setting didn't appear to be getting the job done. Nudging it up to high for the last three hours seems to have work though, so I'd recommend just putting it on high from the get-go next time.

I served my ropa vieja over Congrí with some green beans on the side to make it a complete meal.

Ropa Vieja

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country June/July 2017

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 2-3 onions, halved and sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce¹
• 2 bay leaves
• 900g flank steak, cut against the grain into 4 pieces
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 3/4 c. sliced green olives
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-low heat. (Sauté low on InstantPot.)
2. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for ~8 minutes.
3. Move vegetables to sides of pot and add the tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, and 1/4 tsp. of the salt to the cleared spot in the middle.
4. Cook for a minute or two, then stir the vegetables into the paste mixture.
5. Add the wine and cook until nearly evaporated (1-2 minutes).
6. Add the soy sauce and bay leaves.
7. Season steak with the pepper and the remaining 1 tsp. of salt and add it to the pot on top of the sauce.
8. Cover and slow cook on high for ~6 hours.
9. Once meat is tender, remove steak from pot and shred with two forks.
10. Return meat to sauce and stir in olives and vinegar.
11. Serve over plain rice, congri, or your starch of choice. (I've seen both potatoes and polenta suggested as alternatives to rice.

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¹ I'd be inclined to try a mix of light and dark soy next time. ^Back

Five Breakfast Scrambles

This is one of the Cook's Country multiple-variations-on-the-same-recipe deal. We only cooked one variant, the spinach and feta scramble, but it was quite tasty.

Spinach and Feta Scramble

Cook's Country October/November 2015, by Cecelia Jenkins (p.29)

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 C chopped baby spinach
• ¼ C crumbled feta

Directions

1. Whisk together eggs, salt, and pepper until uniformly yellow.
2. Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add spinach and cook until wilted (or thawed, if using frozen spinach).
4. Add eggs and cook, constantly scraping and turning with spatula until eggs begin to clump.
5. Reduce heat to low and gently fold eggs until clumped and slightly wet, 30-60 seconds.

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Variations

Cheddar and Jalapeño Scramble

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ C grated cheddar
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1 tbsp pickled jalapeños, minced

Ham and Gruyère Scramble

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ C chopped ham
• ¼ C grated gruyère

Havarti and Dill Scramble

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ C grated havarti
• ½ tbsp minced dill

Smoked Trout and Chive Scramble

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ C flaked smoked trout
• 1 tbsp minced chives

Skillet-Roasted Green Beans

I've been meaning to make this bean recipe for over a week now. Originally I was just going to do it with frozen beans. Then, since I still hadn't gotten around to making it yet, I figured I might as well toss some nice fresh green beans into my produce basket for the week. Now those beans have been sitting in the fridge for almost a week and I still hadn't cooked them yet. Until today! I finally got it done!

Because I'm trying to be a bit calorie-wise, I cut back the oil and cheese a little. Honestly, I think I could've gotten away with cutting them back even more! Even with 2/3 the quantity of oil called for, I still felt it was a little too much. I think 1/3 of the oil called for would've been plenty. And, while the cheese is completely delicious and I would've loved to have had twice as much, I think that 10 or 15g would probably have been sufficient. (The recipe below reflects both of these changes.)

Skillet-Roasted Green Beans with Pecorino Romano

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2021

Ingredients

• 340g green beans, trimmed
• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 15g Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Directions

1. Add beans, oil, water, salt, and pepper to pan, cover, and cook over medium-high heat, shaking pan occasionally, for ~7 minutes.
2. Stir beans and cook, uncovered, for another 4 minutes.
3. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
6. Sprinkle with cheese shavings and serve.

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Variations

Skillet-Roasted Green Beans with Bacon, Black Bean Garlic Sauce, and Tahini

Ingredients

• 340g green beans, trimmed
• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. water, divided
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. black bean garlic sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. tahini
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 2 Tbsp. crumbled bacon

Directions

1. Add beans, oil, 2 Tbsp. of the water, and pepper to pan, cover, and cook over medium-high heat, shaking pan occasionally, for ~7 minutes.
2. Stir beans and cook, uncovered, for another 4 minutes.
3. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, black bean garlic sauce, and remaining 1 Tbsp. of water.
6. Drizzle with tahini and sprinkle with sesame seeds and crumbled bacon.

Congrí (Cuban Black Beans and Rice)

I had initially intended to follow the Cook's Country recipe for black beans and rice. But their version was meant to be a quick method using canned black beans and I didn't have any of those on hand. I thought about trying to adapt it but, in the end, I decided that I'd rather just look up an entirely different recipe onilne.

I stuck pretty close to the recipe I selected. Although I did halve all the quantities. And then halved the oil again (just to try to trim a few calories). And I used brown rice instead of the parboiled called for because long-grain brown is our default rice. And, since I didn't have any chorizo (or bacon or salted pork belly or smoked ham hocks or any of the various other pork products called for), I chopped up half a block of smoked tofu and tossed that in instead. Definitely not as rich and meaty as the pork would've been but, if nothing else, it made for a convenient way to use up the tofu.

And, of course, as is almost traditional for me at this point, I forgot to add the cilantro at the end. Oh well... it'll be good on the leftovers.

Congrí

Slightly adapted from Food52

Ingredients

• 225g dried black beans
• 6 c. water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion¹, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 dry Spanish chorizo sausage², chopped
• 2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1/2 Tbsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/16 tsp. ground turmeric
• chicken stock, as needed
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine beans, water, and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for ~90 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat.
4. Add bell pepper and onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
6. Add chorizo and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add rice and cook for another couple of minutes.
8. Add cumin, garlic powder, pepper, salt, oregano, and turmeric and cook for 30-60 seconds longer.
9. Remove from heat and set aside until beans are done. (It's okay if the beans are still a bit firm after the initial 90 minutes of cooking, they will get cooked more with the rice.)
10. Once the beans are cooked enough to eat, but still somewhat firm, remove from heat.
11. Pour off and measure the bean cooking water. If you're using homemade stock (or if you didn't need to add much stock to your bean water), then you may want to add a bit of extra salt to your liquid. I added ~1/2 tsp. to mine.
12. Add enough chicken stock to the water to bring the volume up to 4 c.
13. Add the beans and the bean liquid to the rice mixture.
14. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
15. Cover and reduce heat to low.
16. Cook, covered, for ~30 minutes.
17. Remove from heat and stir the rice.
18. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
19. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve!

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¹ I was fresh out of bell peppers, so I actually omitted both the bell pepper and the onion and put in 2 c. of frozen "spaghetti mix" instead. It's a combination of red and green bell pepper, onion, carrot, and celery. That gave me the pepper and onion that I needed and I figured that the addition of a bit of carrot and celery wouldn't hurt. ^Back
2 As noted above, I didn't have any pork products available, so I used smoked tofu instead. The Cook's Country recipe called for salted pork belly as the meaty component. And I saw others that called for bacon and one that incorporated smoked ham hocks. So... the takeaway seems to be use something meaty, salty, and preferably involving pork; smoke optional. ^Back

I was going to have soft-boiled eggs and toast for breakfast this morning, but I changed my mind at the last minute. I decided to just hard-boil a whole bunch of eggs and make a zesty egg salad out of them. I mostly followed the Cook's Country recipe for this, but I swapped in a mix of reduced-fat mayo and fat-free Greek yogurt for the regular mayo, swapped the Tabasco sauce for sriracha, used scallions instead of chives, and added a few capers.

I didn't have any celery on hand this time 'round, so I just left it out, but I'd highly recommend adding it in if available.

Deviled Egg Salad

Adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2020

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
• 2 Tbsp. 1/2-fat mayo
• 2 Tbsp. fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1-2 tsp. Roman mustard (or Dijon mustard)
• 1-2 tsp. sriracha
• 1/4 c. chopped dill pickle
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• 1-2 green onions, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. capers, minced
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Chop the eggs with a potato masher or pastry cutter.
2. Add the mayo, yogurt, mustard, sriracha, pickle, celery, green onion, capers, and pepper and stir to combine.
3. Serve on bread or in lettuce wraps.

I tried to load up on healthy snack options on my last grocery run. I usually don't get too much fresh produce because I worry about not being able to eat it fast enough or forgetting about it or having to rejig the meal plan in a way that doesn't incorporate those ingredients or something. So, historically, I've relied instead on having lots of frozen fruits and veggies available at all times. But I'm hoping that if I just get into the habit of eating lots of fruit and veg every day, then I can keep on top of the fridge contents and minimize food waste while also keeping lots of fresh produce on hand. We'll see how it goes...

The other thing I stocked up on were fat-free cultured dairy products: sour cream, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese in particular. Sour cream works well as a topping for a lot of things and Greek yogurt and cottage cheese can both be dressed up into reasonably healthy desserts without too much effort.

I'd seen a few recipes for no-bake, diet "cheesecake" or "cheesecake cups" floating around the Internet, so I decided to give that a try. The basic idea is that you blend up some cottage cheese with some vanilla and your sweetener of choice (and any other flavourings you want) and then optionally top it with fruit. And, I gotta say, it's pretty darn good! I can see myself coming back to this one.

Whipped Cottage Cheese Dessert

Ingredients

• 500g fat-free cottage cheese
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. lemon zest (optional)
• 1 c. fresh or frozen fruit

Directions

1. In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and lemon zest (if using) and purée until smooth.
2. Divide into four equal portions.
3. Top each portion with ~1/4 c. of chopped fruit (thawed if frozen).

TF recently did a write-up for a different Cook's Country hamburger steak recipe that we tried a while back. After doing that one though, she commented that she'd be on board with doing hamburger steaks more often, so I figured I might as well give this recipe a try.

As with yesterday's salad recipe, I tried to make a few tweaks to this one to reduce the "Points" cost. Unlike with yesterday's salad recipe, those tweaks paid off in a big way this time. They made the difference between 8 Points per serving and 18! So, in this case, even though the final result isn't quite as rich and unctious as it would've been with more butter and fattier beef, I'd say the modifications were definitely worthwhile.

Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2019

Ingredients

• 900g extra-lean (95%) ground beef
• 5/8 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4 tsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 c. beef or vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh chives

Directions

1. Combine beef, breadcrumbs, soup mix, and pepper and mix well.
2. Divide into 6 equal portions and shape each portion into a flat patty.
3. Melt 1 tsp. of butter over medium heat.
4. Add as many patties as will fit in the pan and cook, covered, for ~5 minutes.
5. Flip and cook, covered, for another 5 minutes.
6. Remove from pan and tent with foil.
7. Cook any remaining patties the same way and add to foil tent when done.
8. Add onions to pan. If pan seems very dry, add a little of the broth as well.
9. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes.
10. If pan seems dry, add a little (more) broth. (You don't want it to be wet, just slightly moist.)
11. Add flour and cook for a minute or two.
12. Whisk in broth and bring to a boil.
13. Cook, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes.
14. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter.
15. Top patties with sauce, sprinkle with chives, and serve.

I've had my eye on this salad for a while, but I keep not quite getting around to making it. But I finally had all the ingredients and a bit of momentum, so I managed to get it put together.

I've been trying to do the Weight Watchers thing and count my calories and tally up Points and just generally be a little more mindful of what and how much I'm eating. So, with that in mind, I made a few adjustments and substitutions while making this to try to reduce its Points cost. And while it did help a bit, having now sat down and done the math, it didn't make that much of a difference in the end. The original version would've been around 4 Points per serving and my "lighter" version came out to around 3 Points per serving. So better, but not that much better. I think next time I'd just make it with the full amount of oil and cheese. (Although I'll probably keep the tofu instead of the bacon because I quite like it!)

Napa Cabbage Salad

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2020

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. bacon grease
• 1/2 package smoked tofu, sliced
• 1/2-3/4 c. crumbled blue cheese
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 680g napa cabbage, cut into 3-4cm pieces
• 225g cherry (or grape) tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise then sliced crosswise
• 1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thin
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Melt the bacon grease over medium heat and fry the tofu in it until crispy on both sides.
2. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, combine the cheese, oil, lemon juice, pepper, and salt and whisk until mostly smooth.
4. Once tofu is cool, chop it into bite-sized pieces.
5. Add cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, basil, and tofu to dressing and toss to combine.