I'm pretty tired so I'm not going to do a big write-up for this. It's a simple-but-delicious onion-poppyseed flatbread. The dough came out very wet and I ended up using ~50g more flour than the recipe called for. Other than that, it was very well-behaved though.

I left out 2 Tbsp. of the oil called for. I feel that 3 Tbsp. was plenty for the amount of bread produced. I also left out the last 1/2 Tbsp. of salt as there was already plenty of salt in the dough and in the onions. I didn't feel like it needed more.

It might be interesting to try making it with whole wheat four or a mix of whole wheat and white next time. Working a bit of rye flour in might also be nice. I think the rye would go very well with the onions.

Pletzel

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2016

Ingredients

• 475g all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1 2/3 c. water
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 2-3 onions, chopped fine
• 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Directions

1. Combine the flour and 2 1/2 tsp. of the salt and make a well in the centre.
2. Pour in the water and mix, working from the centre outward, until combined. Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
3. Add yeast and sugar and knead for 10-20 minutes.
4. Pour 1 Tbsp. of oil over the dough and flip it over a couple times so that dough gets completely coated in oil. Cover and set aside to rise for 2-3 hours.
5. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. of the remaining oil over medium heat.
6. Add onions along with remaining 1 tsp. of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden-brown (~10 minutes).
7. Remove from heat and stir in poppy seeds. Set aside.
8. Coat a rimmed baking sheet in remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil.
9. Turn dough out onto oiled sheet and press into corners of pan with oiled fingers. If dough resists stretching, let it rest for 5-10 minutes before continuing.
10. Proof, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes.
11. While dough is proofing, preheat oven to 250°C (475°F).
12. Prick risen dough with a fork 30 or 40 times.
13. Spread the onion-poppyseed mixture over the surface of the bread, leaving ~1cm border around the edge.
14. Bake at 250°C (475°F) for 18-20 minutes.

---

Variations

Multi-Grain Pletzel

Ingredients

• 300g all-purpose flour
• 100g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 25g rye flour
• 3 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1 2/3 c. water
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 2-3 onions, chopped fine
• 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Assuming this works well, I'd try it again with even more rye flour, but I wanted to keep the proportion of rye low to start since it can make it difficult to achieve good structure in yeasted breads.

Kela nu Shaak (Banana Curry)

This curry really surprised me! I've eyed the recipe several times over the years. I always had my doubts about it. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like it. Curried bananas just seemed too weird! I mean, I like curry and I like bananas, but I was not convinced that those would be two great tastes that taste great together.

Just goes to show what I know! This was delicious! Sadly the Kidlet didn't care for it, but TF and I both really liked it. So much so that we'll probably make a double batch next time. Who knew that curried bananas could be so delicious?! (Well, aside from Iyer and the Gujarati people, of course.)

And, not only is this curry very good, it's also very quick and very easy! The whole thing comes together in ~15 minutes and requires only eight ingredients. And the only things that need to be chopped are the bananas and the cilantro, so there's almost no prep!

Kela nu Shaak

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, stems removed
• 2 firm-ripe bananas, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. ground Kashmiri or cayenne chilies
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
2. Add the cumin and chilies and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds.
3. Add the banana, salt, turmeric, and ground chilies, cover, and reduce heat to medium.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

I don't make scalloped potatoes very often. I like them, but we tend to eat more rice and pasta than potatoes anyway and if I am doing potatoes, I generally prefer to either try something completely new or go for the classic and mash them. So scalloped potatoes tend to get left by the wayside, despite being delicious.

But, given that we had both potatoes and balchao masala on hand that needed to be used up, this seemed like the perfect dish for tonight. I don't think it will replace traditional scalloped potatoes for me, but it was quite good. And, even if I don't end up making this recipe again, I may try swapping out the milk in regular scalloped potatoes for coconut milk in the future. I liked the sauce it produced. (Although I may want to experiment with "lite" coconut milk next time; regular coconut milk is pretty calorically dense!)

Balchao Scalloped Potatoes

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 400mL coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. balchao masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g potatoes, sliced
• 3-4 scallions, sliced
• 10 fresh curry leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and lightly grease a casserole dish.
2. Whisk the balchao masala and salt into the coconut milk.
3. Layer ~1/3 of the potatoes into the prepared dish and pour in ~1/3 of the coconut milk mixture, then sprinkle over ~1/3 of the scallions.
4. Repeat layers until all the potatoes, coconut milk, and scallions have been used up.
5. Place the curry leaves on top.
6. Bake, covered, for ~45 minutes.
7. Uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

This is a pleasingly simple and straightforward side dish.

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower

Cook's Country February/March 2020, by Alli Berkey (p.12)

Ingredients

• 1½ C freshly grated parmesan
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp minced thyme
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 lbs cauliflower florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Combine parmesan, cornstarch, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Toss cauliflower with oil in a large bowl.
3. Add parmesan mixture and toss until well coated.
4. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
5. Bake at 450°F until tender and browned, 20-25 minutes, turning after the 15 minute mark.

Some of the spice blends Iyer gives recipes for in 660 Curries are very simple -- like the two-ingredients dhania-jeera masala. It doesn't get much more straight-forward than that! Most of them are a bit more involved. But this East Indian bottle masala is by far the most complex of the various blends and pastes in the book. It incorporates an astounding 20 ingredients! And, according to Iyer, this is one of the simpler bottle masalas out there. He explains that the recipes tend to be family secrets and that a given recipe may contain anywhere from 20 to 75 different components! It reminds me a bit of some of the descriptions I've read of Moroccan ras el hanout: each shop or family tends to have their own recipe, they're all closely-guarded secrets, and the ingredient lists range from long to very long.

Since this makes a very large batch (due to the sheer number of ingredients), Iyer recommends sharing with friends and/or using it as a general-purpose seasoning. He advises adding it to soups, salads, or pastas to give them a unique flavour boost. I haven't been remembering to do this, but possibly I should try it out the next time I'm casting about for spices. I bet it'd be great in scrambled eggs!

East Indian Bottle Masala

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried red Thai, arbol, or cayenne chilies
• 2 Tbsp. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 2 Tbsp. soft wheat berries (kanak)
• 1 Tbsp. uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1/2 c. coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp. white poppy seeds
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp. whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds from green pods
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg shavings (or 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg)
• 3 whole star anise
• 3 cinnamon sticks, broken into smaller pieces
• 3 blades mace (or 1/4 tsp. ground mace)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 1 Tbsp. ground turmeric

Directions

1. Combine everything except the ground spices in a bowl.
2. Preheat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the mixture and toast, shaking frequently, until the chilies begin to blacken and the rice and split peas begin to brown (4-6 minutes).
4. Transfer the spices to a plate to cool.
5. Once the mixture is completely cool, transfer (in batches, if necessary) to a spice grinder and finely grind.
6. Stir in the ground spices: nutmeg (if you didn't use nutmeg shavings), mace (if you didn't use whole blades of mace), ground Kashmiri chilies, and turmeric.
7. Store in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 6 months².

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¹ If you don't have Kashmiri chilies, you can substitute a 1:3 mixture of ground cayenne and sweet paprika. That said, as I write this up, I've found myself contemplating the ingredient list and I think I'd seriously consider swapping the Kashmiri and cayenne chilies next time. Instead of 1 c. of dried cayenne/Thai/arbol and 2 Tbsp. of ground Kashmiri, I think I'd be inclined to use 1 c. of dried Kashmiri chilies (whole, stems removed) and 6 or 7 dried cayenne/Thai/arbol chilies. I think that using more Kashmiri chilies and roasting both kinds would produce a blend with less heat, but a more fruity and complex flavour. (Not that a mix this complicated necessarily needs more complexity, but I do really enjoy the flavour of Kashmiri chilies...) ^Back
2 Iyer only recommends storing this mix for up to 2 months. That said, we've had ours for several years now and it's still very flavourful and potent, so I figured 6 months was probably a reasonable middle ground. ^Back

I found a bone-in leg of lamb on sale at the grocery store a few weeks ago. I nabbed it and stuck it in the freezer for later. I was initially planning on trying out a Cook's Country recipe with it. But then I spotted this recipe in the contemporary curries chapter of 660 Curries. Iyer notes that a beef roast makes a perfectly fine alternative to lamb here, but... I like lamb and I wanted to give it a try this way.

The roast is, as expected, delicious. I mean, it's lamb smeared with a spiced nut paste; what's not to like? But the sauce really stole the show. It was amazing! I think the long cooking time really brings out the best in everything.

Leg of Lamb with Onion-Coconut Sauce

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Lamb

• 1 (1.1-1.4kg) bone-in leg of lamb
• 1/4 c. plain yogurt
• 1/4 c. slivered almonds
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 1/4 c. raw shelled pistachios
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1-2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Sauce

• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. bottle masala
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 (400mL) can coconut milk²
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Make four or five 6-mm deep slashes in the meat and set it in a shallow baking pan.
2. Add the yogurt, almonds, cashews, pistachios, and ginger and garlic pastes to a blender and purée until smooth.
3. Pour the nut paste into a bowl and stir in the chilies and salt.
4. Slather the marinade over the lamb, being sure to coat it thoroughly.
5. Cover and chill overnight.
6. The next day, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
7. Meanwhile, place a rack in a roasting pan (or on a rimmed baking sheet). Spray it with cooking spray and transfer the lamb to the prepared rack. Allow to sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Reserve any marinade that doesn't cling to the lamb.
8. Roast the lamb at 220°C (425°F) until lightly browned on the outside (10-15 minutes).
9. Reduce temperature to 160°C (325°F) and cook for another 15 minutes.
10. Remove lamb from oven and baste with any reserved marinade. If the pan is dry, pour a little water in to help keep everything moist and prevent the drippings from burning.
11. Continue to roast until meat registers 57-60°C (135-140°F) in the thickest part (60-80 minutes). Check every 20 minutes or so to see if the pan needs more water or if the meat drippings are in danger of overflowing.
12. Meanwhile, heat the oil for the sauce over medium-high heat.
13. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry until caramel-brown (10-15 minutes).
14. Add the tomato paste, bottle masala, and salt and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the paste begins to look oily on the surface (1-2 minutes).
15. Add the water and deglaze the pan.
16. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil.
17. Reduce heat to medium and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced to just over half its original volume (20-25 minutes). Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
18. Once lamb is done, remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes.
19. Slice the lamb and stir the cilantro into the sauce.
20. Serve the lamb, allowing diners to top with sauce at the table.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 2 tsp. I scaled this back slightly for the sake of the Kidlet. I used 1/2 Tbsp. this time and that seemed to be okay. Might try the full amount next time. Also, if you don't have Kashmiri chilies, you can substitute a mixture of 1 part ground cayenne to 3 parts sweet paprika. ^Back
2 We used regular coconut milk this time around because we had a can that was getting close to its expiry. That said, you could probably shave quite a few calories by swapping the regular coconut milk out for lite. ^Back

Hare Tamatar aur Aloo ki Subzi (Green Tomato and Potato Curry)

We've had the option of getting green tomatoes in our produce basket weekly. And, since that's not something I'm normally able to find in the grocery store, I've been trying to take advantage of their availability. I don't have many recipes for green tomatoes, but I'd like to work my way through the ones that I do have. Whereas the last green tomato curry I tried was based solely on the unripe fruit, this curry combines them with another solanaceae vegetable to give a very different result.

Hare Tamatar aur Aloo ki Subzi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 225g potatoes, cubed
• 225g green tomatoes, cut into large chunks or strips
• 2 tsp. bin bhuna hua garam masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the garlic and stir-fry for until reddish-brown (1-2 minutes).
3. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, garam masala, salt, and turmeric and reduce heat to medium.
4. Cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes have browned a bit (8-10 minutes).
5. Add the water and deglaze the pan.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender (10-15 minutes).
7. If you would like a thicker curry, mash some of the potato and tomato pices with the back of a wooden spoon.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

I'm not sure whether I like this or the PB&J cottage cheese bowl better. They're both very good. I think it probably largely depends on what sort of mood I'm in. If I'm really craving peanut butter, then some chopped pecans aren't going to cut it. On the other hand, if I'm craving something with a bit of crunch, then between the nuts and the crisp apples, this bowl has got me covered!

The original recipe only called for half and apple, but I like it with a whole apple in. I also replaced the walnuts with pecans. I think either would be fine, but I tend to like pecans better in general so that's what I went with here. They're not quite as budget-friendly as walnuts, but you're also not using very many of them, so it's not a huge difference overall.

Apple Pie Cottage Cheese Bowl

Slightly adapted from Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. cottage cheese (fat-free for calorie-counters)
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. chopped pecans
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (or "no sugar added" syrup)
• pinch (~1/16 tsp.) ground cinnamon

Directions

• Combine all ingredients.
• Stir, mix, enjoy!

Despite the name, I was somehow expecting this soup to be more of a red lentil soup with a bit of spinach in than the other way around. It's not unpleasant this way, just not what I was expecting.

Sadly, the Kidlet wasn't a fan of this one. Honestly, I didn't love it either. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. And when there are so many great recipes out there (especially in 660 Curries), I'm not generally too interested in revisiting the mediocre ones. On the bright side, it is chock full of leafy greens and legumes and very low in fat! So, it's healthy (and pleasantly spicy), just not the overwhelming success that so many of the other curries we've tried have been.

Spinach Soup with Red Lentils

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split brown lentils (masoor dal/Egyptian lentils/red lentils)
• 3-4 c. water
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 3-6 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 680g fresh spinach¹, well-rinsed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. balti masala

Directions

1. Rinse the lentils very well, then add 3 c. of the water and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 18-20 minutes, skimming any foam from the surface.
3. Meanwhile, pulvarize the cumin, coriander, and chilies in a molcajete (or finely mince the chilies and grind the spices in a spice grinder and then mix them together).
4. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for 5-10 minutes.
6. Add the chile-spice blend and cook for another minute or two.
7. Add the spinach a handful or two at a time, stirring until wilted (a minute or so per batch).
8. Add the cooked lentils along with any residual cooking water.
9. Stir in up to 1 c. of additional water (depending on how thick or thin you like your soup).
10. Use and immersion blender or a food processor to gently pulse the soup. Leave it slightly chunky with some texutre; don't try to purée it smooth.
11. Stir in the salt and balti masala and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.

---

¹ Or use a mix of greens of your choice. Iyer suggests using up to 50% kale, mustard greens, collard greens, or radish greens in place of some of the spinach. I used a mixture of spinach and green kale for my soup, bu I think that tossing a little methi (fenugreek leaves) in would also be nice. ^Back

Dhania Murghi (Cilantro Chicken)

This is one of those deceptively simple recipes. There's not much to it: just a bit of onion and cilantro, a few cashews, and a tiny amount of garam masala. It hardly seems like enough to adequately season the whole dish! And the sauce looks pretty pale and watery while you're making it. So I was pleasantly surprised when this curry turned out to be deliciously flavourful! Everyone liked this one.

Photo goes here.

Dhania Murghi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. water, divided
• 2 onions, 1 chopped, 1 halved and sliced
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• ~600g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2-cm wide strips
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies (or cayenne)¹

Directions

1. Pour 1/2 c. of the water into a blender.
2. Add the chopped onion, cashews, and cilantro to the blender with the water.
3. Purée until smooth. Set aside.
4. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add the sliced onion to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes.
6. Add the sauce and reduce heat to medium.
7. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce darkens.
8. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the meat is seared (2-4 minutes).
9. Pour in the remaining 1/2 c. of water and deglaze the pan.
10. Add the salt, garam masala, and ground chilies and bring to a boil.
11. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through (5-8 minutes).
12. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high.
13. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (~5 minutes).

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¹ The original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp. of ground cayenne. I ended up replacing this with 1/4 tsp. of ground Kashmiri chilies. I usually cut the chilies by 25-50% in recipes for the sake of the Kidlet. And I've also taken to replacing most instances of cayenne or arbol chilies with Kashmiri since I enjoy their more complex flavour and the Kidlet appreciates their lower spice levels. So I've given a range here, as well as two chili options. Make it according to your taste buds and what you have on hand. ^Back

I think this is my favourite of the cottage cheese bowl variations so far. I liked the savoury one with the tomatoes and cucumbers, but I liked this one even better. In fact, it's the only one that I've ended up having two days in a row so far!

The peanut butter is fairly calorically dense, but if you pair it with a low-sugar jam, it actually makes a reasonably healthy (and low-Point) breakfast. The original recipe calls for 1/4 c. of rolled oats, but I had a little bit of chocolate granola left, so I had it with that instead and quite liked it. I might try it with plain oats at some point, but I'm really liking the granola with it so far!

PB&J Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowl

Slightly adapted from Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. cottage cheese (fat-free to keep the calorie/Points count low)
• 1 Tbsp. jam (preferably a low-sugar or reduced-calorie variety)
• 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp. granola

Directions

1. Combine everything in a bowl.
2. Mix, eat, enjoy!

What I really needed to do this past week, was make some sourdough bread. The starter was in desperate need of feeding. But I didn't have the combobules to do that, so I gave this English muffin bread a try instead. It's an interesting cross between a quick bread and a yeasted bread and rises wicked fast!

I'm not sure how much it tastes like an English muffin, but it does taste good and it's fast. You can go from mixing ingredients to taking fresh bread out of the oven in ~2 hours. Which is kind of ridiculous. Especially when I've gotten more used to measuring my bread-making times in days, rather than hours.

I think it would be interesting to try a whole wheat version of this bread at some point, but I stuck with the white flour version for now because I was already in unfamiliar territory with the mix of chemical leaveners and yeast and didn't want to change up the flour in case that messed things up.

English Muffin Bread

From Cook's Country August/September 2016

Ingredients

• 770g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour¹
• 4 1/2 tsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3 c. whole (3.25%) milk, warm (~45-50°C)

Directions

1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking soda and mix well.
2. Pour in warm milk and mix to incorporate the dry ingredients.
3. Cover and let rise in warm place (25-30°C) for ~30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, grease two loaf pans and dust them with cornmeal.
5. Stir/knock back the dough and divide it between the two loaf pans. Use a greased spatula to push the dough into the corners of the pans.
6. Cover the pans with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for ~30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
8. Discard plastic wrap and bake loaves at 190°C (375°F) for ~30 minutes. Loaves should be well-browned and register an internal temperature of 93°C (200°F).
9. Turn bread out onto a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour.
10. Slices should be toasted before serving.

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Variations

Whole Wheat English Muffin Bread

Ingredients

• 680-700g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 50g gluten (vital wheat) flour
• 4 1/2 tsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3 c. whole (3.25%) milk, warm (~45-50°C)

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¹ I didn't have any hard white flour, so I used 720g all-purpose flour + 50g gluten (vital wheat) flour. ^Back

We had a bunch of store-bought pork tortellini and some bell peppers, so I ended up throwing together something loosely inspired by Rotelle con Peperonata. It was pretty tasty!

Tortellini with Bell Pepper Rosé Sauce

Ingredients

• 650g store-bought tortellini
• 3-4 large bell peppers, cored and sliced lengthwise into 5mm strips
• 2 large red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt, ground
• ¼ tsp pepper, ground
• pinch chili flakes
• 800mL diced tomatoes
• 60mL heavy cream
• 1-2 tbsp parsley

Directions

1. Add oil and onions to a large, deep-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook until soft and translucent.
2. Increase heat slightly and add bell peppers. Cook until floppy.
3. Add tomatos, salt, pepper, and chili flakes and cook until reduced slightly.
4. Stir in cream and cook until blended.
5. Boil pasta and toss pasta and parsley with the sauce.

This sourdough cracker recipe is very similar to the one from Bon Appetite that I tried back in 2020. The main difference is that this one uses butter where the other one uses olive oil. It also makes a slightly smaller amount of dough with a slightly higher proportion of fat to everything else. The only other differences are in how you handle the dough. The BA recipe calls for kneading, but only needs to rest for 10 minutes. The KA recipe doesn't require kneading, but does call for resting in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. They both work well. That said, I think I prefer the KA recipe. Although, that preference may be at least partially down to the seasonings the Kidlet's friend picked to go into this batch: za'atar and garlic! Delicious!

Buttery Sourdough Crackers

From King Arthur Baking

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 2 Tbsp. herbs and/or seasonings of choice
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Directions

1. Combine the sourdough discard, flour, salt, herbs, and butter and mix well. Adjust with a little more flour or water as needed to make a stiff dough.
2. Divide into two equal portions, cover, and chill for 30-60 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper.
4. Place one portion of the dough on the flour parchment paper and roll out very thin (1-2mm thick).
5. Lightly brush the top of the dough sheet with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt.
6. Cut into squares and dock (prick) each square with a fork.
7. Carefully transfer the paper to a baking sheet.
8. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~25 minutes.
9. Repeat the rolling and baking process for the remaining dough.

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Variations

Aside from the garlic and za'atar flavour, these are untested recipes. I'm just writing down things that I sound good so that I can give one of them a try next time.

Garlic and Za'atar Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 Tbsp. granulated garlic
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. za'atar
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Cumin-Coriander Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Poppyseed Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 2 Tbsp. poppyseeds
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Balti Masala Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 2 Tbsp. balti masala
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Rosemary-Black Pepper Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
• 1/2 Tbsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. granulated garlic
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Everything Bagel Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 Tbsp. poppyseeds
• 1/2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried minced garlic
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Nigella Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 2 Tbsp. nigella seeds
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Panch Phoron Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 2 Tbsp. panch phoron
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Spicy Fennel Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Tomato-Herb Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 120g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tsp. dried minced onion
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. dried basil
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Turmeric Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp. ground kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 4 Tbsp. coconut oil
• oil, for brushing

Caraway-Rye Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g rye flour (preferably freshly ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 2 Tbsp. caraway seeds
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Curry Leaf Crackers

Ingredients

• 225g sourdough discard
• 110g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• 2 Tbsp. karuvapillai podi
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• oil, for brushing

Rotelle con Peperonata (Cartwheels with Bell Pepper and Onions)

We cooked this years ago but apparently it didn't get a writeup. It's not a very quick recipe, but it is an easy one with a generous helping of bell peppers.

Rotelle con Peperonata

The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Guiliano Hazan, p.124

Ingredients

• 1 lb rotelle or ruote di carro
• ⅓ C olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 4 large bell peppers, cored and cut lengthwise into 5mm strips
• 1 C diced tomatoes
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• pinch chili pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp parsley

Directions

1. Cook the pasta al dente; drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, add the olive oil and onion in a large skillet over medium low heat.
3. Cook until the onion is soft and golden.
4. Increase heat to medium and add the bell pepper. Cook until they begin to become floppy, 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and chili flakes and cook until the tomatoes have reduced, ~30 minutes.
6. Stir in the parsley and the pasta and serve.

I've been continuing to work my way through the cottage cheese breakfast bowl ideas from Budget Bytes. I've don't some of them with yogurt instead of cottage cheese, but I still want to try all the flavours. This is the only savoury option in the list. And it's pretty good. Especially with some furikake on top. It's still, I think, not a favourite for me; it's not something I see myself coming back to over and over again. But it was pretty good (if not amazing) and it was reasonably filling and didn't cost any Points, so it's got that going for it.

Savoury Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowl

Slightly adapted from Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. cottage cheese (fat-free for the WW crowd)
• 6 slices cucumber, quartered
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 hard-boiled egg, quartered
• 1/2 Tbsp. furikake

Directions

1. Top cottage cheese with cucumber, tomatoes, and egg.
2. Garnish with furikake.

I was running low on Points last night and needed something quick and easy that I could throw together with what I had on hand and that wouldn't take me over my Points budget for the day. I cast about for some ideas and eventually settled on this "dinner board". I modified it from the original recipe to fit what I had on hand, but the concept is pretty flexible: Put a bunch of veggies (and maybe some fruit) on a plate, add a hard-boiled egg, and maybe a dip and/or another protein or two.

The original had carrots, dill pickles, sliced radishes, grapes, edamame, whole roasted chickpeas, cooked shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, turkey-wrapped asparagus, and a yogurt-based dip. I opted to keep the carrots, pickles, and grapes, but swap out the radishes for cherry tomatoes. I don't like edamame, so I just left them out. I already had some split spicy roasted chickpeas open, so I used those instead of the whole "roasted without oil" chickpeas called for. I seasoned my hard-boiled egg with furikake rather than everything bagel seasoning. And I skipped the yogurt dip and just dipped my carrots in the salmon salad that I used to replace the shrimp instead. Really, though, you could make any number of variations on this theme. This one was just what I was able put together quickly and easily with what I already had on hand.

Flexible Dinner Board

Ingredients

Veggies

Pick 2-4

• 1 carrot, cut into sticks
• 1/4 cucumber, cut into coins
• 1-2 radishes, sliced
• 1-2 dill pickles
• 6-8 cherry tomatoes
• 4-6 asparagus spears, steamed
• 6-8 edamame pods, steamed
• 1/4 bell pepper, sliced

Fruit

Pick 1-2

• 10-12 grapes
• 6-8 strawberries
• 1-2 fresh or dried figs
• 1 apple, sliced
• 15-20 blueberries

Proteins

Pick 2-3

• 1 hard-boiled egg, halved
• 1/3 c. salmon or tuna salad
• 4 slices chicken or turkey breast
• 1-2 Tbsp. roasted chickpeas/chana
• 30g smoked salmon
• 4-6 cooked shrimp

Dips & Seasonings

As desired

• grainy mustard
• furikake
• everything bagel seasoning
• yogurt dip¹

Directions

1. Select, cut, and prep all of your components.
2. Arrange them on a plate or board.
3. That's it!

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¹ The original recipe featured a dip made of plain yogurt, scallions, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and garlic powder. ^Back

I usually don't use a recipe for my meatloaf. I make it the way my mom taught me: using ground beef, onion soup mix, breadcrumbs, eggs, some extra onion (and maybe a few other veggies), and then topping with a generous quantity of ketchup. It's delicious!

I don't feel like this meatloaf quite stands up to my mom's, but it is very good. The cheese and tomato sauce is nice with it. It has just enough heat to be interesting. And the basil brings it home. Using a mix of beef and sausage means it's well-seasoned. And the saltine panade does make it very tender. (Personally, I like my meatloaf to have a slightly firmer texture, but that's just personal preference.)

I used extra-lean ground beef and turkey sausage for my meatloaf in order to try to make it a little lower fat and healthier. I also scaled back the Parmesan and oil a bit and swapped out the whole milk for 1% and the fontina for light mozzarella. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out and it certainly made it a lot less greasy! That said, if you're not counting calories, feel free to try it with fattier beef and pork sausage, just be aware that you will probably have to try to spoon some of the excess fat off the surface of the sauce after it comes out of the oven. This step was included in the original recipe, but I was able to omit it since the leaner meats that I used didn't release very much fat.

Italian Meatloaf

Adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2020

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 5 coves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 (828mL) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (440mL) can tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Meatloaf

• 32 square saltines
• 3/4 c. milk
• 2 large eggs
• 450g extra-lean (95% lean) ground beef
• 450g turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 120g mozzarella, grated
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Directions

Sauce

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and cook until just beginning to brown (~1 minute).
3. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and pepper flakes and bring to a simmer.
4. Cook, uncovered, for ~5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meatloaf

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and spray a 23x33cm (9"x13") baking dish with baking spray.
2. Crush saltines into crumbs.
3. Combine saltine crumbs, milk, and eggs and let sit for 5 minutes.
4. Whisk to form a smooth paste.
5. Add beef, sausage, Parmesan, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes and mix thoroughly (preferably with your hands).
6. Transfer beef mixture to prepared baking dish and shape into a rectangle ~13-14cm wide and 23-24cm long.
7. Pour sauce over the meatloaf.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet.
9. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 60-75 minutes (meatloaf should register 70°C (160°F) when done.
10. Remove foil and top with mozzarella.
11. Heat broiler and broil meatloaf until cheese is melted (~2 minutes).
12. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

This was meant to be yet another cottage cheese breakfast bowl from Budget Bytes, but I decided that I'd rather do it with yogurt again. If doing it with cottage cheese, I think I'd be tempted to add a little lemon zest and/or juice. I think the lemon and bluberry would be a great combo! Or, if you wanted to go another way with it, you could try replacing the bluberries with cherries and maybe adding a little almond extract to the yogurt. Maybe even try replacing the slivered almonds with a little almond butter. I think that would be an excellent mix of flavours.

Blueberry-Almond Breakfast Bowl

Slightly adapted from Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (fat-free if you're counting calories)
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract (optional
• 1 Tbsp. no sugar added syrup or 1/2 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 c. blueberries (or cherries)
• 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds (or 1 Tbsp. almond butter)
• 1/4 tsp. lemon zest (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the yogurt, vanilla, almond extract (if using), and syrup and mix well.
2. Top with berries, almonds, and lemon zest (if using) and serve.

This was hit and miss. I kinda felt like the salmon with pemegranate was two great tastes that don't taste very good together, although I liked the salad. Symbol liked both, at least.

Glazed Salmon with Black-Eyed Peas, Walnuts, and Pomegranate

Cook's Country October/November 2020 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 450g cooked black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 120mL pomegranate seeds
• 120mL hazelnuts, chopped and toasted
• 120mL fresh parsley and/or cilantro, minced
• 4 green onions, sliced thin
• 30+30mL pomegranate molasses, divided
• 1½ tbsp + ½ tsp olive oil, divided
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ⅛+½ tsp salt, divided
• ¼+½ tsp pepper, divided
• 700-900g of skin-on salmon filets

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine peas, pomegranate seeds, hazelnuts, greens, green onions, 30mL of pomegranate molasses, 1½ tbsp of oil, the lemon juice, ⅛ tsp of salt and ⅛ tsp of pepper. Stir together, adjust salt and pepper to taste, and set aside to let flavours meld.
2. Line a large baking sheet with foil or silicone. Arrange salmon, skin side down.
3. Whisk together remaining molasses, oil, salt, and pepper and brush over tops of salmon.
4. Bake at 450°F on the upper middle rack until cooked through, 10-15 minutes.

I've been continuing to experiment with the cottage cheese breakfast bowl recipes on the Budget Bytes blog. Today I tried the "tropical" breakfast bowl. It was alright. Probably not something I'd go out of my way for, but decent. I added a little syrup to it to kick up the sweetness a notch. I think it might be good with some of the tropical fruit blend I have in the freezer. I feel like the mango and dragonfruit might be a nice addition. (Not as budget-friendly as just using plain pineapple, of course, but that's fine for my purposes.)

Tropical Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowl

Adapted from Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. cottage cheese (fat-free for the calorie-conscious)
• 1/2 c. pineapple¹ or thawed frozen "tropical fruit blend"²
• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened shredded dried coconut³
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. no sugar added syrup, maple syrup, or honey (optional)

Directions

1. Combine everything in a bowl and eat.

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¹ The original recipe called for drained canned pineapple tidbits. I used chopped fresh pineapple because they had some on mark-down at the grocery store. I think either is fine. Use whichever you prefer. ^Back
2 My tropical fruit blend contains pineapple, mango, dragonfruit, and coconut. Feel free to use something similar if you have it available. Or make your own tropical mix. ^Back
3 If your fruit blend already includes coconut, feel free to omit the dried coconut here. You could also try it with sweetened dried coconut (which is what I suspect Beth used). I don't routinely keep that on hand though, so I just went with unsweetened for mine. ^Back

This was meant to be a cottage cheese breakfast bowl but, after giving it some thought, I decided that I would probably like it better as a Greek yogurt breakfast bowl, so I swapped out the cheese for yogurt.

The original recipe called for 1/2 c. of the cottage cheese mixture to be topped with 1 Tbsp. of peanut butter and 1/4 c. of granola. Looking at the 1/2 c. of yogurt sitting in my bowl, I felt like those proportions were a bit off. So I doubled the yogurt, but left the topping quantities the same (although I did add a few strawberries because I thought they'd be nice with it).

The original recipe also called for sweetening the cheese mixture with a small amount of brown sugar. I did this for the first quantity of yogurt, but then didn't want to add any additional sugar when I increased the yogurt, so I opted to switch to a "no sugar added" syrup instead. If you're not counting calories, feel free to go with the sugar. If you are, then you can shave a few by using something like the diet syrup I used or a monk-fruit or stevia-based sweetener.

You could also shave some calories/fat buy replacing the peanut butter with peanut butter powder (defatted peanut flour). You still get the peanut flavour and the protein, but without the oil. However, I find that peanut flour often tends to give smoothies a somewhat gritty texture, so just be aware of that. Also, sometimes I just want to treat enjoy the luxuriousness of real, full-fat, freshly ground, delicious peanut butter. So that's what I went for today.

I've included a couple variants of this recipe below. Make whichever one suits you depending on what your goals are or what you have on hand.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Breakfast Bowl

Adapted from Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 1 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 1-2 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3-4 strawberries, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1/4 c. granola

Directions

1. Add the cocoa, sugar, and vanilla to the yogurt and mix to combine.
2. Top with strawberries, peanut butter, and granola.

---

Variations

Lower-Calorie Version

Ingredients

• 1 c. fat-free plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1-2 Tbsp. no sugar added syrup or a low-calorie sweetener of your choice
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3-4 strawberries, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. peanut butter powder (defatted peanut flour)
• 3 Tbsp. granola

Mirchi Paneer (Chilli Cheese)

I don't make paneer curries too often because, unless I'm making my own paneer from scratch, they are not very TF-friendly. But we do usually keep a package of frozen paneer cubes on hand, just in case the fancy strikes. So every once in a while, I flip through the paneer chapter of the cookbook to see what catches my eye.

On this occasuion, I went for one of the last recipes in the section (which really seems like it should be called "aloo paneer" or something similar, not mirchi paneer based on the contents of the dish). Personally, I would describe this as a potato curry. The paneer is there (and it's lovely), but it's not the star of the show. This is a curry of cubed potatoes, cooked in a mildly spicy tomato cream sauce, with a little bit of paneer to add some extra texture and protein.

I made a slightly modified version of this in order to cut back the calories a bit. I've included the full-fat version first with my reduced calories/Points variation below that.

Mirchi Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 12 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
• 3-4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, thinly sliced
• 125g paneer, cubed
• 1 1/2-2 c. water
• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cubed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. half-and-half (10% MF)

Directions

1. Melt ghee over medium-high heat.
2. Add the tomato paste, cilantro, curry leaves, chilies, and paneer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste starts to darken (3-5 minutes).
3. Add the water and scrape the bottom of the pan. Use the lesser amount of water if you like a thicker curry, the higher amount for thinner curry.
4. Add the potatoes and salt and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender (15-20 minutes).
6. Stir in half-and-half and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes.

---

Variations

Reduced-Fat Version

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 12 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
• 4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, thinly sliced
• 125g paneer or extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 1 1/2-2 c. water
• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cubed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. light (5%) cream

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 12 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
• 4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, thinly sliced
• 125g extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 1 1/2-2 c. water
• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cubed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. oat milk or blended silken tofu

Sorshe Maach (Mustard Fish)

We don't tend to eat that much fish. Cheap fish is usually pretty iffy in either ethics, sustainability, or both. And sustainably sourced fish tends to be expensive. But fish is "free" for me now (along with skinless chicken breasts, legumes, tofu, and a few other things), so I'm making an effort to work it into my diet more often.

To that end, I picked up a package of haddock pieces in our last produce basket. I was originally planning on using it to make some fish stew, but I decided that I'd rather have curry at the last minute, so I opted for this simple mustard-based fish curry instead.

Sadly, this one was more of a miss than a hit (highly unusual for one of Mr. Iyer's recipes), but it was still nice to be able to check off another recipe in the book. And, even though TF and the Kidlet didn't care for this one, I liked it. To be fair, it wasn't a "favourite" for me, I don't see it as being one that I'll come back to over and over like some of the other dishes we've tried, but I thought it was a perfectly reasonable, basic fish dish.

TF and the Kidlet both found it bitter. I noted a bit of bitterness, but I didn't find it impacted my enjoyment of the dish. I'm not sure where the bitterness was coming from. I don't know if I cooked the mustard too long or if our mustard oil was too old and had gone a bit "off" or if this is just a naturally bitter dish. Regardless of the source, I've recommended using the full amount of salt here to offset the bitter flavours. Normally I halve the salt in most of the things that I cook, but I think that perhaps I should not have done so for this one.

Sorshe Maach

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 450g skinless firm-fleshed fish fillets (cod, halibut, sea bass, pollock, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp. mustard seeds, ground
• 3-4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, minced
• 2-3 Tbsp. mustard oil, divided
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. of turmeric over the fish. Flip the fillets over and sprinkle the remaining turmeric on the other side.
2. Cill and let rest/marinate for 1-12 hours.
3. Heat 1-2 Tbsp.¹ of the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the mustard and chilies and stir-fry for 1 minute.
5. Add the water, salt, and pepper.
6. Add the fish to the pan and gently spoon the sauce over it.
7. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro, drizzle with the remaining mustard oil, and serve.

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¹ 1 Tbsp. for the calorie-conscious, 2 Tbsp. for everyone else. ^Back

An easy meal, although it took a lot longer than specced because we had very thick chicken breasts that took quite a while to cook through. We halved the amount of oil; this writeup replicates that.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Wilted Salad

Cook's Country October/November 2019 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ + ⅛ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 + 1½ tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 tbsp roman mustard
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 small head green lettuce, coarsely chopped into 2cm pieces
• 113 g frozen kale, thawed
• 120mL dried cranberries
• romano cheese

Directions

1. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and ¼ tsp of salt.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering.
3. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides.
4. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until cooked through, >160°F core temperature.
5. Meanwhile, whisk together remaining oil and salt, mustard, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl.
6. Add greens and toss to combine.
7. Once chicken is done, remove and buffer.
8. Add salad to the skillet with the chicken juices still in it and cook until slightly wilted, 30-60 seconds.
9. Serve topped with thin shavings of romano, made with a vegetable peeler.

Salatat Fawakeh (Fruit Salad)

I had been intending on making a peach coffee cake for dessert last night. Only to check the recipe and find out that it calls for peach preserves in addition to actual peaches. I didn't really feel that any of the preserves that we had would make a good stand-in for the peach ones, so I set that plan aside for now and started flipping through cookbooks for other dessert ideas.

I'd initially thought to make a carrot cake. But, after examining the amount of sugar and oil called for in the recipe, I couldn't bring myself to make it. Plus, I didn't have the buttermilk for making the soaking syrup anyway. (Yes, this cake calls for a huge amount of sugar in the batter and then soaking it in a buttermilk-sugar syrup before icing it with cream cheese frosting.) So that was out...

I considered a few different cookies. There were some interesting, not-too-sweet-looking, yeasted ones in the Italian cookbook my mom got me for my birthday this year. And the anise and nigella cookies from the Syrian cookbook were also tempting. In the end though, I decided to go for this fruit salad. We didn't quite have all the ingredients it called for, but we came close enough that I felt like I could make a reasonable approximation of it.

The original recipe (which is what I've given here) called for apples, bananas, mangoes, kiwi, and strawberries. I had the apples, bananas, and strawberries, but was bereft of kiwi and only had mangoes in frozen form as part of a "tropical mix" with pineapple, coconut, and dragonfruit. I realize that this wasn't exactly the blend that the recipe was calling for, but I decided to give it a go with the "tropical mix" standing in for the kiwi and mango.

The dish is meant to be topped with "milk curd" -- a soft, fresh, Syrian cheese. The author notes that ricotta makes a reasonable substitute if you don't feel like making your own cheese for this. I decided to try it with fat-free cottage cheese since I that is a "zero Point" food for me. The cottage cheese was fine with it, but I think the saltiness of it clashes a little bit with the fruit. Next time I think I'll follow the Kidlet's example and have it with plain Greek yogurt instead.

The salad is also meant to be topped with raisins, whole almonds, and honey. Conveniently, we still have a partial jar of whole mixed nuts packed in liquid honey, so I just used those -- along with a few raisins -- to put the finishing touches on the salad. I went with ~4 almonds, 1 tsp. of raisins, and a teaspoon or so of honey (estimating how much came with the nuts) for each portion. I think I probably could've gotten away with a little less for the raisins and honey, but it's certainly very tasty that way! (Just a little more calorically dense.)

Salatat Fawakeh

From Our Syria by Dina Mousawi and Itab Azzam

Ingredients

• 1 mango, peeled and cubed
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
• 1 banana, sliced
• 8 strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 200g ricotta, cottage cheese, or plain Greek yogurt
• 16-20 whole almonds
• 4 tsp. raisins
• 4 tsp. honey

Directions

1. Toss the mango, apple, kiwi, banana, and strawberries together.
2. Divide into four equal portions and top each one with ~50g of cheese, 4-5 almonds, and 1 tsp. of raisins.
3. Drizzle each with 1 tsp. of honey and serve.

Sweet Potato Salad

I like sweet potatoes, but it's always nice to find new ways of preparing them. I thought this salad looked intriguing, so I decided to add it to the dinner menu for tonight to give us an extra vegetable side. The sriracha-soy-peanut variant also looks delicious, but I decided to go with the cumin-paprika-almond version for today.

Sweet Potato Salad with Cumin, Smoked Paprika, and Toasted Almonds

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2020

Ingredients

• 700g sweet potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 small scallions, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 6-8 slices pickled jalapeño, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika¹
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F).
2. Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 Tbsp. of the oil and the salt.
3. Spread the potato cubes in a single layer on the baking sheet.
4. Roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
6. Meanwhile, combine the scallions, lime juice, jalapeños, cumin, pepper, allspice, paprika, and garlic with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil and mix well.
7. Add the cooled sweet potato cubes, cilantro, and almonds and toss to combine and coat the sweet potatoes.
8. Serve at room temparature.

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Variations

Sweet Potato Salad with Sriracha, Soy sauce, and Peanuts

Ingredients

• 700g sweet potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 small scallions, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 4-6 slices pickled jalapeño, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sriracha
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 c. unsalted dry-roasted peanuts², chopped

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¹ I didn't have any smoked paprika, so I just used the same amount of sweet paprika + a dash of liquid smoke. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for salted dry-roasted peanuts here, but I feel like that would make the final result too salty. The soy sauce is already going to add a bunch of extra salt; I don't think the peanuts need to be salted too! ^Back

Hare Tamatar Til chi Bhajee (Green Tomato Curry)

We keep getting offered green tomatoes in our produce basket. And I keep swapping them out for other things because I have no idea what to do with green tomatoes. Well... fry them, I suppose. But my understanding is that they're meant to be sliced, breaded, and fried, and that sounds very labour-intensive (not to mention not terribly compatible with my current calorie-restricted diet). So, what does one do with green tomatoes besides frying them? Make curries, apparently!

Once I noticed this curry recipe in the book, I eagerly ordered a few green tomatoes for it. The results were excellent; a bit nutty, mildly spicy, and very satisfying.

Hare Tamatar Til chil Bhajee

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. peanut or canola oil
• 1/4 c. raw peanuts, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 450g unripe green tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground kashmiri chilies or cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. sugar

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add peanuts, sesame seeds, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly until nuts have browned (1-2 minutes).
3. Add the tomatoes, salt, ground chilies, and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add water and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until some of the water has evaporated and sauce thickens slightly (6-8 minutes).
6. Add cilantro and sugar, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato is tender but not mushy (8-10 minutes).

I haven't made very many curries out of the "contemporary" chapter of 660 Curries. Usually I find something I like in one of the earlier chapters and never make it that far. But I decided to start leafing through from the back the other day and spotted this pasta. The mention of dill in the title caught my eye since we still have a bunch to use up.

I actually doubled the dill and halved the oil called for and I think that worked out quite well! And the fact that I'd just happened to pick up a package of dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes a couple of days ago was extra-serindipitous.

Pasta with Cashew-Dill Cream Sauce

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 225g short pasta (penne, rotini, cavitapi, etc.)
• 1/2 c. dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 3-5 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 c. half-and-half (or whole milk for the calorie-conscious)
• 6-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 c. firmly packed fresh spinach
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh dill

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the pasta.
2. Boil pasta until al dente, reserve 1 c. of the cooking water, and drain the rest.
3. Rinse the pasta with cold water and set aside.
4. Pour the reserved pasta cooking water over the tomatoes and set aside for 15 minutes.
5. Once the tomatoes have softened, slice them thin and set aside.
6. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add the cashews and chilies and stir-fry until nuts are nicely browned and chilies have blackened.
8. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to blender.
9. Pour 1/2 c. of the half-and-half (or milk) into the blender and purée until smooth.
10. Return oil to heat, add the garlic, and cook until lightly browned.
11. Add a handful of spinach and cook until wilted. Continue adding spinach a handful at a time until all spinach has been added.
12. Add the contents of the blender to the pan.
13. Pour the remaining 1/2 c. of half-and-half¹ into the blender and swish it around to clean it out. Pour this into the pan as well.
14. Add the pasta, sundried tomatoes, salt, and dill and cook until warmed through (3-5 minutes).

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 225g short pasta (penne, rotini, cavitapi, etc.)
• 1/2 c. dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 3-5 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 6-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 c. firmly packed fresh spinach
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh dill

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¹ I think it might be interesting to try replacing the second 1/2 c. of cream with 1/2 c. of the reserved pasta water instead. (The same water that was used for soaking the tomatoes in.) It should have some good thickening power, will be nicely flavoured from the tomatoes, and will be lower fat than the cream. ^Back

I ran across the suggestion of making breakfast tostadas on... some blog somewhere. It was from a blogger who focused on weight loss and had a lot of Weight Watchers recipes. This one, surprisingly, wasn't a WW recipe; it was from another food blog. I didn't end up using the recipe provided, but I took inspiration from it.

I ended up using ready-made, canned refried beans, but you could easily make your own at home if you prefer. I did make my own baked tostadas for this, but you could use store-bought tostadas if you wanted to shave a little time and effort off the prep. The store-bought ones will be more Points/calories, of course, but sometimes that's a trade-off worth making. And it should still reasonably healthy (and low-Points) overall.

You can dress these up however you like. I did mine with refried beans, tomato salsa, cherry tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, fresh cilantro, avocado, and a fried egg. You could also try fresh or pickled onions on them, shredded lettuce, various types of cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, feta, cotija, etc.), bacon, chorizo, tempeh, smoked tofu... You could swap out the fresh avocado for guacamole. Try cooking your eggs a different way (scrambled, poached, or boiled come to mind). For a vegan take, you could go for scrambled tofu in place of the egg. There are lots of options!

Breakfast Tostadas

Ingredients

• 1-2 tostadas per person
• ~2 Tbsp. of refried beans per tostada
• 1-2 Tbsp. of grated or crumbled cheese per tostada (optional)
• ~1 Tbsp. of salsa or salsa verde per tostada
• ~1/8 of an avocado, sliced or 1-2 Tbsp. of guacamole per tostada (optional)
• 2-4 Tbsp. of veggies per tostada (lettuce, tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, bell pepper, radishes, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp. of crumbled bacon, tempeh, smoked tofu, or chorizo per tostada (optional)
• 1 egg per tostada (scrambled, fried, poached, or boiled) or ~1/4 c. of scrambled tofu
• ~1 Tbsp. of chopped fresh cilantro per tostada

Directions

1. Make sure your refried beans are nice and hot.
2. Spread the beans on your tostada.
3. Top with cheese (if using).
4. Top with salsa, avocado or guac (if using), and veggies, bacon/tofu/tempeh/chorizo (if using).
5. Top with egg or tofu.
6. Garnish with cilantro and serve.