A Family Favorite very quick meal...

When we're in a hurry but want a healthy light meal, or when we just know in advance we're not going to have a lot of time or want to eat something heavy, this is our go-to favorite:


  Tilapia, oven baked
  Asparagus, cooked stovetop
  Couscous, cooked stovetop


For the Asparagus we simply cook in water… can't get much simpler than that… just don't over/under cook it.  We like Asparagus tips… younger and more tender in general than regular asparagus, but we'll take what we can get.

For the Couscous we use a dry packaged product (we like Near East brand), either already flavored or plain - if plain we add our own flavors (use your imagination).  Simply follow the directions, it cooks up and is ready very quickly.


For the Tilapia, our filets are usually between 6 & 8 oz each (our source), so adjust as needed:

1. Set Oven to 425F.
2. Spray a shallow pan with spray Olive Oil (pictured is a quiche pan I frequently use).  
3. Place the rinsed Tilapia filets in the pan, spray them with Olive Oil.
4. Shake a bit of dried spice on the filets (I like Penzeys Tuscan Sunset or Greek spice).
5. Top with a Tablespoon or two of plain dried bread crumbs.
6. Bake in oven for 17 minutes.

It turns out perfect every time...

Experiment - Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for Breakfast?!?  Yes!  These are delicious & nutritious (oats, honey, sunflower seeds)… only lightly sweet… and very satisfying!!  This was my first experiment along these lines & was so good that it is well worth sharing (even though the recipe needs refining).

I had some leftover levian (Sourdough Starter) that I just couldn't stand to throw away, so I "played" a bit in the kitchen and ended up with these cookies… now these aren't "ideal", but they are good, and I'm guessing in the future I'll try these again & make improvements.


Set oven to 450 F… I had a Pizza Stone in the oven, but I didn't give the stone time to warm, just got the oven up to temp… this was an experiment after all… 


Ingredients:
  1/4 cup Levian (Sourdough Starter)
  1/4 cup Quick Oats
  1 Tbl Honey
  1 Tbl Sunflower Seeds (I used roasted & salted)
  1/4 tsp Sugar
  1/8 tsp Salt
  1/8 tsp Baking Soda (wait until the last minute to add this)


I mixed up all but the Baking Soda, let the mixture sit for a few minutes while the oven was warming.  Once the oven was up to temp I added the Baking Soda, let the batter rise (it takes about a minute to double in size).

Juicy Lucy!

Chicken Juicy Lucy patti...

I was hungry last night, so I decided to make something that's healthy/light but quite filling… I made my Chicken version of a Juicy Lucy (fear not, the beef version is here too)…


These can be cooked ahead & rewarmed in the microwave - very flavorful.  This recipe makes 6 patties.

Ingredients:

  1 pound very lean Ground Beef

      OR Ground Chicken - I can get 99% fat free

  2 cups portobello mushrooms, chopped roughly

  2 cups onions, chopped roughly

  1 garlic clove, crushed

  2 tsp sea salt

  11/2 tsp dried rosemary, whole

  11/2 tsp dried sage, rubbed

  1/2 tsp peppercorn, whole

  3/4 cup finely grated Sharp Cheddar

For the Chicken ones you'll want to have 2 tsp of my Sausage Spice ready.

Also, have handy some Light Burger buns, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Condiments…

Directions:

Grind sea salt, rosemary, sage & peppercorns into a powder using a mortar and pestle.

Spray non-stick fry pan with spray Olive Oil, cook mushrooms and onions  until soft, add crushed garlic and ground spices (not Sausage Spice), cook a little longer. Set aside and let cool.

Use a food processor to pulverize cooled mushroom/onion mixture, getting it to a consistency that reminds you of ground meat.

Prep 2 frying pans with spray Olive Oil (unless you've got a pan/griddle big enough for 6).

Mix ground meat (if chicken add 2 tsp Sausage  Spice mix) with mushroom/onion mixture

Using 1/2 of the meat mixture, form 6 very thin patties, placing them into the frying pans as you go.

Place 2 Tbl of the grated cheese into the middle of each patti.

Using the remaining meat mixture, form 6 very thin patties, placing each on top of the ones in the pans, press the edges together to enclose the cheese.  Don't be concerned if they are domed (they should be).

Note: the patties are not prone to shrinking.

Cook on medium heat, after flipping press the patties down slightly to flatten the domed portion.

Once cooked put on light bun & add toppings/condiments of your choosing.

I'm stuffed just thinking about last night's dinner...

I like to have the leftover patties around, I warm them in the microwave & make myself a Juicy Lucy for lunch… Yum!!

Enjoy!!  I did… :)

A Simple but Satisfying Breakfast...

I had things to do this morning, like updating my blogs, before I run off to a class I'm taking… so breakfast was something simple & quick…


Sourdough Toast, topped with Peanut Butter & Honey, then topped further with banana slices… I like natural Peanut Butter (just peanuts & salt) and local honey (mine is a buckwheat honey with a strong flavor.  Add a cup or 2 of coffee on the side (I like my coffee) and I'm revved up and ready to go…

Breakfast doesn't have to be a production, but you do want to make sure you put enough fuel into your engine to give you a good start for your day…


YUM!!

A bit of a failure

I can't say this was a complete failure, but it wasn't what I'd hoped for…  I've said I'm just a "home cook", just another average american woman playing in the kitchen, and this is the proof.

I like to experiment, this experiment didn't work out so well…  It looks pretty, it smells wonderful, the flavor is right… but its way too dense!  I'm not sure if I rushed it, or just didn't have the winning combination… I'll have to do a bit more experimenting to figure it out…


I thought I'd post this anyway, after all we all have a recipe fail from time to time, even those of us with a lot of kitchen experience.  I don't like failures, but I think I can learn something from this one… hopefully I'll get the problems worked out & have a recipe to share… what I'm attempting is a Sourdough version of a Raisin Spice Bread that is a family favorite.


Have fun experimenting in your own kitchen & don't be afraid to fail every once in a while, it happens to us all!