Dinner for Sunday, Sept 20 -- Salmon patties and spaghetti squash

Today, autumn announced its arrival with a chilly, soggy morning. It was one of those mornings where you stay in bed, huddled under the toasty blankets. (In retrospect, I should have made hot tea or cocoa today.) These cold fall days bring out my lazy side since I don’t enjoy going outside in colder weather. So, in lieu of shopping for the groceries for the week, I stayed inside the warm house and vegetated. Sometimes you need a day to relax and take it easy. And that’s part of the reason for our dinner tonight. I decided to make a very easy dinner of salmon patties and spaghetti squash with herbs.

Salmon patties are new to me. My husband used to eat them when he was growing up, and he and his ex used to make them often for dinner. When I was growing up, we ate salmon with soy sauce or teriyaki sauce, but never in patties. So this is a new-to-me recipe that my husband gave to me. I admit that I’ve tweaked the recipe a little by adding fresh minced garlic and doubling the dill. I think both flavors complement the rich flavor of salmon. And after tasting the cooked patties, I was very glad for the garlic addition. I have to admit that, although I liked these enough to cook them again, salmon patties are not my favorite. I definitely prefer salmon marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil. But these were nice and savory.

Salmon Patties:

Ingredients:

1 can (6 or 7 oz) salmon

1 cup soft bread crumbs

3 TBSP finely minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 TBSP milk

1 egg

½ tsp dried parsley

¼ tsp dried dill

½ TBSP lemon juice

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Directions:

Step 1: Drain salmon.

Step 2: Combine all ingredients.

Step 3: Shape into 4 patties that are approximately 1 inch thick

Step 4: Heat a lightly oiled pan over medium heat. Place patties in pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Serve warm.

Spaghetti squash with herbs: I love the sweet and nutty flavor of spaghetti squash. And I really don’t have a set recipe for spaghetti squash. I kind of throw in whatever spices I feel like. But I will try my best to explain how I make it.

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

Canola oil—for lightly oiling pan

Olive oil, to taste

Garlic, to taste

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Any other desired spices, to taste

Directions:

Step 1: Thoroughly wash and then halve squash. Carefully scrape out seeds (I going to try saving and drying the seeds to plant next year).

Step 2: Place squash halves, with the cut side facing down, onto a lightly oiled pan. Using a knife or fork, pierce the skin of the squash in several places.

Step 3: Bake squash in 350 degree oven for one hour. Remove and let squash cool until it can easily be handled.

Step 4: Using a kitchen fork, gently scrape around the edge of the spaghetti squash to shred the pulp into strands.

Step 5: Scoop spaghetti squash strands into a lidded bowl. Add olive oil, herbs, and spices.

Step 6: Place lid on bowl, and shake bowl to mix contents. Once it is mixed, it is ready to serve.

Yum!

Dinner for Saturday, Sept 19 -- White bean, basil, and sun-dried tomato pizza

We had quite a night last night, consisting of the balloon glow and a pub with live music. It was a lot of fun, but exhausting for me. So, tonight we're staying in. We're watching a movie (free from the library) and having pizza. While I worked on dinner, S worked on homework. But he did take a quick break from studying to roll out the pizza dough. I actually made the dough last week, and froze it after making it. This morning, I put it in the refrigerator to defrost. Pizza is a quick and easy meal that can be healthier and more affordable if you make it yourself.


Whole-wheat pizza dough

Ingredients:
1 packet of active, quick rise yeast
1 TBSP sugar
1 ½ cups lukewarm water
2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
2 ¼ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp salt
2 ½ TBSP olive oil

Step 1: Combine water, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it starts to foam.

Step 2: In food processor, mix flours, salt, and olive oil until combined.

Step 3: While processor is on, stream in the yeast mixture.

Step 4: Process until the dough forms a ball on the blade and pulls away from the wall of the bowl.

Step 5: Remove dough to large oiled bowl and cover. Let it rise in a warm area for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough has doubled.

Step 6: Punch down dough. Place dough on a floured surface and knead dough. Divide dough into equal pieces and roll into balls.

Step 7a: Cover any dough that is going to be used the same day that the dough is mixed. Place in the refrigerator for one to two hours.

Step 7b: Individually wrap with plastic wrap dough that is not going to be used soon. Place wrapped dough into a freezer bag and freeze until ready to use.

Step 8: Bring the dough to room temperature.

Step 9: On a floured surface, roll or stretch dough into about a 10 inch circle.

Step 10: Use dough with your favorite pizza recipe.

I've used this dough recipe for a long time, and I'm honestly not sure where I got it from. But I noticed that Jessica at Johnstone's Vin Blanc has a similar recipe.


White bean, basil, and sun-dried tomato pizza

Ingredients:
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 (15 oz) can great northern or navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp dried oregano
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 ball of pizza dough
¾ cup shredded fresh basil leaves
½ cup shredded, reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Step 2: Place sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl or measuring cup and pour enough boiling water over them to cover. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain well, and chop into thin strips.

Step 3: Place beans, garlic, and oregano in food processor.





Step 4: Process until smooth.





Step 5: Roll out pizza dough. Place rolled out dough onto ungreased cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal, or onto a pizza pan.




Step 6: Spread bean paste over surface of pizza crust.



Step 7: Sprinkle with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and cheese.



Step 8: Bake in oven for 10 to 13 minutes, or until cheese is thoroughly melted.

Recipe adapted from a recipe at Sparkpeople.com

Dinner for Friday, Sept 18 -- Keema with couscous

Since we're going to the balloon glow at the park tonight, I want us to have a filling dinner before we leave. That will make the festival fare less tempting. I’ve switched around the dinners that I had planned, and tonight we’re having a turkey-based Keema. Keema is a Pakistani ground beef casserole. But I don’t particularly care for beef. And we bought lean ground turkey meat in bulk at Costco for a really good price, so I’m substituting ground turkey for the ground beef. This recipe has been altered to make only 3 servings (one for me, one for S., and one to freeze).

Keema

Ingredients:
¾ lbs lean ground turkey
½ cup chopped onions
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
½ cup frozen peas
½ cup diced potatoes
¼ tsp of cinnamon (I omit this since I’m allergic)
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp ginger
½ TBSP curry powder
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Direction:

Step 1: Brown ground turkey in a pan with the onions.


Step 2: Add the tomatoes, peas, potatoes, and spices (including salt and pepper).



Step 3: Bring to simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Add water if it becomes too thick—it should have the consistency of chili.



Step 4: Serve over brown rice or whole wheat couscous.


Recipe courtesy of Sparkpeople.com and submitted by QuiltBugJ


It's not the most beautiful meal, but it's very hearty and delicious!

Spiced Chickpeas

While checking my email this morning, I noticed a link to delish.com. Naturally, I had to take a few minutes and browse the recipes. One recipe caught my eye: Spiced Chickpea "Nuts." These would be a great school snack for S. And it doesn't seem too difficult or too expensive--bonus! I love the delish.com description for them: "When roasted in a hot oven, chickpeas become super-crunchy. They're a great low-fat substitute for nuts when salty cravings hit." I can't wait to try this recipe!

Spiced Chickpea "Nuts"

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Step 1: Position oven rack in upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 450 degree.

Step 2: Blot chickpeas dry.

Step 3: Toss chickpeas in a bowl with oil, cumin, marjoram, allspice, and salt.

Step 4: Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake, stirring once or twice, until browned and crunchy (approximately 25 to 30 minutes).

Step 5: Let cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Sounds so easy! And it sounds like a recipe that S will love!

Monday, Sept 14's dinner -- Parmesan crusted tilapia with zucchini pasta

My husband, S., and I are trying to eat more fish. But fish is expensive. And we are on a pretty tight budget now that he's back in school for his MBA and I am not working. So, when we found tilapia on sale at the local grocer, we had to pick some up and freeze it. I put it in the refrigerator last night to defrost. Tonight, we’re having a healthier version of a parmesan crusted tilapia and some zucchini pasta using yellow squash instead of zucchini—we got a good deal on it at the farmers’ market last weekend!

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia -- Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 tilapia fillets
2 TBSP breadcrumbs (preferably whole wheat)
2 TBSP grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried parsley
½ tsp dried oregano
½ TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP skim milk
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Directions:
Step 1: Defrost tilapia. Rinse fillets, then pat dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel.

Step 2: In a shallow dish, mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, basil, parsley, and oregano.

Step 3: In another shallow dish, quickly mix milk and lemon juice.

Step 4: Working quickly, so milk doesn’t separate, place fillets in the dish with the liquids. Be sure to get both sides coated in the liquid mixture. Season the fillets with salt and pepper as desired.




Step 5: Dredge the fillets in the breadcrumb/parmesan mixture. Coat well.

Step 6: Heat a small amount of extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan. Add fillets and cook on both sides until they flake easily with a fork. Remove from heat and let rest a few minutes before serving. Serve warm.




Zucchini ribbon pasta – since I’m serving this as a side dish, I quartered the original recipe:

Ingredients:
¼ pound fettuccini (see recipe below)
1 medium zucchini (I’m using a yellow squash)
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 TBSP parmesan cheese, plus ½ TBSP
1 TBSP finely minced parsley leaves (unfortunately, I have to use dried here)
¼ cup thinly sliced basil leaves
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper
Salt, to taste

Directions:

Step 1: In a large pasta pot, cook pasta "al dente", 1 or 2 minutes less than the package instructions call for. Drain.

Step 2: Slice off ends of zucchini and discard. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a mandoline, or carefully with a sharp knife, slice zucchini into very thin (about 1/8-inch) slices, trying to keep some skin on each piece for color. Stack slices and cut in half lengthwise. Reserve zucchini ribbons in a large bowl.


Step 3: In the pasta pot, heat the olive oil over low-medium heat. Add garlic and cook until soft and translucent but not browned, about 1 minute.

Step 4: Add zucchini ribbons and 1 TBSP chicken broth, raise heat to medium-high and cook until zucchini is still somewhat firm but just cooked, about 3 minutes.


Step 5: Return pasta to pot and add remaining chicken stock; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until liquid has mostly absorbed into the pasta.

Step 6: Add 1 TBSP of the Parmesan, parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, black pepper and toss to combine. Season with salt, to taste.

Step 7: Serve garnished with basil and the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger


Fresh pasta

Ingredients:
¾ cups whole-wheat flour
¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
A pinch of salt
2 TBSP water
1 TBSP olive oil
1 large egg

Directions:
Step 1: Combine flours and salt in food processor. Pulse a few times to mix.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together water, oil, and egg.

Step 3: With food processor on, pour the liquids into the dry ingredients in a slow and steady stream.

Step 4: Stop processing when dough starts to pull away from the sides of the food processor.



Step 5: Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap, and let rest in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.


Step 6: Roll out dough according to pasta roller’s directions.

**Note: This makes quite a bit of pasta, so I usually roll out the extra and let it dry, or roll it out, cook it, and freeze it for soups or casseroles.

Yogurt update

I wrapped the crockpot in two big, warm towels last night at about 9:30 p.m.




And when I woke up this morning, I had a big pot full of yogurt waiting for me! It firmed up quite nicely. I have to admit I was surprised that it worked so well. I even had some for breakfast with a little bit of homemade caramel sauce. Yum!



The rest, I put into an old yogurt container. My husband and I bought a lot of frozen strawberries in bulk for cheap, so he will be having strawberry and honey yogurt in his lunches!

Homemade yogurt

My husband enjoys taking Yoplait yogurts with him to school, but I really don’t like the list of ingredients. And I prefer the taste of homemade yogurt--especially with a little bit of honey and some chocolate chips. Therefore, I’ve been looking for an easy way to make homemade yogurt. I was excited when I found the following slow cooker yogurt recipe adapted from the A Year of Slow Cooking blog:

Yogurt:
4 cups of milk (I used skim)
1/4 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt to use as a starter for your first batch (Dannon is a good brand)
Powdered milk
frozen/fresh fruit or chocolate chips for flavoring
honey
thick bath towel

Directions:
This is an easy, but lengthy process. Be sure to set aside enough time to keep an eye on the yogurt.
Step 1: Plug in your crockpot, and turn to low. Add the milk. Cover and cook on low for 2-1/2 hours. Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

Step 2: When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 1 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/4 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Step 3: Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation. Let it sit for 8 hours.

Step 4: After 8 hours, it will have thickened, but will be runnier than store-bought yogurt. You can add powdered milk to thicken it a bit. Set aside 1/4 cup of plain yogurt as a starter for your next batch.

Step 5: Mix yogurt with honey and chocolate chips or fruit. Pack into containers and refrigerate for up to a week.

Tomorrow, I’ll update this with photos and give my review of the recipe and process.