Chicken Tetrazzini, October 15, 2015

Oh, man, y'all. Last night's dinner was really not good. I made chicken tetrazzini from the Baton Rouge Junior League's "River Road" cookbook, with a bagged salad and Pugliese bread. The main course was incredibly bland, to the point that I didn't even bother eating it, and the raspberry dressing that came with the salad tasted like cleaning fluid or nail polish or something was in it. My sweet wife made me a couple slices of Pugliese toast and I was through. She didn't like dinner, either, but she didn't say anything about how awful it was until I had soundly condemned it. Isn't she sweet? Tonight, she is responsible for dinner, thank goodness!

Chili's, October 14, 2015

Last night, we attended a "Bringing Baby Home" class. Afterward, it was Jeannene's night to choose dinner and she chose, much to my surprise, Chili's. She often doesn't think she likes Chili's, even though when we go there, she does like it. She had fajitas, which smelled fabulous. I chose mini burgers, which were great, although I ended up eating only half the bun, as there was SO much of it! The leftover sliders are lunch today, along with part of a black bean quesadilla from Wednesday's lunch at Midtown Detroit's Cass Cafe. I just wish I had some of their amazing curried lentil soup left!

Red Tent Food: Pumpkin & Butternut Soup, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake, October 13, 2015

Once a month, at the new moon, my Red Tent Temple women gather. I prepare some kind of food to nourish bodies and spirits. Last night, it being October, I made a pumpkin and squash soup and a chocolate chip zucchini cake. I added some store-bought wheat bread, some lentil crackers (we have at least 1 member who is gluten-free), and some Lucy's pumpkin cookies, also GF.

Pumpkin & Butternut Soup

1 tbsp. butter (if vegan, sub olive oil)

1 tsp. olive oil

2 onions, chopped

30 oz. pumpkin (canned)

3 lb. butternut squash cubes (I buy them pre-chopped)

6 c. vegetable stock

A couple pinches salt

A good grinding pepper

1 c. milk or half and half (skim is fine---and this can be omitted altogether)

Sour cream, croutons, and shredded parmesan for garnish

Heat butter and oil in soup pot. Cook the onions until translucent. Add all but the milk. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes or so. Blend smooth, either in a blender (carefully, in batches) or with an immersion blender. Return to pot, add milk, and adjust seasonings. Heat through. Serve with garnishes. Serves 8-10. 

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 stick butter, softened

1/4 c. oil

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 c. flour

1/4 c. cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. buttermilk

2 medium zucchini, shredded (about 2 c.)

1 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar, butter, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and buttermilk. Fold in zucchini, chocolate, and nuts. Pour into a greased, floured 13x9 pan. Bake 35-45 minutes. Serves 16. I have not frosted this, but I think cream cheese frosting would be yummy on it. 

Savannah Red Rice, October 12, 2015

A tasty one-dish dinner---you can also add a salad and some fruit, if you wish---I chose pineapple. My wife also had some cottage cheese to cool her palate. I didn't find it particularly spicy---in fact, some folks will want to serve this with additional hot sauce.

Savannah Red Rice

1 tbsp. olive oil (or a coating of cooking spray)

2 green peppers, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 c. cooked rice

16 oz. can stewed tomatoes

8 oz. tomato sauce

A good shake of garlic Tabasco

A good shake of garlic powder

Salt and pepper

1 lb. kidney beans or cooked sausage, if desired

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sauté onions & peppers in olive oil. Add the rest. Mix well & bake in a greased 2-quart casserole for half an hour. Serve with shredded cheese, if you wish. My wife does wish. Serves 6.

Pork and Rice Noodles with Peanut Sauce, October 8, 2015

The other night, we had a delicious meal of pork and rice noodles with peanut sauce, sesame soy roasted broccoli, and mandarin oranges. It was pretty quick to throw together and delicious! We both oohed and ahhed quite a bit over the broccoli, especially. You could easily make this vegetarian by subbing tofu---and strict vegans can omit the honey.

Pork and Rice Noodles with Peanut Sauce

1/2 c. boiling water

1/4 c. peanut butter (reduced-fat is fine)

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tbsp. tamari

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. garlic chili paste 

1 tsp. honey

1 tsp. cornstarch

4 boneless pork chops, cut into strips

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

6-8 oz. rice noodles, cooked and drained

Mix together everything but the pork, pepper, and noodles. Heat through and stir to incorporate peanut butter well. Cook pork and pepper strips, in a large skillet that has been coated with cooking spray, over medium-high heat until pork is completely cooked through. Add peanut sauce, tossing to coat pork and peppers. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer a minute or so. Add to pork and sauce and toss well. Serves 4. 

Sesame Soy Roasted Broccoli

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss broccoli florets with a smidge of sesame oil & a splash of tamari. Roast, on a baking sheet, 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. 

Baked Bean Soup, October 7, 2015

I didn't get home yesterday from a day with our baby's bio mom until quite late, thanks to insane Detroit traffic, so I was very happy to have a dinner planned that was easy and quick to throw together. It is great comfort food, too! I made a pot of baked bean soup, with Jiffy corn muffins, sliced honey crisp apples, and Marzetti caramel apple dip.

Baked Bean Soup

1-2 tbsp. olive oil or butter

1 package kielbasa ( I like the turkey kind, but use what you like), sliced

1 onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 large can baked beans (I like Bush's)

1-1 1/2 c. milk or half and half or some combination thereof---even skim milk works

Salt & pepper

A few dashes hot sauce

Heat oil/butter in a soup pot. Cook the meat and veggies 5-7 minutes. Add beans and simmer another few minutes. Add a cup of milk---and more if the soup is too thick. Add salt & pepper, along with hot sauce, and heat through. Serves 4. This can be made completely vegetarian by adding another can of beans in place of the kielbasa---or you can use veggie sausage. If you're vegan, use olive oil and sub soy milk or nut milk for the regular milk. 

Feta Turkey Burgers, October 6, 2015

Tuesday night, I made feta turkey burgers and served them with veggies, yogurt dip, and kettle chips. It was a very simple and very yummy dinner!

Feta Turkey Burgers

1 lb. ground turkey breast (chicken is fine, as well as beef)

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Salt & pepper

4 oz. crumbled feta

Pitas

Leaf or romaine lettuce

Sliced kalamata olives

Mix turkey, seasonings, and feta. Form into patties, making sure feta is mostly tucked into the meat, rather than jutting out in big hunks. Cook through until nicely browned, using either a grill, broiler, or skillet coated with cooking spray. Serve in pitas with lettuce and olives. The yogurt dip I made for the veggies turned out to be stellar with the burgers. Serves 4.

Yogurt Dip

1 c. Greek yogurt (0% fat is just dandy for this, but use a fuller fat version if you wish)

1 jalapeño, seeded, deveined, and chopped (add another, if you like spicy)

A big pinch of coriander

A medium pinch of cumin

A wee pinch of ground fennel seeds

1 shallot, chopped

A handful of mint, chopped

A handful of parsley, chopped

Several peanuts, chopped

A splash of key lime juice

A splash of olive oil, if desired

Mix together, either by hand, for a chunkier dip, or in a food processor/blender, for a smooth dip.