Provençal Tuna Salad...Erm, Boca Burgers, September 15, 2016

I wasn't very sure my wife would like the unusual tuna salad I had planned, but I knew I would. After all, I'd already made a version with garbanzo beans and basil in place of the tuna and dill I used tonight and loved it. However, when it came time for dinner, my wife gamely tried her sandwich and I eagerly bit into mine. Neither of us liked it enough to finish, try though we might. It was too fishy for me and too olive-y and caper-y and lemon-y for my wife. I'd set out carrots & hummus to go on the side and Jeannene thought she might just have that, but I decided a Boca veggie burger sounded pretty good, so we had those, on English muffins, instead. We also had grapes and green salads to eat. By the way, if you've not tried Maple Grove Farms cranberry balsamic vinaigrette, you should! Very wonderful!

In case you like all the elements we felt funky about, here's what I did:

Mix 18 oz. well-drained canned tuna with a cup of halved grape tomatoes, a half-cup of halved, pitted olives (I used a blend from the olive bar), a bunch of capers, a handful of chopped onion, and a pinch of chopped dill. Stir in a glug of olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, salt, & pepper. Serve as a salad, on a bed of greens, iron sandwiches. Serves 4-6.

Spaghetti, September 14, 2016

My sweet wife decided to try some Gardein meatballs in Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce for our dinner last night. However, by the time she got home from work, she was wiped out, so I stepped in and made supper. We had our sauce and meatballs (which were discernibly vegetarian, but quite acceptable) over bucatini, with a bagged Caesar salad on the side.

Cuban Pork Chops, September 13, 2016

Tuesday night, I rubbed some pork chops with a paste of garlic, salt, and pepper, then marinated them in a combo of equal parts orange juice, lime juice, and olive oil, along with a small amount of oregano and cumin. I patted them dry, seared them, then baked them. To go with them, we had black beans (recipe here: http://lunacooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/cuban-black-beans-for-patti.html?m=1), rice, and avocado salad. 

Tacos, September 12, 2016

When we were at the King Soopers the other day, we saw taco-seasoned ground turkey for sale. I remarked on how odd it was to see it pre-seasoned. Jeannene decided to make tacos the next night. She ended up adding a packet of taco seasoning and a can of Ro-tel and cooking it down. It was spicy and good. We also had refried beans and corn. 

Garbanzo Salad and Sandwiches, September 11, 2013

I'm a huge fan of grilled cheese sandwiches and I made myself a beaut for dinner Sunday night! Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar on 15-grain bread---Heaven! My wife opted for a turkey sandwich. I also made a beautiful garbanzo salad to go with our sandwiches. Cut-up watermelon made a perfect summer dessert.

To make the salad, just throw together a well-drained can of garbanzos, some chopped basil and parsley, juice of 1 lemon, a splash of olive oil, a few minced cloves of garlic, a handful of grated Parmesan cheese, and a pinch each of salt (I used fleur de sel) and pepper (freshly ground is best). This is even better the next day. This serves 2-4.

Corn Chowder, September 10, 2016

It's not exactly soup weather in Colorado yet, but with my wife recovering from surgery, it seemed like a good, nurturing thing to have for supper. I made a pot of corn chowder, with some rolls from the grocery's bakery and raspberry-flavored peaches Pie and Bubbles left behind when they moved out of our house. I'd always avoided the flavored peaches at the store, but they weren't bad. The corn chowder wasn't the best corn chowder I've made, but it was pretty good.

Corn Chowder 

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 large stalk celery, finely diced

1/4 green pepper, finely diced

32 oz. chicken broth (I used fat-free, lower sodium)

2 c. milk (I used 1%)

1 bay leaf

1 can corn (do not drain)

Chopped scallions & crisp bacon crumbles (veggie bacon strips work nicely) to garnish

Sauté the vegetables in the oil until softened. Add broth, milk, bay leaf, & corn. Simmer about half an hour. Garnish with scallions & bacon. Serves 6-8.

Pigs in Blankets, September 9, 2016

Friday night, we stayed in and I made breakfast for dinner: scrambled eggs (Eggbeaters, actually, and I was pleased that they were actually pretty decent), pigs in blankets, and applesauce. 

When I was growing up, my mom and I made pigs in blankets using hot dogs and dough we made from scratch. This is a quick and easy breakfast version. I just took whomp biscuits (the canned sort you whomp on the counter to open---thanks for the term goes to Sweet Potato Queen Jill Conner Browne), pulled each one apart to make two, wrapped a Brown & Serve turkey sausage in each one and sealed them. Then, I baked them in a preheated 400 degree oven for 5 minutes (on a baking sheet), turned them, and baked another 5 minutes. Yummy!