myfriendsdinner

[myfriendsdinner]

We’re BACK!

After a 5 year (!!!!!) hiatus, we will be inspiring dinner for one another once again!  I, for one, am SO thrilled that @troisenator​ suggested we start back up and I can’t wait to see what we inspire each other to make! This week’s theme for my challenge post is one pot meals. I’ve been ‘inventing’ recipes out of stuff from my ‘fridge all week. I’ve been enjoying taking one main protein and throwing in other elements that I have on hand to make a meal. Both recipes involve the same one-pot technique and were essentially made up as I went along. They’re meant to be modified to accommodate what is on-hand and looks/sounds delicious. 

Recipe #1: Chicken Sausage Stew with Tomatoes, Kale and Chickpeas

Brown 1 package of Italian chicken sausage meat

Add 1 can of chickpeas and 1 can of diced tomatoes. 

Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. I threw in a handful of fresh parsley and about a tsp of dry as well. You could also add fresh minced garlic.

Let simmer for about 5 mins. Add kale (this is baby kale actually but regular would be good too if you prefer a more hearty ‘bite’). 

Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Cook until kale is wilted. Voila! 

Recipe #2: Lentils with Mushrooms and Baby Kale (spinach would be good here too, I just had lots of Kale on hand this week)

Brown about 1/12 cups chopped baby ‘bella mushrooms in a tbsp olive oil.

Once brown, add in the lentils, enough liquid to cover and 1 bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. I followed this cooking method to prevent the lentils from getting too mushy. 

Once lentils are cooked through, add a few handfuls of your choice of greens and cook until wilted. The best part about this recipe is that lentils are SUPER cheap. I’ve made this without the mushrooms as well when we were extra broke and it was also delicious and cost less than $2 for the entire pot. 

Get cookin’!

Hugs and cookies, 

Alaureltree

[myfriendsdinner]

How to Flip Food in a Pan Like a Chef! (by foodwishes)

[myfriendsdinner]

I made this! It was delicious!

And I have yet to find a free second to post about it. It’s coming soon though, I promise. In the mean time, here’s a picture of it!

~Alaureltree

[myfriendsdinner]

You display the true marks of a Great Gourmande … which always includes the warmest and most generous of natures … and is why people who love to eat are always the best people.

Julia Child, who would’ve been 100 today, in a letter to her best friend, Avis DeVoto (via explore-blog)

[myfriendsdinner]

Vegetarian Chili with Cornbread

This was my first—and successful—attempt at making chili. I enjoyed it, though I don't have much to compare it to, as this was only the second or third time I've ever eaten chili. I know, "for shame!" you say, but I'm still warming up to beans.

Just after adding tomatoes, beans, and corn to onions and garlic. (Above)

  Here I'll list the changes I made to the recipe:

Whole onion (because onion!)

I chose kidney and pinto beans

1 T chili powder

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 tsp oregano (because oregano!)

Just after adding stock. (Above)

I used this opportunity as an excuse to make cornbread. This recipe was not a mistake.

Now I have chili waiting to be reheated in the fridge and freezer. Awesome sauce chili.

[myfriendsdinner]

The only stumbling block is the fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.

Julia Child

[myfriendsdinner]

Recipe Challenge post for Alaureltree (Weeks of 8/6 - 8/19)

Choice 1: Chilled Zucchini Soup

A soup centered around zucchini, a great seasonal veggie for August. Looks incredibly versatile!

Choice 2: Peach Chutney with Chicken or Lamb

Another seasonal treat, the peach, for this one. I've never done a chutney dish before, but I can imagine that raw peach and grilled chicken together are incredible.

[myfriendsdinner]

Recipe Challenge post for Troisenator (Weeks of 8/6 - 8/19)

Choice 1: Vegetarian Chili (via bread & honey)

This recipe was sent to me by my thoughtful friend Ali who saw that Troisenator was looking for a good chili recipe. Here are the suggestions she offers: 

"This is my favorite recipe for (vegetarian) chili, but im sure some browned up meat would work too if you're looking for a meat chili! This chili is super cheap, filling, delicious, and lasts FOREVER. I actually always double the amount of crushed/diced tomatoes I put in there, since it stays thicker. Its heavenly good with sweet potatoes and basically anything you can find in yr fridge."

Choice 2: Ellie Krieger's Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta sauce.

It's been a long time since I've made this recipe, but it used to be my go-to recipe when I was sick of plain-ol' tomato pasta sauce. You can certainly add tomatoes (fresh or canned) to this, or even sun-dried tomatoes if you like the taste of them (I don't always), but it's also pretty delicious as-is.  

[myfriendsdinner]

Click through for the full post. My friend posted this a few months back, and so introduced me to the best and simplest way to dice onions.

... A sharp knife and a proper grip will aid you immensely in this task. If your knife is dull, the chance of slippage, and thus injury, is greatly increased. Also, and this should be obvious, dull knifes suck at cutting things, unless that thing is your finger. Only then do they seem to still be fairly effective.

Why is cutting an onion so important? It’s because it is considered by many to be the first thing every serious cook should learn when it comes to proper knife skills. What’s more, onions are cheap, so if you feel inclined to practice your technique (as I do), you can buy a bunch of onions without going broke. Additionally, since almost any savory recipe uses at least some onion, you won’t exactly be wasting food. Save what you’ve diced for whatever you’re making later on.

Nail this technique, and you’ll have made your first step on the way to true alchemical prowess. No matter how you slice it, you should learn how to dice it.

[myfriendsdinner]

$2 Burrito Bowl

For my challenge this week I decided to put a spin on the Black Bean Burrito Bowl that Alaureltree posted. I ended up using ingredients I already had on hand so I only needed to invest in one $1.99 jar of Trader Joe's Salsa Verde. I wanted to use the rest of some ground beef, so I adapted the stuffing from this empanada recipe. The result: a burrito bowl that's satisfying and gives Chipotle a run for its money. 

Burrito meat:

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 large onion

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 T tomato paste

Heat 2 T olive oil in a medium pot and brown ground beef. Add onion and cook until transluscent. Add cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and simmer on low for 10 minutes.

Burrito Bowl:

1/2 cup chili meat

1/2 cup rice (I used Birds Eye White Rice with Mixed Veggies)

1/2 cup kidney beans

2-4 T salsa verde (I used Trader Joe's brand)

1/2 avocado, diced

1/4 lime

Warm salsa verde with beans on low (Below).

Get your bowl ready! Layer rice, meat, and salsa/bean mixture. Add your diced avocado and give a generous squeeze of lime, and enjoy.

A few flakes of cheddar and some cilantro would be great additions. I'll definitely be making this again, and I have at least two more rounds worth in leftovers!

[myfriendsdinner]

Lebanese-Style Stuffed Eggplants

Let me just start off by saying that this recipe from Smitten Kitchen was FANTASTIC!!

Overall, this took around an hour and a half to make from start to finish. Since there’s a lot of ingredients, it’s probably a good idea to do a ‘mise en place’ (basically just a fancy french term for ‘get yo’ sh*t together’) before starting.

I don’t have a melon baller, but this teaspoon worked just as well for hollowing out the eggplants.

My Italian mother was out of canned diced tomatoes for the first time in her life, so I wound up cutting up 3 roma tomatoes before realizing that my Italian mother was actually not out of canned diced tomatoes and that we did have some, afterall. But I think that the fresh tomatoes were really nice in this dish. I just added a tiny bit more chicken stock to make up for the missing liquid.

I also didn’t have any pre-ground allspice, so I had to bust out my fancy mortar and pestle and grind some up.

In her recipe, Smitten Kitchen cautioned not to over-stuff the eggplant, because the rice expands when you cook it. I tried to listen to this, but I think I still stuffed these a little too much because the rice and meat started exploding out of the eggplants towards the end of the cooking time.

I let the eggplants simmer for 30 mins before flipping them. I think that the best way to do this is with tongs, since the bottom half of the eggplant gets really mushy when it’s ready to be flipped.

Once they were fully cooked, I just sprinkled with fresh parsley, and squeezed some lemon on top.

And then I took it outside to take more pictures, while my poor brother stood there like a sad puppy holding his empty plate, hungrily waiting.

Eventually I let him have some, and then I made myself a plate and ate it all up!

This was an awesome, allergy-free dinner that I will DEFINITELY be making again! Love and Eggplants, Alaureltree

[myfriendsdinner]

Copycat Post: Cream of Buckwheat (breakfast of gluten-free champions)

Before being diagnosed with an allergy to oats, oatmeal was my favorite breakfast, and I ate it literally almost every single day. I especially loved steel cut oats, for the reasons Troisenator described in his recipe posting yesterday.

On a recent trip to Whole Foods, I stumbled upon Cream of Buckwheat, which I would call a cross between farina and steel cut oatmeal. I won’t say that it’s an exact substitution, but if you can’t do oats for whatever reason (allergy, intolerance, what-have-you) and you’ve got a hot cereal craving, this should definitely do the trick. Even if you can eat oats, I highly recommend trying it!

1 tsp butter

1/4 cup Cream of Buckwheat

1 cup water

1/4 cup milk (or milk substitute, or just 1/4 cup more water)

1 pinch salt

brown sugar (or your choice of sweetener), to taste

1 drop almond extract (seriously. only a drop) (optional)

Your choice toppings (I used strawberries and slivered almonds)

In keeping with the copycat theme, I also toasted the buckwheat in 1 tsp butter before adding the milk and water. I had never done this before and it was SO YUMMY! You can definitely skip this step if you’re in a rush, but it totally adds something extra to the final product.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for ~10 mins (or until you reach desired thickness/doneness). Add pinch of salt and TINY DROP of almond extract. You can add the salt whenever, but don’t add the almond extract too early in the cooking process or it’ll cook out.

Add your toppings and enjoy! 

Other topping ideas:

Sunflower/almond/soy nut butter, sea salt, honey (YUM)

Dried fruit

Jelly/Jam

Bananas

[myfriendsdinner]

Breakfast of Champions: Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Looking for a delicious breakfast that will sustain you until lunch? Look no further. I only recently discovered steel cut oats but they have quickly become my go-to breakfast. Grainy yet smooth, this will warm you right up, give you a boost of energy, and leave you feeling like the master of universe.

1 tsp butter

1/4 cup steel cut oats (quick cook/instant)

3/4 cup water

dash of salt

1 tsp brown sugar

1/4 cup mixed berries

In a small saucepan brown butter on low and toast oats for 5 minutes (Above). You will hear them sizzle and smell warm, oat-y goodness.

Slowly pour in water, and add salt. Raise heat to medium-low. Stir constantly for approximately 10 minutes, or until the water has evaporated and the oatmeal sticks to the spoon (Above). You can also under-/overcook to your liking. Let stand for 1 minute. 

Mix in brown sugar and toss with berries. Eat immediately. Serves 1. A very true-to-the-food-pyramid serving, so if you prefer a larger portion go with 1/2 cup of oats and adjust the other measurements accordingly. A tsp of vanilla extract or cinnamon can also be good additions, as can cranberries or golden raisins if you prefer them to the berries I used. Try new combinations and find your favorite. 

[myfriendsdinner]

Comeback Recipes for Alaureltree

Choice 1: Giada's Carbonara

This seems like a great, quick recipe that should be delicious. Just substitute some gluten-free pasta, and you're set. 

Choice 2: Lebonese-Style Stuffed Eggplant

This one requires more preparation and a greater time commitment, but you can watch an episode of Breaking Bad while the eggplant simmers. 

Happy cooking!

[myfriendsdinner]

Comeback Recipes for Troisenator

Choice 1- White Bean and Kale Soup

Alaureltree's Notes: My mom and I made this recipe last week and it was AMAZING. We used a can of diced tomatoes instead of chopping up 4 tomatoes, but other than that, we made this recipe exact, as-is and it was perfect. 

Choice 2- Black Bean Burrito Bowl

This recipe would make a great post-workout meal, and would be easy to whip-up in a matter of minutes if you had the ingredients on hand (I always have TJ's frozen brown rice in my freezer, so I'd probably use that) and I think quick-and-easy is important, especially after a summertime jog/run or swim. :)

Happy cooking, Chris! ~Alaureltree 

[myfriendsdinner]

New food preference/goals post!

(mostly for Troisenator's reference) I've been diagnosed with several food allergies since our last round of recipe-exchanging here a MFD. Recipes for me now need to be free of wheat, oats, peanuts, and shrimp. Recipes can either be naturally free of these ingredients, or the challenge can include Chris or myself trying to modify/alter the recipe to fit these requirements. I still hate Lima beans and reheated pasta (gluten free pastas are especially nasty when reheated). I'm also still into the idea of cooking with a lot of seasonal fruits/veggies. I now live at home with my parents and 3 younger brothers (2 of the 3 are super picky eaters) so recipes can feed up to 6, but don't have to, seeing as they probably won't eat it anyway. As of right now, my house is way too hot to turn the oven on but I do have access to both propane and charcoal bbq's as well as a microwave and a stove. When the weather cools down, I really want I start experimenting with gluten free breads and baked goods! That's all for now! Hugs and wheat-free cookies, Alaureltree

[myfriendsdinner]

Profile: Troisenator

We're back with My Friend's Dinner! 

Who I'm cooking for:

I'm living at home now, so I'll occasionally be preparing these recipes for myself and my parents. 

I want to learn:

Easy, delicious, vegetable-centered meals. 

Simple (to start) ways to prepare fish and shrimp.

Dishes incorporating paprika, oregano, cumin, coriander, curry powder, turmeric, soy sauce, sesame oil (not all at once!)

Dishes with tofu, rice, egg, pinto beans, lentils.

Quick snacks/meals that are great post-workout boosts.

I really want to learn how to make great (not spicy) chili. 

What I love:

Swiss chard

Mozzarella, cheddar cheese

String beans

Broccoli, cauliflower

Tomato and red pepper (esp. together)

onions, shallots (is that a given?)

Steel cut oats (the man's breakfast cereal [not gender-exclusive])

What I can't eat: 

Peanut

Coconut

What I dislike:

Hazelnut

Green pepper

Goat cheese

Olives