Quick bibimbap

Bibimbap is a Korean rice dish. The term "bibim" means mixing rice (burned rice at the bottom of the dish and cooked rice), while the "bap" noun refers to rice. Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namu (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) or kimchi (traditional fermented vegetables) and gochujang chili pepper paste, soy sauce, or doenjang (a fermented soybean paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat are common additions. The hot dish is stirred together thoroughly just before eating.

Quick pickles - just cucumbers soaked in sushi vinegar 

Tomatoes with balsamic vinegar

Precooked mini meatballs with siracha, mayonnaise, and honey.

Chicken sausage Bolognese

1 Zucchini

1Tbs. Italian Seasoning

9 ounce Italian Chicken Sausage Mix

2 servings Spaghetti

3.76 ounce Crushed Tomatoes

1 unit Chicken Stock Concentrate

2 Tbs. Sour Cream

1 Tbs. butter

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese

Heat broiler to high. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.  Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise into half-moons. Toss zucchini on a baking sheet with a large drizzle of olive oil and season with half the Italian Seasoning (you’ll use the rest in the next step), salt, and pepper. Broil until browned and softened, 5-7 minutes. TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning.Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage* and remaining Italian Seasoning. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.Once water is boiling, add spaghetti to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. • Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside.  While pasta cooks, stir crushed tomatoes, stock concentrate into pan with sausage. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced, 5-7 minutes. Stir sour cream and butter into pan with sauce until melted and combined. Add drained spaghetti and zucchini; toss to coat. (TIP: If your pan isn’t large enough, carefully pour everything back into empty pasta pot.) If needed, stir in reserved pasta cooking water 1 TBSP at a time until pasta is thoroughly coated in sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper. • Divide pasta between bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

Tofu Green Curry Bento

Green curry paste

coconut milk 

fried tofu 

baby corn 

zucchini 

snap peas 

asparagus 

carrot shavings

onion

 Fry onion in a small amount of oil, then add curry paste to release aromatic qualities. Stir fry vegetables in the regular way. When done, push veggies to one side of pan, then add second serving of curry paste to empty side of pan. stir coconut milk into the paste to 'loosen it up'. Add coconut milk to taste.

Salmon and fried rice

The key to a great bowl of fried rice is to use cold, day-old rice. Make a large batch of rice the previous day and use the leftover to make fried rice (this recipe calls for 2 C. dry rice). Also, use the special butter! 

Garlic Butter

1 stick butter

2 cloves garlic

1 lemon (juiced)

2 tsp. soy sauce  

• Saute the onion and carrots until golden brown. In the last minute or two, add the green onion. Set aside.
• If you are using chicken (or shrimp), heat up some oil and saute your chicken breast. Take it off the heat, dice, and place back into the pan. In the last minute or two of cooking, flavor it with some garlic butter. Mix until chicken is fully coated. Set aside. (You can also add a little terryaki sauce for a treat)
  
• Scramble the eggs use a little butter so it doesn't stick (2-4 depending on side of eggs) and set aside. Cook at a low enough temperature it remains a little fluffy and doesn't dry out.
  
• Now it’s time to assemble the fried rice. Pour safflower oil into a wok or a large frying pan over high heat. Add the rice and mix it well so it gets coated with oil. Add the garlic butter. Stir so that rice gets thoroughly coated in the garlic butter. Add in the vegetables, chicken, and egg. Stir well until combined.
• Season your fried rice with soy sauce, salt, and pepper (to taste). Top with sesame seeds and enjoy.
  

Avocado toast

How to Make the Best Avocado Toast 

1) Pick great avocados 

You want ripe but not over-ripe Hass avocados. Look for avocados that yield a bit to a gentle squeeze, but avoid using avocados that are mushy or stringy on the inside. If you run into any bruised or brown bits when you cut them open, scoop those out and discard before mashing the rest. 

2) Buy good bread and toast it 

Toasted bread offers a sturdy base and a crisp, shattering contrast against the creamy avocado. 

3) Mash your avocado separately

 Mashed avocado is more creamy and luxurious than sliced avocado (think guacamole vs. plain avocado). But don’t mash it on the toast! You risk poking holes in your toast or smashing it. Cut your avocados in half, remove the pit, scoop the flesh into a bowl or onto the side of your plate, and mash it up with a fork. 

4) Don’t forget the salt

You’ll want to mix in at least a pinch of salt per avocado half. 

 

Avocado Toast Bonus Tips 

Here are a few easy ways to take your avocado toast up a notch. Pick one or a few! 

Add garlic: Lightly rub a peeled raw garlic clove over the top of your toast before adding the avocado, or mix a tiny pinch of garlic powder into the avocado. 

Add fresh leafy herbs or your favorite herbed sauce: Chopped fresh basil, cilantro, dill or parsley are all good with avocado. So is a drizzle of pesto, zhoug sauce (spicy cilantro sauce), or chimichurri. 

Put an egg on it: I love to top my avocado toast with a fried egg for extra protein. You can do a poached egg or scrambled egg if you prefer. 

More extras: Quick-pickled onions or radishes or jalapeños, your favorite hot sauce, or a sprinkle of sliced cherry tomatoes.

Taco salad

Salad decorated with taco seasoned chicken, black beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, and cheese.

Trout

Trout slices prepared with lemon slices, salt, pepper, thyme and home grown organic lavender flowers. This was a fun switch up from our regular lemon pepper seasonings.

Spicy Crab Soup

Can of crab meat, serano peppers, red bell pepper, creole seasoning or Old Bay, large crushed tomato, 4 C. boxed broth, corn, onions, parsley.

 

Gently saute pepper and onions in a small amount of butter until they are softened.  Add large can of crushed tomatoes and chicken or vegetable broth and increase temperature to medium high.  Add any vegetables you have handy and seasonings. Simmer until vegetables are tender, then add crab meat, warm and serve.  

This was good with rice the first day, and cheese toast the second day.

Mushroom chicken risoto

•  2 tablespoons butter
• ½ pound mushrooms (cut into thin slices)
• ⅔ pound chicken breasts (about 2 boneless, skinless, cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper 
• 5 ½ cups (boxed) low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock (more if needed)
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil ½ cup onion (chopped) 
• 1 ½ cups arborio rice 
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated, plus more for serving) 
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped) 

 

In a large pot, heat the butter over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Cook until the chicken is just done, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the mixture from the pan. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. In the large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt to the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until all of the wine has been absorbed. Add about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and cook, stirring frequently, until it has been absorbed. The rice and broth should bubble gently; adjust the heat as needed. Continue cooking the rice, adding broth 1/2 cup at a time and allowing the rice to absorb it before adding the next 1/2 cup. Cook the rice in this way until tender, 25 to 30 minutes in all. The broth that hasn't been absorbed should be thickened by the starch from the rice. You may not need to use all the liquid, or you may need more broth or some water. Stir in the chicken and mushrooms, the Parmesan, and the parsley and heat through. Serve the risotto with additional Parmesan.

Miso salmon

It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I was in the mood for. Also, I just happened to have all these ingredients already (minus the edamame, which I bought because they are cheap) so it wasn't a "special meal project", but if it was I probably would be a bit disappointed.

• 2 Tb. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tb. minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 Tb. seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. hoisin sauce 
• 1 tsp. packed light brown sugar 
• 1 pound salmon, skinned and cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces 
• 2 tsp. yellow or white miso 
• 4 tsp. mirin (sweet rice wine) 
• 2 Tb. fresh orange juice 
• 1 ⅓ cups frozen shelled edamame 
• ¼ teaspoon salt

 Arrange an oven rack and preheat broiler. Place a layer of aluminum foil on a baking sheet or broiler pan, and coat with cooking spray. Combine the first 5 ingredients (through brown sugar) in a bowl. Place salmon on foil, and brush with half the soy glaze. Broil 3 minutes; remove from oven, and brush with remaining glaze. Broil 3 minutes more or until salmon is flaky. (This step took me closer to 15 minutes, and gave me plenty of time to make the edamame, but I only cut the salmon into 2 pieces 1/2 lb each) Combine miso, mirin, and orange juice in a blender. Boil edamame in lightly salted water for 3–4 minutes or until tender; drain, reserving 4 tablespoons cooking liquid. Add edamame, reserved water, and salt to blender; pulse. (I used steam in a bag edamame, microwaved it, and dumped the bag's contents - with water in the blender and it worked just fine) Arrange 1/3 cup purée on each of 4 plates. Top with 1 piece of salmon, and drizzle with 1/4 teaspoon soy glaze from baking sheet. Served with a box of Uncle Ben's wild rice pilaf.

Shrimp Gumbo

My favorite gumbo recipe.

Pesto stuffed pasta

Stuffed pasta, with sauteed tomatoes, pine nuts, and broccoli.

Blueberry pancakes

Protein Pancake Mix

4 cups of oat flour
1 cup vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup ground flax seed
4 Tablespoons of baking powder


If you only have unsweetened, plain protein powder, you will need 1/2 cup of sweetener of choice. Mix together in a jar.

To use the pancake mix:

1/2 cup dry protein pancake mix
1/4 cup of milk of choice (almond, dairy, or coconut)
1/4 cup liquid egg whites or one whole egg

Mix it up. Makes one generous serving. Of course you can add any number of mix in's. Today we did blueberry.

Dijon dressing

• 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped fine
• Pinch each of fresh ground black pepper and kosher salt for seasoning

Pour all ingredients into a salad dressing carafe and give it a good shake. Pairs nicely with hard boiled eggs.

Fig chicken and Sweet Potatoes

recipe

Orange Pork Tenderloin

12 oz pork tenderloin
1 oz dried cranberries
3/4 C. wild rice (I've seen par-boiled or even heat and serve~)
1 oz pecans
2 green onions
2 Tb. white wine vinegar
1 orange
1 Tb. honey
1 Tb. vegetable broth concentrate
a bunch of kale (Tuscan)
2 Tb. olive oil - divided
1 tsp. butter

Boil the wild rice until tender. Thinly slice onions. Juice the orange into a prep bowl. Remove ribs from kale and slice into ribbons. In an oven safe pan, heat olive oil. Pat pork tenderloin dry on paper towel, and salt and pepper both sides. Sear pork tenderloin in the pan on each side for about 1-2 minutes. Then transfer pan to oven and roast for 8-10 minutes until pork comes to temp and no longer pink. Set aside to rest. In a salad bowl, combine half the orange juice, vinegar, and honey, and some salt and pepper. Whisk in 1 Tb. olive oil. Once combined, add rice, cranberries, kale, and scallions. Toss to combine. Plate the salad first. Back to the skillet. Add the remaining orange juice, 1/4 C water, and stock concentrate. Heat and whisk. Reduce by half. Add the pat of butter and stir until creamy. If you reduce it too much it gets chewy, loses its orange color, and it isn't bad, but it does not look pretty.

Shepherd's Pie

12 oz. ground beef
1 yellow onion
4 oz peas
1 Tb. flour
1 Tb. chicken stock concentrate
2 Yukon golden potatoes
1/2 C. milk
1 Tb. butter
1/4 Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Peel, cut and boil potatoes until tender. Cut onion in half. Mince one half of the onion, and cut the other half into slices. In your skillet, cook ground beef with minced onion, salt and pepper meat to taste. When beef and onions are cooked, add peas and heat through. Transfer meat mixture to a plate. Add a drizzle of olive oil to skillet and saute the onion slices with 1 Tb. flour for a few minutes until onions get soft. Add the chicken stock concentrate and 1/4 C. water. Stir until well combined, then reintroduce meat mixture. It should be much more saucy now. Spoon meat mix into oven safe dish. Mash the potatoes will milk and butter. Top the meat dish with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and broil for a few minutes until it has a golden crust. I served mine with oven roasted carrots and steam and serve edamame.

Vegetable Terrine

1 head of cabbage
2 zucchini
1 head of cauliflower
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese
1/2 Lb asparagus spears
1/2 C. carrots
2 baby eggplant
4 eggs
1/2 C. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350*. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt it and boil several outer leaves of the cabbage for 2 minutes. Remove the leaves and immediately rinse under cold water to set their color. Gently lay flat on tea towels, and pat dry with another towel. They should be completely dry. Butter a glass casserole square. Neatly lay in the cabbage leaves to cover the bottom and sides completely. They should dangle over the sides a bit so that they can be folded over the completed terrine later. Cook the cauliflower, carrots and asparagus one at a time in the same pot of boiling salted water, until very tender. Remove them and immediately rinse in ice-cold water to preserve their color. I grilled my eggplants.
This terrine has five layers, so work one vegetable at a time. First put the cauliflower in the blender with 1/4 cup cream and 1 egg and the Parmesan cheese. Pulse to a smooth puree. Pour into a small bowl and set aside. Rinse the blender and proceed with the remaining vegetables in the same manner, pouring their purees off into bowls and setting aside. Season each mixture with salt and pepper. Do not puree asparagus!
If you pour one mixture on top of the other into the terrine, they will run together, so spoon them in instead. Start with the zucchini, spooning it into the terrine and smoothing it out to the edges. Next, spoon over the cauliflower, followed by the asparagus, carrots, and eggplant. If one leaks through to another layer, fear not: some think it is even more beautiful that way and in any case it will taste delicious. Fold the overhanging cabbage leaves over top to cover. Bake in a water bath until set, one hour.
Remove the terrine from the bath. Let it cool completely on a wire rack, and, if possible, chill in the refrigerator overnight so it sets well. At least half an hour before serving, turn the terrine out onto a cutting board or platter for serving in slices.

English "Muffin"

2 Tb. (natural) peanut butter
1 Tb. unsalted butter
2 Tb. almond flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tb. unsweetened almond milk
1 egg

[recipe] Recipe uses one ramekin (I used a small corning ware round bowl), and a dish or measuring cup to mix ingredients together. After microwaving, I was amazed that it resembled bread. Slicing did indeed reveal English muffin-like nooks and crannies. I toasted it for good measure. It tastes a bit like pb toast. For being gluten-free it had amazing texture.

Concord Grapes