nick burns

Ok, someone brought up the idea about starting a recipe thread, I think it's a great idea too, so I figured I'd start one up with a recipe for beans & pasta I made last night. Here goes:

Ingredients:
1lb dry macaroni
2 - 12oz cans canelli beans
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large white onion, diced
3 small to medium sized zucchini, chopped into 1/2" - 1" pieces
1/2 lb baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
2 - 12oz cans chopped & peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
3 long Italian hot peppers, diced
fresh ground black pepper
1 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
grated parmesan reggiano

Fill a large pot with salted (sea salt) water & put on high heat.

In a large (12" or greater) shallow pan, saute onions in olive oil until golden. Add peppers, zucchini, and half of the garlic and continue to saute until zucchini gets tender. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, and half of the herbs and saute for 5 more minutes.

By this time the water should be up to boil. Add the macaroni to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick together.
Drain off 1/2 the water. Add to the pasta the beans, sauted vegetables, the remaining garlic & herbs, and a pinch of black pepper. Cover pot, reduce heat to simmer & cook for at least a half hour until beans get nice & tender.

Serve topped with grated parmesan reggiano.

This will make enough to feed you for several days. You can always cut the ingredients in half if you don't want so much.

Enjoy!

FXjohn

Sounds really good....I love making a lot of food, and then just heating it up for days.

DannoXYZ 

Here's a dessert recipe I found that's simply wicked! Sometimes, I'll often have it just for dinner and that's it (about 200-250 calories):


SNOWY BANANAS - (serves 4-6)

3 ripe bananas
1 package thin pastry wrappers (small 4x4" size), in a pinch, you can use wonton wrappers
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almod extract
powdered sugar
chocolate sauce
sprig of mint leaves
vegetable oil for deep-frying

Fry bananas: Cut bananas into 2 inch chunks. Use one pastry skin to wrap
each chunk of banana completely around (fold ends over 1st). Be sure to not leave
air inside the wraps as a bubble will form when frying and make the banana soggy.
Heat oil in pan/pot/deep-frier and fry wrapped bananas until golden brown (like
french fries). Use paper towel to pat dry excess oil on removal.

Sauce: Combine butter, brown sugar and maple syrup in saucepan, stir over
low heat until butter has melted and sugar dissolved. Simmer for about 10 minutes,
or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, let cool 5-minutes and add vanilla
and almond extracts.

To Serve: Place 2-4 pieces of fried banana on small plate. Spoon (smother)
generously with sauce overbananas. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top until snowy.
Drip some chocolate sauce over entire mound. Dress with some mint-leaves and
serve immediately.

Enjoy!

DannoXYZ 

MUSHROOM & CILANTRO SOUP (serves 4-6)

1 yellow/brown/white medium-sized onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch (2.5cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled & finely chopped
5 cilantro (coriander) roots, finely chopped
1 green chili pepper, finely chopped (or 1/2 pepper for mild soup)
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 cups (24-oz/750ml) vegetable stock
3 cups (24-oz/750ml) coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons honey or sugar
1 lb (500gm) mixed mushrooms: white/brown, button, enoki, shiitake, cremini, oyster, all sliced & diced
2 cups cilantro, upper-half of stems OK, all finely chopped
3-5 tablespoons light olive oil

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in large saucepan or 1/2-gallon pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, ginger, cilantro roots and chili pepper & cook, stirring until onion is soft, about 5-minutes.

Dump into medium-sized pot with vegetable stock. Add lime juice, and fish sauce and bring to a steady simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, back in the saucepan, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring until soft and tender, about 5-minutes.

Save some thinly-sliced mushrooms and cilantro for garnish. Add mushrooms, cilantro, coconut milk and remaining ingredients to soup in pot. Stir and simmer for 3-minutes. DO NOT boil or overheat, coconut milk will separate. Scoop out large pieces of mushrooms and soup (about 2 cups) and blend in food-processor until smooth. Return to soup in pot. Simmer for another 2 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with mushrooms & cilantro.

nick burns

That sounds great! I'll give it a try!

jfz

Black beans and rice;

I take one package of instant rice, one can black beans, two tbls. of salsa. grated cheese (your choice). I freeze these in three microwave containers and take for lunch. Easy to carry, tastes good, healthy, doesn't take long to make and is cheap.

Mr Monster Legs

A great autumn dinner… (I didn’t make the pumpkin ravioli from scratch, rather I bought some at Whole Foods.)

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage and Toasted Hazelnuts

1/2 cup peeled hazelnuts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 pound fresh pumpkin ravioli
1 stick unsalted butter
6 fresh sage leaves
Large pinch grated nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 amaretti cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread hazelnuts onto a baking tray. Toast hazelnuts in oven until light golden brown and fragrant, about 5 to 7 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Coarsely chop the cooled hazelnuts and set aside.

In a 10 or 12-inch saute pan with high sides, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add the vegetable oil to prevent the ravioli from sticking to one another. Add ravioli and cook for 4 minutes or until they float to the top. Using a spider strainer, carefully remove ravioli to a large platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

In a small saute pan, melt the butter. When butter is sizzling and starts to brown, tear sage leaves into the pan and fry for about 20 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg. Pour butter sauce over ravioli and sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts. Grate amaretti cookies over the dish and serve immediately.

bbattle

Brown rice, sweet potatoes, fresh vegetables like broccoli, carrots, celery, peppers, dark leafy greens like spinach, collards, turnip greens. Don't boil the vegetables to death; steam them instead.

To cook greens, heat up a little olive oil in a skillet with some garlic, then add some chopped onion. When the onions are almost done, throw in the greens and stir them around. Keep the heat on pretty high but don't scorch anything. Greens are done in five minutes.


I'll bake a whole chicken with some lemon wedges, garlic and spices. I then peel off the skin from what I eat with my veggies. The carcass I boil down, remove the bones, then make soup with the rest. You can cool the soup down in the fridge overnight and then skim all the fat off the top.

Vegetable spaghetti: zucchinis, onions, carrots, celery, bell peppers, banana peppers, mushrooms are chopped up and sauteed in some olive oil. I then add crushed and whole peeled tomatoes, maybe some tomato paste to make a sauce and cook that with various spices for taste. Ladle over whole wheat pasta that's still a bit firm.

The longer you cook pasta, the worse it is for you.

Bake sweet potato or yams are very good for you. Be sure to eat the peel, it's the healthiest part.

I buy those Gardenburgers made from soy and crumble them up as a meat substitute. I found some patties made from portobello mushrooms that were also very good. (I am and will always be a meat eater but when I find suitable substitutes, I'll eat them. Tofu has always been the blandest thing on earth no matter how I've had it served to me.)

Chop up a bunch of vegetables very fine and mix them with some rice. Maybe add a little grated cheese to hold it together and for flavor. Grill some poblano or bell peppers in a skillet till the skin is blackened and peeling. Stuff the veg/rice mix into the peppers and bake until good and hot. Or you can freeze them till you want them.

I eat lots of salads using spinach, romaine, red or green leaf lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is tasteless and not very nutritious. Instead of dressing, I've sprinkled lemon juice, tobasco sauce and salt and pepper on the salad.

Take a can of corn and a can of black beans and drain them well. Heat up a bit of olive oil or butter in a skillet and saute some onions in there. After a minute or so, add the corn and beans. Throw in a can of Rotel (diced tomatoes with peppers) and stir it around till it's hot and you're tired of cooking it. Season to taste. I use cumin powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and garlic.

If I cook with ground beef, I cook it and then put it in a strainer and rinse out the fat. Put it in with some rice and corn to make Hoppin' John. Chopped up Gardenburgers work well for this, too.

I eat a lot of fish either baked or broiled in the oven.

Snacks are fruit, carrots, nuts, peanut butter(the kind with no added sugar) spread on whole wheat bread(the kind that's 10-12 different whole grains).

adelmeyer

Saw this one on Food TV on Saturday morning...between getting back from the dog park and going to the grocery store.

Vegetable oil, for frying
2 1/2 cups complete pancake mix, any brand, divided
1 1/4 cups water
8 teaspoons hot sauce, divided (recommended: Tabasco)
1 1/4 pounds chicken tenders or chicken breast cut into small bite-sized pieces
1 cup store bought, good quality refrigerated blue cheese dressing (recommended: Marie's brand)
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper, 1/3 palm full
Cut celery sticks, store bought



In a deep sided skillet heat 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil over medium heat. If you wish to test the oil, add a 1-inch cube of bread to hot oil. If it turns deep golden brown in color in a count of 40, the oil is ready.

While the oil is heating make the batter. In a wide mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the pancake mix, 1 1/4 cups water and about 6 teaspoons hot sauce. (Use a regular teaspoon you would stir coffee with – that's what I did. I don't, technically, have a set of actual measuring spoons.) Place the remaining plain 1/2 cup pancake mix in another wide mixing bowl. Arrange the batter and the bowl of plain pancake mix near the cook top and the heating oil. Line a plate with a few sheets of paper towels and keep within reach.

Once the oil is heated and ready, toss the chicken pieces in 2 teaspoons of hot sauce then toss in the plain pancake mix, coat evenly and shake off excess. The plain dry pancake mix will help the batter stick to the chicken pieces. Add some of chicken to the batter, you are going to want to work in 3 to 4 batches coating and frying. Using a fork, toss the bites in the batter. Remove the first batch from the batter, shaking off the excess batter as you carefully add them to the hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes on the first side, or until the first side is a deep golden brown, flip and continue to fry for another 2 minutes or until deep golden brown all over. Remove from the oil and drain on the paper towel lined plate, season with salt. Repeat until all the popcorn chicken bites are fried. Serve immediately with refrigerated, good quality creamy blue cheese prepared dressing with chopped scallions and black pepper stirred into it for dipping. Garnish platter with celery sticks.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._31433,00.html

I made these after getting back from the grocery store. They are excellent with the blue cheese dressing. Watch out though, they are really filling...pancake mix. Enjoy!!!

DC_Emily

Just made this one for the first time last night, it's really tasty. I added some red pepper for extra kick.

2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice from one lemon)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Oregano Leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup mushrooms, cut in half
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch cubes

In a glass bowl or self-closing plastic bag, combine marinade ingredients. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Skewer the shrimp alternately with the vegetables.
Broil or grill for 7-8 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. Yummie!

DannoXYZ 

SEAFOOD GINGER SPINACH SALAD - serves 4

1/4 to 1/2 pound shrimp or lobster or scallops (or all three)
4 tablespoons soy-sauce
2 tablespoons lime-juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup minced ginger
1/8 cup minced shallots
1/8 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh scallions
4 tablespoons olive-oil
spinach or lettuce salad

Heat 2-TS olive-oil in pan over high-heat. Add seafood to pan and sear until golden brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside. Add 2-TS oil to pan and add ginger, shallots, soy-sauce, sugar, lime-juice and cook until mixture is slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Add scallions, mint, basil and seafood back to pan. Turn off heat and stir another minutes. Pour dressing over bed of spinach/lettuce salad.

DannoXYZ 

FRUIT TAPIOCA DESSERT

1/4 cup small tapioca pearls, 2-3mm size
1/4 cup large tapioca pearls, 4-5mm size
3 cans coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
toasted sesame seeds
2 bananas
1 mango
1/2 cup pineapple cubes (fresh is best)

Put tapioca pearls in measuring cup and fill up to 1-cup mark with warm water. Let soak for 20-30 minutes. Chop fruit into small pieces, about 1/4" wide chunks. Combine 1/2 cup water, coconut milk, sugar, salt in large saucepan or pot at high-heat. Be careful to not boil, but just get it to point of steaming. Reduce heat to low. Add tapioca and fruit to mixture. Add more sugar to taste preference. Stir for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and add in vanilla and almond extracts. Stir for 1 minute.

Serve hot or chilled in individual bowls with sprinkle of toasted sesame on top. I like it cold better, but some people like it hot, wierdos...

boardline22

(in Simpsons fat cartoon guy's voice) best thread EVER

boardline22

what no more yummy receipes?

DannoXYZ 

Here's one that can be used for breakfast or dessert:

BIRCHERMUESLI serves 3-4

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. berry jam
• 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup oat flakes (toasted oat flakes or steel cut oats)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 small tangy apple, grated w/peel
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
• seasonal fresh fruit like berries, peaches, apricots, all sliced
• dried fruits, figs, dates, all sliced if large
• toasted, ground or chopped nuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.
• heavy whipping cream or whipped cream

Blend yogurt, jam, and oats. Slowly add milk to desired consistency.
Stir in grated apple
Add grated lemon peel and chopped fruit
Add toasted nuts immediately before serving so they're still crispy
Top with cream

DannoXYZ 

This is a good one if you ever want to serve rice, but want to punch up the presentation a bit.

ARROZ ESCARLATA - serves 8-10

• 2 beets, about 5cm in diameter
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 4 cups vegetable bouillon
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 TBsp butter (3/4 stick)
• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 2 TBsp finely chopped parsley

Scrub beets, leave 3cm of stem intact as handle.
Boil beets completely submerged in small pan, add 1 tsp. salt and 1 TBsp sugar.
Simmer covered for 25-30 minutes.
Drain beets, slip off and discard skins and stems.
Purée beets with 1/2 of bouillon.

In another pan, cook onions and garlic in butter over moderate heat, stirring often until softened.
Add rice, cook mixture for about 1 minute.
Stir in beet purée and remaining bouillon and bring to boil, stirring occasionally.
Continue for 10-minutes or until mixture has thickened and most liquid absorbed.
Reduce heat to low and simmer mixture covered for 15-minutes (or until rice is tender, 20-minutes max).

Season with salt & pepper and garnish with parsley.

boardline22

thank you

nick burns

Risotto with Baby Portabellos

2 cups diced white onion
1 3/4 cups risotto
1/2 lb sliced baby portabello mushrooms
1/2 cup Pinot Grigio
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup parmesan reggiano, grated
1/2 tsp thyme, finely chopped
1/2 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil

Saute onions in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a 12" pan until soft. Stir in risotto and cook until translucent, stirring constantly. Add wine and about a 1/4 cup of the stock and stir till absorbed. Keep adding 1/4 cup of stock, waiting for it to get absorbed before adding more, but before adding the last 1/4 cup, add the mushrooms & herbs. Stir in last of the stock & cook for about 15 minutes. Stir in parmesan and drizzle in some olive oil.

Serve topped with some more grated parmesan.

Enthalpic

HOT DOGS

Boil 1L of tap water.
Add frozen hot dogs
Wait till they float
Put the weiner in a hotdog bun and add mustard, ketchup, onions, cheese.

Haha

Hey nobody said they had to be good.

TomM

I am going to have to try this one

TomM

Can this thread be made a sticky?

wabbit

Best Mashed Potatoes:

Red potatoes
1 clove garlic
milk, salt and fresh chopped parsley (about 2 TBS)

cut potatoes into quarters, without peeling. Peel and cut the garlic clove lengthwise. Boil the potatoes with the garlic until potatoes are tender. Then drain and mash potatoes with the garlic. Add 2% milk (depending on how you like the texture) and then add 1/2 tsp salt and stir in parsley.

You'll see, they are the best AND low fat.

wabbit

Marlene's Chicken Soup

1 quartered chicken
4-6 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks,sliced
1 bunch fresh dill
1 onion
chicken bouillon powder
vegetable bouillon powder

boil the chicken in about 10 cups of water in a stockpot. Skim off fat. Then add the dill (which is securely tied in a bunch), the onion, the vegetables and the bouillon to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium low for at least 2 hours. I simmer it a bit longer sometimes on very low, which really brings out the flavour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the dill before serving.

This soup is highly recommended with egg noodles, especially when you have a cold. Save some of it and freeze it (just the broth) for when you're sick.

KirstinJ

quick tips, smoothies make great meals!

Add berries,protein and a little water or milk or orange juice and press the on button!

Protein Powder, choc and vanilla work fine...
Frozen mixed berries: strawberries, razz, blue, black, marion, Banana's -frozen/fresh,(peel first, cut into chunks and throw in freezer, these seem to be hard on the blender, so a 5 minute thaw might help save your blades

Optional additions
Peanut butter for a little fat helps glycemic effect/fill you up too, or
lowfat yogurt for creaminess
Fiber, citrus flavor adds a little zing!
Ice cream if you have some left in the container (not a problem for me)
Ice cubes makes it a little lighter, these shakes can pack in calories...
Oatmeal I almost always add 1/2 a cup or so of oatmeal, its good for you and thickens it all up, but it can get stuck in your water bottle spout thingamabob...annoying and then you unscrew the top, but it gets in the crew threads and you get goo on you...

But this is great for a post workout, throw a bottle in the fridge night before you hit the gym, and grab and go in the morning and enjoy it after the gym...stays cold and thick!

CdCf

Quick red lentils

Quick and easy, but very healthy, meal. Takes about 10-15 minutes all together.

Ingredients:
(estimated per person - adjust amounts to your liking)
100 g of red lentils (if you have a choice between small and large, pick the smaller)
15 g of good vegetable oil (rapeseed oil, sunflowerseed oil or olive oil)
1/2 vegetable stock cube (or equivalent amount of veg. stock powder or home made)
a pinch of salt
a pinch of finely ground black pepper
a few drops of regular Tabasco hot sauce

Rinse the lentils several times over in a saucepan with water. Make sure there is no foaming left when you shake the lentils in the water. This step is to avoid too much foaming during boiling. Not important, but makes things easier and prettier...
Once there is no more foaming, fill the saucepan with water until it covers the evenly spread-out lentils by a few millimetres (3-5).
Add the rest of the ingredients before you put the saucepan on the stove, and make sure the plate is hot at this time. Then, just let it boil until it starts to sizzle a bit and starts to appear boiled dry. Time this process for reference the next time, and you won't have to watch it for the entire 5-6 minutes this step takes.
Eat with a spoon out of a small bowl, or use as a part of a larger meal.

This serving contains approx.:

25 g protein
50 g carbs
25 g fat

2200 kJ
540 kcal