I Cheat (Take Shortcuts) Sometimes

In the Land of Leftovers, the Shortcut Takers are Royalty

It's almost impossible to make everything from scratch, when you live in modern society.   Particularly if you have a life-I am not claiming to have one of those, I just have a shit ton of homework, and class work.  A life, would be nice.  And maybe one day when the schooling is all done, and I have a career (a mythical creature that you spend all of your time with, and in theory takes care of your long term goals), I might just have time to play...

But in the mean time...  I recognize that eating the same damn thing every day gets old, and at that, really quickly.

SO.

Remember me mentioning the pork loin that I will some time later make into ravioli?  Well I cooked it. and  had it for dinner yesterday (well part of it).  Along with some other leftovers.  Also  had Sort of not Kosher Potato Pancakes, and baked veggies.

 

Pork Loin is really easy to cook.  You  can marinade it.  or if you are like me, you can get one that is already seasoned.

So pork loin-pre marinated, goes in baking pan.
Add cleaned and cubed radishes- yes you can cook radishes.  They sweeten up as you cook them, and add a nice color besides, to any dish.  So add about a cup and a half, also to the same  backing pan.
1 chunkily chopped yellow onion
2 small cubed red potatoes
sprinkle pepper on top and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  Till internal temp of pork loin is 165.

The potato pancakes were made with Potato Dandruff. (instant mashed potato mix)

Pour dandruff into mixing bowl
Add what seasonings you like
Chop fine 1/2 onion add to the bowl

I had some frozen chopped poblano peppers.

1/2 cup chopped poblano peppers
take four slices of any type of cheese, and chop finely
add to the mix

now add 3 eggs. ( I don't care what type of eggs you use, chicken works best, if you are going with goose: 1.5 eggs, duck; 4 eggs, ostrich: 1/2 egg)

mix everything together.


In a frying pan on medium low heat add vegetable oil. (again use that which you like)

once the oil starts to bubble, spoon the potato mix onto the pan and flatten as best you can.

fry on each side till it is browned.  place on paper towel to get rid of excess grease.  Serve however you like.

Stone Soup.

EVERYBODY must know how to make this.  The story is taught to every child.

I left out the stone...  We are in Tennessee, and well... limestone isn't my favorite.

in the 2 quart pan add 1 tbsp. olive oil
chop 1 1/2 yellow onions
3 crushed garlic cloves
sauté till onions become transparent
add 2 cups broth (I used chicken)
4 cups carrot juice
1  120z. can low sodium V8
1 can Garbanzo beans
1 cup leftover tomato basil soup
3 cups crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup frozen winter vegetable mix (broccoli/cauliflower)
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup frozen green beans
1 cup frozen fajita mix (chopped/sliced bell peppers)
1/2 cup brown rice
1 bay leaf

simmer for an hour then lower the heat
Make sure the rice is cooked through:  serve.

Cheese Biscuits w/ herbs

Like I said in an earlier post I don't have any flour, except the semolina flour.  I do however have an instant biscuit mix.  And I can always soup that up to make it awesome.

So biscuit mix.  It says I need 1/4 cup melted butter- I misread this, and though it said 1/3.  I don't have enough butter so I add some vegetable oil to make up the difference. and 1/3 cup milk.  I add this into the bowl.

Now I add 1/4 cup shredded gouda-that's the end of my cheese supplies.
2 tsp. Italian seasonings
1 tsp. ground black pepper
and mix it all up.

preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  place 4 evenly shaped biscuits in the baking pan, and bake for 12-14 minutes.


I served these  with the above soup.

 

It was Almost Gluten Free...

Tuna Trout Baked Mac & Cheese

This could have very easily been gluten free.  If I had the want/ need to have gluten free pasta, it would have been.  But mostly, in my case I made it with Potato flour, because the only type of wheat flour I have is semolina- and I'm saving that to make ravioli out of some pork loin next week.

I was going to make Trout and Salmon Baked Mac & Cheese, but the left overs of the Caped Salmon proved so tasty, that there wasn't any. No Matter,I have cans of tuna in the cupboard.


I cooked pretty much all of this in a cast iron frying pan.  How you choose to cook it I leave up to you.


Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees
add 3 tbs. unsalted butter to pan, on medium low heat, once melted add 3 cloves chopped-not crushed this time- garlic. 
add 3 tbs. potato flour-This if you can't find it at the grocery store can be replaced with potato dandruff (nstant Potato mix)

mix in and lower heat

I got milk. yay!

add 3 cups of milk to pan, pour in slowly keep stirring
1 yellow onion chopped
and 1 tbs. mustard powder- ah, seems I had run out, so used a tbs. of mustard.  That'll add some zing.
keep stirring.

in a separate bowl whisk an egg.
Now take 1 cup of the concoction from the pan and really slowly, little drips at a  time add to the whisked egg.  This is called tempering.  In this case patience is a virtue.  TAKE YOUR TIME!  or have bowl scrambled egg...

Once the egg has been tempered, slowly stir it into the pan of milk and stuff.
Now you can add your cheeses.  you need roughly 12 oz. of shredded cheese.  I have sliced,  I'm-ah gonna use that instead, with the 2 oz. I have of a mixed Italian cheese bag.

So My cheese mix is:
Italian cheese mix
Swiss
Pepper Jack
Cheddar
and Smoked Gouda

I lay it in layers in the milk stuff on lowish heat( warm enough to melt the cheese, not hot enough to simmer).

Start boiling your pasta of choice.
Usually when you make mac and cheese you use 1/2 a pound of pasta, but  seeing as I am adding fish and veggies I cut that in half.

In another pan, cook your fish.  or if it's already cooked, don't.  Instead cook your veggies.  If you aren't going to add veggies, again ignore... or perhaps you already have cooked veggies?  In that case get them out.

Slowly fold the cooked pasta in to the cheese sauce stuff.
Now fold in the fish
And the veggies...  In my case I used a small package of shredded frozen Spinach, and half a bag of Winter mix veg (broccoli and cauliflower- why is that winter mix?)

Take out some more cheese and  put it on top of everything.  Now stick in the oven  for 30-45 minutes.

Emptying-The-Fridge-Tapenade

I ran out of Kalamata olives, it's really quite vexing.
Now what am I going to put on my toast?*

I love Olives.  I dream about them fairly often.

I don't really do jam, or peanut butter, or any of the other nut butters- allergies. But toast with olive tapenade, and chopped onions, and sliced tomato with maybe a bit of Mozz.... That is the breakfast of champions.

I have green olives in the fridge.  Two types, lemon stuffed and jalapeño stuffed.  It'll be zesty.

You will need a food processor, or blender

between the two jars I have roughly a cup of olives.  put them in blender
add 3-4 oil marinated sun dried tomato slices
5 cloves roasted garlic
3 quarters of marinated artichoke hearts
2 chopped caper berries
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
sprinkle of following:
Basil
Rosemary
Oregano
Chili powder
Salt
Pepper


Blend.  It'll be chunky.  Refrigerate, then put on toast, crackers, toss with pasta, or rice, Cous cous.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

*Something else to put on toast.

This is really good on French Toast, waffles, pancakes and biscuits.

1 cup butter (salted or un salted, whipped or not, up to you.)
1 cup honey
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. clove powder (optional)
Put in blender
blend till smooth

Use within a week... does not freeze well.

 

 

 

I Cook, Therefore I Have Leftovers

This Week's Tuesday Dinner

Making What You Can With Whatever is in the Fridge

My week is a 'lil backwards to everyone else's.  1. I'm awake at night, and have breakfast around 4pm daily. 2. I spend most of my time doing coursework online, so I don't get out often. 3. I live in the middle of pretty much nowhere, so even if I were to get out... there isn't anything to do. 4. Cooking keeps me sane... Well, saner than I would be if I didn't cook. 

I don't generally follow recipes, just sort of make it up as I go along.  With that said though, a few of my friends on Facebook, have been asking for my recipes...  So figured I'd make a go of trying to put them up (if I can remember what it was I did).

Tuesday Dinner:

Caped Salmon, Sundried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Cous Cous, Curried Sweet Potato/Lentil Stew, Smoked Gouda Stuffed Brussels Sprouts, and Pumpkin Custard.


I made up the name "Caped Salmon."  I'm sort of in an endearing mood towards super heroes lately.

Choose the cut of salmon.  I went with a filet.  Make the "Cape."

Slice a yellow onion thin, do not chop.
Slice to caper berries.
Put in a mixing bowl
add 4 tsp. of yellow mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
juice of 1/2 a lime
pinch of salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. dried dill

Mix together.  The mixture sort of sticks to the onions.  Good.  Pile on top of the Salmon.  Let sit for 5 minutes in the fridge.  Place in a pre heated oven of 350 degrees, and cook  till Salmon is done.  How long? I dunno, till the meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees internally...  The cape should be browned in places, and fish should flake easily, but not be sawdust/wood chip dry in texture.



Sundried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Cous Cous

Cous Cous is awesome.    Super easy to make, cooks quick, and really easy to flavor.  I almost always have roasted garlic on hand ( take garlic bulb, cut off top, smother in extra virgin olive oil, roast), it's really good on toast, crackers, hummus, anything- maybe not ice-cream...  And I put Sun Dried Tomatoes in just about everything too.

As cooking Cous Cous, put sundried tomatoes and roasted garlic in food blender, blend till chunky.  Mix into Cous Cous, add other Italian seasonings.


Curried Sweet Potato/ Lentil Stew

I was craving lentil soup, but went a bit overboard.

Chop 2 small yellow onions, put in a 2 quart sauce pan on low heat, with 2 tsp. Olive oil.
Crush 4 cloves garlic.-yes crush, don't chop
Add 1 1/2 cups chopped celery

Raise the heat to low medium

3 tsp. black pepper
5 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. rosemary
2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. chili powder

Mix well, and cook till the herbs/spices become aromatic.

I didn't have any carrots, so I subbed in carrot juice

add 3 cups carrot juice

...and no tomato paste, so used low sodium V8...

add 6 oz. Low sodium V8

peel and chop a medium sized Sweet Potato add to the pot

I had red split lentils, if you don't have those specific ones no matter.  Use whatever ones you have.

add 2 cups uncooked lentils ( or if you only have pre cooked: 4 cups)

cook together for 45 minutes

lower heat

add 1 cup frozen peas
chop 2 cups baby spinach
turn off heat once the lentils and sweet potatoes are cooked through, now mix in the spinach

serve with dollop fat free Greek yogurt, if you want, or Parmesan cheese



You don't actually stuff the Brussels sprouts, or at least I didn't.  Mine were frozen.  if you have the time, then sure go ahead.

In a baking pan place enough Brussels sprouts to fill the bottom.
Slice lengthwise-and deseed- one plum tomato place on top of the sprouts
slice-thinly cut- smoked gouda over the entire pan
add a bit of olive oil over this

Bread crumbs- I make mine from two slices of whole grain bread, food process it
sprinkle on top, making a uniform layer.
Spice it with salt and pepper, dried garlic, and Italian seasonings.
place maybe a tbs. of un salted butter on top and bake at 350 degrees for an hour.



Pumpkin Custard (baked)

I was going to make pumpkin funnel cake-with pancake batter, however ants had infiltrated my pancake mix.  Bugger.

Usually Custard has cream in it.  I don't have cream, so I had to get a bit creative.

in a large mixing bowl add the following

I can pumpkin
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup fat free Greek yogurt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup soy milk-I was out of reg milk
1 cup Maple syrup- I was out of brown sugar
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground clove
1/2 tsp. shredded ginger (didn't have any powdered)

mix together.  I don't have an electric mixer, I do however have a manual one,  good work out...  If you have an electric one, well I'm soo jealous of you.  grr.

Once relatively blended into one uniform texture; pour the whole think into a 9x9 baking pan.  Bake for about an hour, maybe hour and a half in a 350 degree oven.  till it sort of browns all the way across the top.  Can be served hot, or cold.