Be Something You Love and Understand

Blistered Shisito Peppers

I had forgotten just how delicious and light these smoky Shisito peppers can be and super easy to blister on a hot pan.

These went very well with a quick pantry turkey chili that came together quickly and easily with canned beans and tomatoes, along with the powdered spices and condiments.  It's chili, right? Anyone can make it.  But somehow, this very common dish can be highly satisfying with very little effort and should be celebrated as an American treasure.  Fresh green onions and cold pickles brightened up the flavors.

When I See You Kitten as a Cat

Baked Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower

Seeing Lefty fall asleep in his playhouse is about as relaxing as a chicken dinner.

Often times, especially when there is chaos, the simplest of dinners is the best choice.  Baked Chicken made to taste like fried with a side of roasted cauliflower served with a well-dressed green salad brings a false sense of security and sometimes, cosmic lies are perfectly acceptable in order to provide contentment vibes. 

I'd Have You Anytime

Pan grilled Asian Turkey Patties

Ginger, sesame oil, chili oil and garlic along with chopped green onions and soy, make the turkey in this burger sing out.  Lots of red chili flakes and a good browning on the first side make the flavors pop.  The avocado cools down the heat and the lettuce is a soft bed to land.  The snow peas made sense as a side using the same flavorings and a dusting of sesame seeds on top to finish. This comes together in less than 30 minutes.  If you're feeling energetic, mix a little Sriracha with mayo or yogurt to dip your bites because this begs a sauce.

Oh Yes, I'm the Great Pretender

Brown Sprouted Rice with Pork

The fact is that you can't eat poorly forever, so one must find ways to trick your brain into believing it's getting it's way by eating the foods it loves with tweaks that make the difference.  Instead of pork fried rice, I cut down on the oil by browning cubed pork in spices and then made a little sauce with Hoisin, soy and a slurry.  Then added that to the steamed vegetables and rice.  Also, my new friend, nutritional yeast!  So far, she's been great fun on popcorn as a cheese substitute and I look forward to hanging with her more often.  Carla Lalli Music, the chef spoke of her so often, I felt I needed to try some. 

The steamy dish above was not as instantly gratifying as a pork fried rice but the flavor punch was there in a slightly cleaner version.

When You're Old Enough To Repay

Low Carb Green Bean French Fries

One might sneer at these but I challenge you to not eat fries for months and I promise you, they will taste like gold.  Served up with a lettuce wrap burger and welcome to the Make Believe restaurant for the Elderly, that is your future.  We must eat better as we age and our organs tire of our abuse. It's harder due to shrinkflation, availability, the seasons, cost, not to mention when you eat salty, greasy food, your stomach wants More salty, greasy food. 

My sister shared her delicious homemade Beefaroni last night and speaking of abuse, I could think of nothing else until something resembling this comforting treat got into my belly.  A Lunch box meal with macaroni added to my turkey meatballs in sauce.

Don't Let It Bring You Down

Low-Carb Dinner - Turkey Meatballs in Sauce with red peppers & mushrooms.  Instead of pasta or polenta, I opted only for broccolini as a side.. 

....but the next day, broke down and added macaroni for my lunch because work makes me sad and pasta  

....makes me happy

And when the stomach is happy, usually the brain stays in line and doesn't act up.  Until it does.

The first small sign of changing tree leaves for Fall, always an exciting site of note. As an example of how evil the mind can be, instead of noticing the beauty of the changing season, my mind blew in thoughts of the cold winter approaching and the absence of all leaves on the trees.  The winds that will be hard to ride in and the gray and white color scheme that takes over the town like a wet blanket.  But right now it's gorgeous and will continue to be for at least a month.  I found these turning leaves and came around. 

We're Going to Surf City 'Cause It's Two to One

Surf and Turf 

This meal is brought to you by Shrinkflation.  Shrinkflation, the sneaky way companies are ripping us off right and left, by packaging the same products in much smaller containers.like toothpaste, oil, frozen foods, meats, you name it for the same high price as the original size.  Where you now get four smaller sausages instead of six slightly larger.  And we sit here and take it.  Where is all this consumer buying power? These grass-fed steaks were about the size of my cat's paw.  In the end, it sprouted this idea to do both the shrimp and the steak, so I made it work.  Butter basted Brussels Sprouts over sprouted brown rice rounded out the low-carb plate.

I'm Free From Your Spell

Yang #1 Chinese Restaurant Take Out

Beef Chow Mein and Pork Fried Rice

Shrimp and scallops with Broccoli over Brown Rice

Funny how take out food is so exciting and enjoyable, yet when you're finished, the thrill is completely gone, until like me, you reheat the leftovers and they become magical again. Looking at this picture, I might kill a small squirrel for this meal right now. 

It Spells the Thrill of First-Nighting

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  Mushroom Soup with Ground Pork

  
  I am in deep love with this romantically creamy, low-carb soup with woodsy mushrooms and spinach.  The pork adds another element of texture and umami. 
  
  Sweet potatoes would have been lovely in this if you got 'em.
  
  This is an excellent prelude to soup season because it is light and doesn't weigh you down, but lifts you up with a vibrant flavor punch.  This mirrors Fall to me, the season that smells of new beginnings, new adventures, new possibilities.  That feeling of getting fully dressed in boots and jacket for the first time, or the need for a throw on the couch.  I love skin covered in warmth that shields from breezes that are becoming too brisk. Weather is romancing us right now, so embrace the food and the fuzzies!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mushroom Soup with Ground Pork
• 1 pound of ground pork
• 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
• assorted mushrooms sliced (I used 3 packages)
• 4 clove garlic minced
• Thyme
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups almond milk with a dollop of Better than Bouillon
• 1 cup cauliflower rice
• 1 Pkg of frozen spinach or Kale
• red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste
• slurry of yogurt and corn starch with 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing mix

I cooked my meat and mushrooms on high in butter until the meat was completely cooked through and all the liquid evaporated from the mushrooms before adding onion, garlic (I had a carrot), cauliflower and thyme.  I let that cook until everything was softened and incorporated.  I then added the almond milk and let that come to a simmering boil before adding the kale.  I seasoned with salt,pepper and lots of pepper flakes.  To thicken at the end, I added corn starch to a cup of yogurt along with 2 tbsp of Ranch dressing mix.  This gives it a little sour creamy kick.

She's Fast, She's Lean

A quick-style low carb Tortilla Soup

Made with rotisserie chicken, chili powder, jarred salsa and thickened with corn meal and crushed corn chips.  

I simply cooked carrots, celery and onion, while toasting the chili powder and cumin.  Then added chicken stock, shredded chicken and salsa. Bring to a boil and add the corn meal and crushed tortilla chips.  Simmer until thickens, top with fresh cilantro, Mexican cheese, avocado, squeeze of lemon or lime. Less than 30 minutes and it does taste like it simmered all day. 

can you see me?

After the Boys of Summer Have Gone

Cucumber Sushi

End of summer, farewell to cool sides, like this shaved cucumber wrapped guacamole.  So as not to waste food, I cut the remainder of the cucumbers into squares, added onion and apple cider vinegar, olive oil,a pinch of sugar, lots of pepper and salt to make yet another side salad to serve with this spicy roasted chicken. 

Rollin' Up the Pieces of My Life

Smothered Pork Chops and roasted vegetables

Spicy fried pork chops would be on my top 50 list of dinner favorites.  It's just enough meat, but the experience is more like bacon where tiny bites pack a giant punch and compliment everything that is pure on the plate, like potatoes or in this low carb take, a stalk of roasted broccoli or a sweet red onion.  

Edamame with tons of garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil needs no help to be fabulous.

To ensure I'd have a veggie lunch for the next day, I roasted some seasoned tofu along with the vegetables. Delicious success!

A little corn starch and yogurt made a rich tasting gravy that mocked flour, milk and butter.

That morning a Mexican crew began working at 7am taking down two-year-old scaffolding, having finished painting one of the trio of matching buildings across the street.  Another crew abandoned the work so long ago.  

I watched them all morning, their work a synchronized dance for 5 hours, stacking and disassembling these heavy pieces of metal onto a flatbed truck with such precision.  

I wanted to feed them all pork chops.