Author Topic: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?  (Read 950044 times)

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1500 on: January 08, 2020, 09:23:10 PM »
Tonight: Salmon cakes (I used up the last cans of salmon in the pantry: guess I should add them to the list), roasted brussels sprouts, baked sweet potato. We also fried a bunch of mushrooms with the salmon cakes, and had several appropriate sauces in the fridge to use down. I'm here to report that tahini sauce (tahini, garlic, lemon juice, thinned with some water) is delicious on baked sweet potatoes. (And the parsley sauce from last week's greek giant beans was lovely on the salmon cakes)

Tomorrow: I pulled 2 lbs short ribs out of the freezer: I'll toss them in a slow cooker with some onion, carrots, and either beer or veg stock. mashed potatoes, and salad, probably!

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1501 on: January 09, 2020, 07:23:56 PM »
Tonight's dinner: oven-roasted chicken shawarma with garlic-yogurt sauce, brown rice, and spinach salad with red wine vinaigrette.

Seriously, this oven shawarma recipe is one of my very favorite homemade meals. I grew up in Dearborn, MI and will never turn down a good pile of true Lebanese shawarma with toum, but this is equally delicious in its own way. Plus, it's cheaper, super easy, and doesn't require ordering or picking up take-out.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1502 on: January 09, 2020, 07:37:16 PM »
That shaarma recipe looks fabulous, @OtherJen

We are boring on weeknights. I finished up my last call at 5:30, so it was a bit of a scramble. We had spaghetti (sauce my 12 y.o. made earlier in the week) with meatballs (frozen) & either zoodles (adults) or pasta (kids). Served with salad.

sparkytheop

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1503 on: January 09, 2020, 08:42:05 PM »
I'll have to try that shawarma recipe, I think I have everything needed (well, have breasts instead of thighs, so that may have to do).

The last two nights I've had sliced zucchini, yellow squash, and half a petite sirloin steak over some chinese noodles (bought the noodles in bulk at a restaurant supply store, then separated and frozen for use later). 

This afternoon my son made reverse-sear pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy before I headed for work, so that was dinner #1.  Dinner #2 will be an egg, sausage, and hashbrowns.  If I get hungry before I head home, I have a frozen crap pizza here at work (Totino's, my favorite bad pizza).  I have some vegetables to help offset some of the not-so-healthy stuff.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1504 on: January 10, 2020, 02:27:30 PM »
I think tonight will be pepperoni pizza. Doctored cauliflower pizza for the adults, and the real deal for the kids.

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1505 on: January 10, 2020, 07:26:35 PM »
Very delicious roasted cauliflower/black bean tacos on soft corn tortillas: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/roasted-cauliflower-black-bean-tacos/

We still are swimming in extra sauces, so we had chopped roasted poblanos, pickled shallots, and the last of the lemon/parsley sauce with it, along with some "sauce" that was chipotles in adobo, liquified with a stick blender.

Vegan, and it's a keeper recipe!

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1506 on: January 12, 2020, 02:56:57 PM »
I made a giant pot of bean, ham, and vegetable soup last night. For tonight's dinner, I plan to suggest either that or the leftover tofu stir-fry from Friday night.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1507 on: January 12, 2020, 04:02:09 PM »
We're having crockpot carnitas with homemade pico de gallo & guacamole

Sugaree

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1508 on: January 12, 2020, 06:31:07 PM »
Roasted butternut squash and coconut curry soup.  With enough left over for lunch all week.

Nangirl17

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1509 on: January 12, 2020, 06:52:09 PM »
oooh, I'm definitely going to try the butternut soup next week - thanks for the inspiration!

Today's supper was a childhood throwback - creamed peas on toasted English muffins (of course with fresh cracked pepper over the top).

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1510 on: January 12, 2020, 06:54:03 PM »
Vegan Dal Makhani with brown basmati rice
https://cookieandkate.com/quick-dal-makhani-recipe/

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1511 on: January 12, 2020, 08:09:41 PM »
White bean and eggplant soup tonight and for lunch this week!

horsepoor

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1512 on: January 12, 2020, 10:03:16 PM »
Keto air-fried pickles (breaded in pork rind "Panko" worked great!), creamed spinach, sauteed mushrooms and crispy fried cube steak.

sparkytheop

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1513 on: January 13, 2020, 03:02:46 PM »
Tonight will be Cuban sandwiches again (no pickles for me though).  My son cooked up some pork yesterday, and this will be the third meal from that pork.

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1514 on: January 13, 2020, 04:26:21 PM »
Turkey and vegetable tacos on soft corn tortillas.

horsepoor

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1515 on: January 13, 2020, 10:04:50 PM »
I pressure cooked a bone-in lamb shoulder until it shredded.  Big salad because that's how we roll.

Sugaree

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1516 on: January 14, 2020, 08:48:20 AM »
oooh, I'm definitely going to try the butternut soup next week - thanks for the inspiration!

Today's supper was a childhood throwback - creamed peas on toasted English muffins (of course with fresh cracked pepper over the top).


It was so, so super simple.  Roast the squash for an hour, let it cool.  Meanwhile sautee some onions and garlic and ginger root.  Add some Thai red curry paste.  Then add a can of coconut cream (the recipe called for coconut milk, all I had was cream, but I feel like cream probably works better anyway).  Then add ~4 cups broth.  I used chicken, but I imagine that veggie broth works just as well.  Add the roasted squash in and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Then puree into a homogeneous soup.   

Aelias

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1517 on: January 14, 2020, 11:32:03 AM »
Happy New Year, everyone!

Two nights ago we had this: https://bojongourmet.com/tomato-baked-white-beans-with-feta-and-lemon-parsley-oil/

I made a triple batch of the parsley oil and stuck it in several small jars in the freezer. I dislike dealing with wilty parsley, and this way it's done for the next couple of batches.

Last night, lentil/sausage/kale soup from smitten kitchen. With rice, because we've had bread with dinner for the past several nights.

Tonight, probably vegan lo mein -- for reasons of environment and economy I'm trying to get getter about finding vegetarian and vegan recipes for several dinners per week.

Tomorrow, I'll be out until late, but I'll suggest the guys make colcannon (our version uses sharp cheddar, for flavor and for gluing everything together), with or without burgers. Or defrost some chili.

This is my plan as well.  I'm going to add vegetarian meals gradually until there is mutiny from my family.

Me too!  We've been having several vegetarian meals a week for a while now, so I'm trying to ratchet it up to mostly vegan, some vegetarian, occasional meat.

So far, it's been a surprisingly easy transition.  There will still be a fair amount of meat in our diets for a while because we have tons of meat in the freezer and I feel like wasting food is the original sin of sustainable food.  But the number of vegan substitute products and mindblowing vegan hacks online is fascinating and great.  I made a cheesy broccoli, peas, and rice casserole with the "cheese" made from cashews, steamed potatoes and carrots, garlic, mustard, and nutritional yeast and my carnivore husband LICKED THE BOWL y'all.  Vegan burrito bowl with Chipotle-esque lime cilantro rice, slow cooked beans, corn and hot pepper salsa, and a healthy dollop of guac -- similar results. 

Tonight is a big batch of tomato, kale, mushroom, and red lentil soup with leftovers going to a friend expecting a baby.  Also looking forward to a big bowl of pasta puttanesca (tomato sauce with garlic, olives, parsley, capers, and chili flakes) and a fakeout avgolemono soup (lemon and rice soup, but with aquafaba and cashews to give it creaminess) later in the week.  And this weekend ::drumroll please:: going to attempt a pie crust with Country Crock almond oil plant butter that claims to be good for baking.  We'll be the judge of that!

Sugaree

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1518 on: January 14, 2020, 12:42:29 PM »
Happy New Year, everyone!

Two nights ago we had this: https://bojongourmet.com/tomato-baked-white-beans-with-feta-and-lemon-parsley-oil/

I made a triple batch of the parsley oil and stuck it in several small jars in the freezer. I dislike dealing with wilty parsley, and this way it's done for the next couple of batches.

Last night, lentil/sausage/kale soup from smitten kitchen. With rice, because we've had bread with dinner for the past several nights.

Tonight, probably vegan lo mein -- for reasons of environment and economy I'm trying to get getter about finding vegetarian and vegan recipes for several dinners per week.

Tomorrow, I'll be out until late, but I'll suggest the guys make colcannon (our version uses sharp cheddar, for flavor and for gluing everything together), with or without burgers. Or defrost some chili.

This is my plan as well.  I'm going to add vegetarian meals gradually until there is mutiny from my family.

Me too!  We've been having several vegetarian meals a week for a while now, so I'm trying to ratchet it up to mostly vegan, some vegetarian, occasional meat.

So far, it's been a surprisingly easy transition.  There will still be a fair amount of meat in our diets for a while because we have tons of meat in the freezer and I feel like wasting food is the original sin of sustainable food.  But the number of vegan substitute products and mindblowing vegan hacks online is fascinating and great.  I made a cheesy broccoli, peas, and rice casserole with the "cheese" made from cashews, steamed potatoes and carrots, garlic, mustard, and nutritional yeast and my carnivore husband LICKED THE BOWL y'all.  Vegan burrito bowl with Chipotle-esque lime cilantro rice, slow cooked beans, corn and hot pepper salsa, and a healthy dollop of guac -- similar results. 

Tonight is a big batch of tomato, kale, mushroom, and red lentil soup with leftovers going to a friend expecting a baby.  Also looking forward to a big bowl of pasta puttanesca (tomato sauce with garlic, olives, parsley, capers, and chili flakes) and a fakeout avgolemono soup (lemon and rice soup, but with aquafaba and cashews to give it creaminess) later in the week.  And this weekend ::drumroll please:: going to attempt a pie crust with Country Crock almond oil plant butter that claims to be good for baking.  We'll be the judge of that!

I've had a hard time finding much in the way of substitutes locally.  Which is okay.  I would much rather have a meal that is all about the veggies and not about stuff posing as meat.  I do have several recipes that I think will transition well (cauliflower tikka masala or keema made with lentils and walnuts, for example), and I'm looking forward to experimenting with recipes.

Aelias

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1519 on: January 14, 2020, 01:58:36 PM »

I've had a hard time finding much in the way of substitutes locally.  Which is okay.  I would much rather have a meal that is all about the veggies and not about stuff posing as meat.  I do have several recipes that I think will transition well (cauliflower tikka masala or keema made with lentils and walnuts, for example), and I'm looking forward to experimenting with recipes.

To clarify, I haven't done much with artificial meat, although it is available near me.  Agree that it's easier to ramp up the veggies and add other plant protein.  I've had various Beyond meats and they're acceptable. We had Morningstar chicken nuggets for the kids last night and my son said they were "chewy." 

I was more worried about dairy as an ingredient, specifically cheese and butter.  But there are tons of vegan butters in my store and, hopefully, they will bake well.  Note that most margarine is NOT vegan because it contains dairy derived ingredients. I've been pretty happy with cashews as a sub for cheese and cream, sorbet for ice cream. 
 

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1520 on: January 14, 2020, 02:55:29 PM »
I've used Earth Balance margarine for dairy-free baking, and it works well (for cookies and brownies, at least). Coconut oil works well in cakes.

horsepoor

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1521 on: January 14, 2020, 05:29:27 PM »
I was more worried about dairy as an ingredient, specifically cheese and butter.  But there are tons of vegan butters in my store and, hopefully, they will bake well.  Note that most margarine is NOT vegan because it contains dairy derived ingredients. I've been pretty happy with cashews as a sub for cheese and cream, sorbet for ice cream.

I've found coconut oil to work pretty well 1:1 as a substitute for butter for baking.

Dicey

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1522 on: January 14, 2020, 07:25:46 PM »
Tonight we had spiralized*, steamed zucchini, toped with homemade marinara. It wasn't quite enough, so we made two whole wheat quesadillas with green Herdez salsa, our current favorite.  Mex-Italia anyone?
* I just found a new in-box spiralizer for $4.00 at my favorite thrift store, so we're having fun playing with our vegetables.

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1523 on: January 14, 2020, 07:40:48 PM »
We had linguini with tomato& marinated artichoke sauce (make tomato sauce, dump in an entire jar of marinated artichoke hearts, oil and all). With grated cheese, (so not vegan) and roasted cauliflower.

The rest of the cauliflower went into a pasta salad that was shells, green beans, tomato-paste-based pesto, olives, cut up mozzarella balls, .... I think I'm missing something, but you get the idea. (It occurs to me that I could take out the cheese, add cooked chickpeas and marinated red peppers and it would be "antipasto pasta salad.")  That will be lunches for the lunch-carrying fraction of our household for most of the rest of this week. PB&J is not enough calories/food for the 15-year old, and we're trying to not have lunchmeat every darn week.

I've made pie crusts with both cultured vegan "butter" and with palm oil (it's not crisco, but it behaves like it). Both worked fine.

sparkytheop

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1524 on: January 14, 2020, 08:08:57 PM »
All I want to do is sleep, so tonight's dinner has consisted of potato chips and a big chunk of Italian bread.

I did go shopping though, at the rest of the week will have a better menu (cook two big meals that make a lot of leftovers).

I'll make the chicken schwarma someone posted upthread, with a homemade white sauce, and some saffron rice (using homegrown saffron).

I also bought beets and celery to make a big pot of borscht. 

Finally, got some nice bread to make French dips this week as well.

sui generis

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1525 on: January 14, 2020, 09:10:17 PM »
We made this stewy, delicious mess and served over baked sweet potatoes.  The bright lemon contrasts so nicely with the rich coconut milk and all the healthy spinach was just what I needed after a long day at my volunteer gig and ate too many cookies and cheez-its. https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-braised-coconut-spinach-chickpeas-with-lemon-recipes-from-the-kitchn-164551.  Not the easiest recipe in the world, but not too hard either.

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1526 on: January 15, 2020, 11:14:21 AM »
All I want to do is sleep, so tonight's dinner has consisted of potato chips and a big chunk of Italian bread.

I did go shopping though, at the rest of the week will have a better menu (cook two big meals that make a lot of leftovers).

I'll make the chicken schwarma someone posted upthread, with a homemade white sauce, and some saffron rice (using homegrown saffron).

I also bought beets and celery to make a big pot of borscht. 

Finally, got some nice bread to make French dips this week as well.

Homegrown saffron -- can you provide more details?
'Cause on a $/hour basis, that's probably about the biggest bang for the buck I can imagine.

lexde

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1527 on: January 15, 2020, 11:15:44 AM »
I cooked tacos and chicken piccata with spaghetti for dinners this week, so I will have leftovers of one or the other tonight with my SO!

sparkytheop

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1528 on: January 15, 2020, 01:47:00 PM »
All I want to do is sleep, so tonight's dinner has consisted of potato chips and a big chunk of Italian bread.

I did go shopping though, at the rest of the week will have a better menu (cook two big meals that make a lot of leftovers).

I'll make the chicken schwarma someone posted upthread, with a homemade white sauce, and some saffron rice (using homegrown saffron).

I also bought beets and celery to make a big pot of borscht. 

Finally, got some nice bread to make French dips this week as well.

Homegrown saffron -- can you provide more details?
'Cause on a $/hour basis, that's probably about the biggest bang for the buck I can imagine.

So easy, even I managed not to kill them...

I gave my mom 20 bulbs a couple years ago, and I kept just 5 for myself (because I thought I'd kill them).

Mine are in a pot.  First year, I got all five to grow.  This fall we had a freeze that happened right when mine were ready to bloom, so only got a few, but they should come back next year.

She planted hers in the dirt above her gravel driveway (they don't usually drive anything up that far, and it's an easy spot to water them).  We've managed to get quite a bit from her patch.

They do well if they get ignored during a hot summer (just water them once a month or so, though she pretty much forgot about them until fall, when she finally watered them some!)  They do better in the ground than they do in a pot (hers bloomed earlier than mine).  They also bloom around the same general time, but they might bloom and wilt within a day or two, so we try to check on them every day once we see the first bit of purple.

We haven't separated bulbs though, but they are supposed to multiply well.  We don't harvest a ton, but enough to try some different saffron recipes without having to pay a fortune, and for a few days, you get some really pretty flowers.

https://www.rareseeds.com/catalog/product/view/id/3817/s/pre-order-for-2019-saffron-crocus-25-bulbs/

ETA: our growing zone looks like it's 7b and 8a.  We can spend weeks over 100°F in the summer, and right now we have snow on the ground and temps are supposed to be in the teens, so we get a pretty wide range in weather.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2020, 01:50:58 PM by sparkytheop »

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1529 on: January 15, 2020, 03:34:24 PM »
<snip>
So easy, even I managed not to kill them...

I gave my mom 20 bulbs a couple years ago, and I kept just 5 for myself (because I thought I'd kill them).

Mine are in a pot.  First year, I got all five to grow.  This fall we had a freeze that happened right when mine were ready to bloom, so only got a few, but they should come back next year.

She planted hers in the dirt above her gravel driveway (they don't usually drive anything up that far, and it's an easy spot to water them).  We've managed to get quite a bit from her patch.

They do well if they get ignored during a hot summer (just water them once a month or so, though she pretty much forgot about them until fall, when she finally watered them some!)  They do better in the ground than they do in a pot (hers bloomed earlier than mine).  They also bloom around the same general time, but they might bloom and wilt within a day or two, so we try to check on them every day once we see the first bit of purple.

We haven't separated bulbs though, but they are supposed to multiply well.  We don't harvest a ton, but enough to try some different saffron recipes without having to pay a fortune, and for a few days, you get some really pretty flowers.

https://www.rareseeds.com/catalog/product/view/id/3817/s/pre-order-for-2019-saffron-crocus-25-bulbs/

ETA: our growing zone looks like it's 7b and 8a.  We can spend weeks over 100°F in the summer, and right now we have snow on the ground and temps are supposed to be in the teens, so we get a pretty wide range in weather.

I'm in 5-something, but this is awesome -- thanks!

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1530 on: January 15, 2020, 04:28:11 PM »
<snip>
So easy, even I managed not to kill them...

I gave my mom 20 bulbs a couple years ago, and I kept just 5 for myself (because I thought I'd kill them).

Mine are in a pot.  First year, I got all five to grow.  This fall we had a freeze that happened right when mine were ready to bloom, so only got a few, but they should come back next year.

She planted hers in the dirt above her gravel driveway (they don't usually drive anything up that far, and it's an easy spot to water them).  We've managed to get quite a bit from her patch.

They do well if they get ignored during a hot summer (just water them once a month or so, though she pretty much forgot about them until fall, when she finally watered them some!)  They do better in the ground than they do in a pot (hers bloomed earlier than mine).  They also bloom around the same general time, but they might bloom and wilt within a day or two, so we try to check on them every day once we see the first bit of purple.

We haven't separated bulbs though, but they are supposed to multiply well.  We don't harvest a ton, but enough to try some different saffron recipes without having to pay a fortune, and for a few days, you get some really pretty flowers.

https://www.rareseeds.com/catalog/product/view/id/3817/s/pre-order-for-2019-saffron-crocus-25-bulbs/

ETA: our growing zone looks like it's 7b and 8a.  We can spend weeks over 100°F in the summer, and right now we have snow on the ground and temps are supposed to be in the teens, so we get a pretty wide range in weather.

I'm in 5-something, but this is awesome -- thanks!

Agreed. I bookmarked this because it's such a great idea!

horsepoor

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1531 on: January 15, 2020, 07:29:47 PM »
I'm also loving the idea of growing some saffron crocuses!

@sui generis thanks for that spinach recipe - I might try that with cauliflower and/or mushrooms in place of the chickpeas as a low carb dish.

Tonight I think I might whip up some guacamole and dip pork rinds in it.  My appetite has been a little off, so not much cooking happening this week.  On Monday I cooked a lamb shoulder in the Instant Pot with some turkey stock and homemade chipotles in adobo.  It's looking like we'll be living off that the rest of this week, along with some salads as the mood strikes.

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1532 on: January 15, 2020, 07:42:40 PM »
We had the roasted (turkey) kielbasa and cabbage from Budget Bytes, except I did the potatoes separately as seasoned oven fries.

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1533 on: January 16, 2020, 01:52:22 PM »
^--- This is going on next week's menu.

We're having a casserole that's layers of broccoli, potatoes, white beans, garlic, olives, and crushed tomatoes with a gooey layer of munster in the middle.  It's from Jeanne Lemlin's book Main Course Vegetarian Pleasures -- Not every recipe in it is amazing, but some are incredible and most are fine.

sparkytheop

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1534 on: January 19, 2020, 02:59:00 PM »
All I want to do is sleep, so tonight's dinner has consisted of potato chips and a big chunk of Italian bread.

I did go shopping though, at the rest of the week will have a better menu (cook two big meals that make a lot of leftovers).

I'll make the chicken schwarma someone posted upthread, with a homemade white sauce, and some saffron rice (using homegrown saffron).

I also bought beets and celery to make a big pot of borscht. 

Finally, got some nice bread to make French dips this week as well.

We had to use chicken breasts (because that's what I had in the freezer), but the chicken shawarma turned out so good!  Will need to make this during the summer when we can use home-grown (well, my mom's home-grown) cucumbers and tomatoes.  I also need to learn how to make naan, because it's expensive in the store.

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1535 on: January 19, 2020, 04:41:47 PM »
All I want to do is sleep, so tonight's dinner has consisted of potato chips and a big chunk of Italian bread.

I did go shopping though, at the rest of the week will have a better menu (cook two big meals that make a lot of leftovers).

I'll make the chicken schwarma someone posted upthread, with a homemade white sauce, and some saffron rice (using homegrown saffron).

I also bought beets and celery to make a big pot of borscht. 

Finally, got some nice bread to make French dips this week as well.

We had to use chicken breasts (because that's what I had in the freezer), but the chicken shawarma turned out so good!  Will need to make this during the summer when we can use home-grown (well, my mom's home-grown) cucumbers and tomatoes.  I also need to learn how to make naan, because it's expensive in the store.

Yay! I swear, that recipe is magic.

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1536 on: January 19, 2020, 04:44:49 PM »
We have lots of leftovers from last night’s Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, so I think that will be tonight’s dinner. I used maybe a half-lb. of chicken thighs, two (drained) cans of garbanzos, and full-fat Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. All of the subs worked really well.

Edit: no, the leftover tikka masala will be lunches tomorrow. I’m roasting tofu, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts for a vegan snack meal.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2020, 06:03:41 PM by OtherJen »

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1537 on: January 19, 2020, 08:05:02 PM »
Last night we had a guest for dinner, so we added another vegetable and a dessert:
(apps)
Pot roast (chuck roast), mashed potatoes, roasted acorn squash wedges, roasted brussels sprouts, a little horseradish sauce (the last bit of horseradish mixed with some sour cream). Apple cake for dessert.

Tonight is the last dinner with my DS before he goes back to college, so he got to pick. We had chicken tacos: the good corn tortillas -- we made a not-at-all mustachian drive to the good tortillarilla -- , black beans with chipotles in adobo, cheddar, cabbage-and-carrot slaw, salsa (also from the tortillarilla), and blueberry pie with whipped cream for dessert. (frozen blueberries, thanks Trader Joe's).

sui generis

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1538 on: January 19, 2020, 08:49:53 PM »
Soba noodles + tofu with spicy peanut sauce! https://food52.com/recipes/19059-soba-noodles-and-tofu-with-spicy-peanut-sauce

This is a pretty easy recipe that is really worth it with a good variety of vegetables, and the spicy peanut sauce makes it hearty and tasty. I'm usually a very mid-range spice-level person (i.e. I might order a 7 at a "gringo" Thai or Indian place) and this was too much cayenne for me to enjoy.  As you might be able to tell since a whole 1/2 tsp of cayenne is more than the usual. I've been putting half that, but otherwise no modifications to this lovely recipe!

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1539 on: January 19, 2020, 09:14:10 PM »
Soba noodles + tofu with spicy peanut sauce! https://food52.com/recipes/19059-soba-noodles-and-tofu-with-spicy-peanut-sauce

This is a pretty easy recipe that is really worth it with a good variety of vegetables, and the spicy peanut sauce makes it hearty and tasty. I'm usually a very mid-range spice-level person (i.e. I might order a 7 at a "gringo" Thai or Indian place) and this was too much cayenne for me to enjoy.  As you might be able to tell since a whole 1/2 tsp of cayenne is more than the usual. I've been putting half that, but otherwise no modifications to this lovely recipe!

Yum! Definitely saving this one.

horsepoor

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1540 on: January 20, 2020, 06:44:48 AM »
Tonight is pot roast with Brussels sprouts and carrots.

Saturday night I found a new winner for the low-carb/keto group: Enchilada Meatball Skillet, which we of course had with cauliflower rice.  Since I canned a bunch of green enchilada sauce and haven't been using it, I'm putting this recipe into regular rotation.  Used ground pork instead of chicken; I think any type of ground meat would be good though.

Last night, green chile, chicken and parsnip chowder.  Green chile and parsnip is a really underrated combination, IMO.

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1541 on: January 20, 2020, 02:57:44 PM »
Tonight is leftover veggie moussaka from last night.  I was going to have butternut squash chili, but didn't get it started in time.  So now it's all prepped for tomorrow.

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1542 on: January 22, 2020, 09:10:42 AM »
We had surprisingly delicious vegetarian enchiladas. It helped that we had really good corn tortillas to start with: filled them with a mixture of cooked onions, mushroom slices (that I pre-seared, and then cooked with the other stuff) and fresh poblanos, and with a few baked cherry tomatoes I pulled out of the fridge, a small amount of leftover cooked black beans, and some leftover cooked acorn squash cubes. Salsa verde and cheese on the top.

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1543 on: January 22, 2020, 09:53:01 AM »
Tonight is fried fish and the Chipotle Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad from BudgetBytes;  https://www.budgetbytes.com/chipotle-butternut-squash-and-quinoa-salad/

Sugaree

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1544 on: January 22, 2020, 10:21:02 AM »
Last night was butternut squash chili.  It was very good.  Tonight is a curried cauliflower soup.  I made a similar soup last week with butternut squash that was very good, so hopefully tonight's will be too.

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1545 on: January 25, 2020, 05:56:30 AM »
Two nights ago we cooked a turkey breast that was on sale in November. It was 7 lbs. Baked it int he oven in a Reynolds cooking bag. Came out perfect and had an odd ball turkey dinner without the usual stuffing and side dishes. I saved the juices and bones, added carrots, celery and onions, then cooked them overnight in the slow cooker to make broth. Strained the broth and put in fridge overnight and will scrape off grease today. Last night had a gorgeous turkey hero with lettuce, tomato, bacon and mayo. Sides of french fries and onion rings. So good! Still have lots of turkey leftover!

Today I am cooking a pot roast in the slow cooker with baby red taters, carrots, onions, dehydrated onion soup, sherry. Oh, and I add cream of mushroom soup too. I put one half can over the roast, then generously pepper the top then put the rest of the soup into the pot. This is one of my favorite dinners!

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1546 on: January 25, 2020, 07:21:42 AM »
I bought a small rotisserie chicken earlier this week and saved the bones for stock. I think I'll aim for about a quart of stock and then use it to cook a pot of beans.

sparkytheop

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1547 on: January 25, 2020, 12:11:06 PM »
Made pot roast the other night.  Didn't have the canned mushrooms I usually put over the top, and my son isn't the biggest fan of cream of crap, so made it with some fresh mushrooms I had and it turned out great!  (Last time I tried to use fresh mushrooms, I put them on top like I do the canned, and they dried up and shriveled).  This is the recipe I emailed to him after we ate it, because it came out better than usual.  I've taught him to cook both with recipes and "by feel", so he can follow most my recipes now.

Slab of chuck roast (ours was about 3 lbs)
14-16 or so oz of beef broth (I used home canned broth, but we don't always have that on hand, so added the can size as for future use)
Heaping spoonful of "better than bullion"
3 large mushrooms (or a small can of mushrooms), sliced in large pieces (we used crimini)
1/2 rib of celery, cut up (it's what I had in the freezer)
1 onion, quartered
Potatoes (I like a lot), halved or quartered, depending on size
Carrots (a few handfuls, baby carrots or chunks of regular carrot)

Just over 1/4 cup flour (measured in a half cup measuring cup)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic (fresh, granulated, powdered, whatever)
Worcestershire sauce
Oil

Leave the roast on the counter for about an hour to let it start getting to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Coat the roast completely with the mix of flour, salt, and pepper.  Let sit about 10 minutes.
Drizzle the bottom of the dutch oven with oil and heat just above medium.
Brown the chuck roast, brushing any flour that fell off into the D.O. (it will help make a gravy that you don't have to thicken up when it's done cooking).  Get both sides.
Add the broth, celery, onion, mushrooms (if you use the canned mushrooms, dump them on top of the roast instead of under), garlic, and better than bullion to the D.O.  Lift the meat and put it on top.  Smear some of the better than bullion over the top of the roast to "clean" the spoon.
Cover and cook about 1 hour 20 minutes.

Add the potatoes and carrots.  Turn the roast over, if desired, and put on top of the vegetables (try to submerge the potatoes in the liquid as much as possible).  Splash a little Worcestershire sauce on top of the roast and vegetables.
Cover and cook another 45 minutes.

Take roast out and let rest 10 minutes.  Continue cooking vegetables if the potatoes are not tender.

If you need to thicken the gravy, make a roux with flour and butter, then add the roast drippings and more broth/water/milk if needed.

Omy

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1548 on: January 25, 2020, 01:30:55 PM »
Chicken Chile:

3 chicken breasts (poached and shredded)
15oz can of Northern beans (drained)
24oz mild or medium salsa
15oz chicken broth
2 tsp cumin
8oz shredded pepper jack cheese

Heat up the first 5 ingredients to boiling. Add the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Enjoy!

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1549 on: January 25, 2020, 03:18:17 PM »
Tonight: grilled salmon, "italian" potatoes and kale (heat up heaps of olive oil, add gold potatoes cut into cubes and cook for a while. Add kale, an amount about equal to the potatoes. Add loads of garlic. Cook until everything's cooked) possibly roasted broccoli salad, and maybe a whole orange cake.