Soupy Twist! Zippy Lentil Soup

Just right for a chilly evening, this will warm your belly and stay within a somewhat tight budget.

Start with a good vegetable broth If you already have a favorite way to make this, go for it. If you're still a rookie, look in your veggie drawer for the stuff you're a few days away from composting, and toss it into a stock pot with water, salt, pepper, and herbs. You don't have to do anything fancy – just clean & chunk it all – beforehand. If you're still unsure of the concept, look to the Pioneer Woman's instructions, here, or Eating Well, here.

Or, if you've got the flexibility in your budget, you can buy a quart of the stuff from your local grocer.

Either way, you need a good stock, for starters.

After that, you need about 45 to 60 minutes, including prep time.

And a stock pot that holds at least 4 quarts.

And an appetite.

Have fun!

Zippy Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 medium carrots, sliced or diced
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves (about 2-3 teaspoons, crushed or minced)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed thyme (or several generous sprigs of fresh thyme, stems removed)
zest of 1 small lemon
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced fire-roasted tomatoes (or regular, if that's what you have), drained
1 cup lentils, sorted & rinsed (don't rinse until you're ready to add them into the mixture, as they're likely to cement themselves to each other as the moisture evaporates in the strainer)
4 cups broth
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less, to taste)
1–2 cups greens, (your choice. I prefer spinach or dandelion), stems and/or ribs removed, and coarsely chopped
1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
In the bottom of the pot, heat oil on medium heat until it begins to shimmer, add carrots and cook, stirring frequently until they begin to soften. Add onion & stir constantly until they become transparent.

Stir in garlic, cumin, curry powder, thyme, and lemon zest, cooking until fragrant (just 30 seconds or so). Pour in tomatoes and simmer lightly.

Add lentils, salt, black pepper, pepper flakes, broth, and water. On high temperature, bring to full boil, reduce heat to medium, and, with lid partially covering, allow this to simmer about 25 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

Using a hand blender, give a quick whir (about 10 seconds) in one small section of the soup, or put about 2 cups of the soup into a blender and puree it before returning it to the pot (this makes for a creamier base). Add greens and cook only until the greens have softened (with spinach or dandelion, all you need to do is stir in. Kale or other heavier greens like mustard may take up to 5 minutes).

Remove from heat, add lemon juice.

Serve hot.

A nice companion to this is warm bread or toast of your favorite type, or, if you're feeling nostalgic, a grilled cheese sandwich.

Molasses Sponge Cake Roll with Orange-y Buttercream Frosting

 This year, I anticipated having two separate Christmas dinners, so for each I made a different Bûche de Noël. Since my parents would be enjoying both meals, and I didn't want them to be bored with the Same Stuff, Different Day, two different flavors of cakes were in order.  And since my recipe for white chocolate/orange liqueur mousse is enough to fill two cakes with plenty to spare, I needed to make them both compatible with said filling. The first was a given: chocolate. Been doing it for a decade, now (even during the 2020 shutdown, when I sliced it & shipped it out to everybody in local extended family). 

Cake the second, though, needed to be Christmassy without peppermint or chocolate. My final choice: a variation on Grandma's Molasses Sponge Cake. Clearly, I couldn't use it as written, as their version is baked in a tube (Bundt) pan, & I needed a sheet I could roll. Also, I had to adapt to gluten-free formula, for certain persons who shall remain nameless (wink, wink)…

So here is what I came up with:

Dusted with a little cardamom/cinnamon/powdered sugar, and garnished with sugared cranberries, a Christmas delight

Molasses Sponge Cake

Ingredients:
3/4 cup gluten free 1:1 flour (I now use King Arthur's Measure-for Measure)
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup molasses
1 Tablespoon finely grated zest of orange or tangerine (I used 3 Cuties)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or other)


Directions:

Line bottom of 15"x 21"x 1" baking pan with greased parchment, also oiling the sides of the pan.

Preheat oven to 325º F, with rack in center.

In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together flour, starch, and salt. Set aside.  In bowl of stand mixer, with paddle, (or with regular beaters) beat egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until lemon-colored and fluffy. Gradually add in molasses (you may want to turn off mixer and drizzle in small amounts at a time toward the center, so the beater doesn't spray it all up the sides of the bowl). When all is mixed in, beat this mixture at low speed for another 3 minutes. Stir in zests, lemon juice, and liqueur.

Gradually add in flour mixture, 1/3 of it at a time, until fully incorporated. When all has been added, beat until light and fluffy.

Now for the meringue part of the sponge cake batter:

Scrape out the fluffy batter into the bowl which used to hold the flour mixture and then thoroughly  clean the mixing bowl and whisk attachment, wiping dry and then re-wiping with vinegar-soaked paper towel, or, if you're blessed as I am with 2 stand mixers, you can get this going on slow at the same time you mix the above...

Making sure you have NO oils in the bowl or on the whisk/beaters for the mixer, beat the egg whites on low until they become slightly foamy. 1or 2 teaspoons at a time, add in the granulated sugar, making sure it mixes in completely and has a chance to dissolve before adding the next portion. Continue to whip on medium until soft peaks can be formed.

Add 1/4 of meringue to bowl of batter, stir to "lighten" the latter. Then add the batter to the remaining meringue, folding just until no streaks of white can be seen in the batter. Pour into baking sheet, smooth the surface, and tap the pan on tabletop or countertop to force any large bubbles up and out.

Bake at 325º F for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, and/or surface of cake springs back at slight pressure of fingertip.

If you're making a roll cake, allow to cool about 5 minutes. In the meantime, lightly dust top of cake with corn starch, flour, or cocoa powder, lay a clean kitchen towel over it, and set a cooling rack over that. When the cake has just cooled just enough for you to handle it, flip the whole thing, remove the pan, peel away the parchment from the cake bottom, and letting the excess towel cushion the core, start rolling it along the lengthwise edge (unless you want a BIG FAT Yule log, in which case you roll it crosswise).

Seal the cake roll (towel and all) in plastic wrap and allow to rest several hours or overnight.

Make the filling just before you're ready to use it, and, once the cake is filled, allow to freeze for at least 3 hours (or overnight) before trying to frost it.

My choice of frosting, for just about any cake, is buttercream. For this cake, it cried out for oranges, of course.  And so, decadent orange-y buttercream is born

Orangey Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar (or more, if needed)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons orange liqueur (I recommend Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
2 teaspoons orange or tangerine zest, finely grated
2 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

Directions:

In stand mixer using paddle attachment, beat together butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and liqueur until completely mixed. Add zest and orange juice concentrate. Beat until light and fluffy.

Apply to your cake as you see fit (hey, it's buttercream. You can slather it on with a trowel, or you can pipe it on like a dandy). It's just enough to generously cover a single yule log or modestly cover a 12" x18" sheet cake.

This can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a month, if you can resist dipping into it.

Also, sugared cranberries go really well with this cake combo…

Zippy Fajita Soup… because why not?

Some of us like fajitas, but aren't supposed to have the tortillas that are usually a major part of the process. In the past, I've dumped my filling on top of a heap of rice (Spanish-style or just plain), but December weather being what it is, this week soup seemed to be in order.

Therefore:

Fajita Soup

Ingredients:

Marinade:
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar

The rest of the stuff:
1 portion of your favorite dry fajita spice mix, divided (like this one, or even pre-packaged from the store)
1 small flank steak (I used a 1-lb portion)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 medium onion, sliced into slivers
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small leek, diced (optional)
3 cups beef broth
2-3 tablespoons corn starch or other thickener
2 cups sliced (or diced) fresh tomatoes

Optional toppings:
diced avocado
sour cream
shredded or crumbled cheese of choice
salsa
fresh onions or scallions, chopped
fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Score steak, top and bottom, in a diagonal grid pattern. Rub the steak with 1/2 of your spice mix. Place in sealable bag, then pour marinade over it and allow to rest, sealed, at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than an hour.

Remove meat from bag, pat dry, and, in the bottom of an oiled heavy-bottomed stock pot or kettle, sear the meat well at high temperature. Remove from heat, allow to rest while you stir-fry your peppers, onions, and leek (if you want it) in the same pan. Reduce temperature to medium low, add remaining spice mix to cover veggies, then remove from pan & set aside.  Pour in 1 cup beef broth to deglaze the pan. In a small bowl, stir together starch and 1/4 cup room-temperature broth until all lumps are gone. Add starch mixture to hot broth in pan, stir until thickened. Add remaining broth, stir until smooth.

Slice the meat into thin strips, cross-grain, then cut into bite-sized pieces and stir into the broth. Add peppers and onions, stir and allow to return to simmer.

A few minutes before serving, stir tomatoes into simmering soup. Remove from heat source.

Top with your preferred additions, serve hot with tortilla chips, Spanish-style rice, and/or flat bread.

Of course, if you're the sort to make fajitas for a large crowd, and you have leftovers, you can use that as a shortcut… You just need be able to add broth and thicken it a little, and, perhaps, add a few more peppers and onions. Either way, adding the fajita seasoning and stir-fried (or grilled) peppers is a great way to pep up an otherwise basic beef soup.

Picnic Tomorrow? Start a Baked Potato Salad Today!

 

Picnic food at its best

Inspired by those loaded potato dishes which were all the rage back in the 1980s, baked potato salad is an easy dish, even for beginners.

For the record, this is NOT a low-sodium, low-carb, or low-fat recipe, but when I'm looking for a break from the mayonnaise-y norm (or for a salad which will not spoil quite so quickly if taken to a picnic), this is a mighty fine option. 

Also, I very much recommend making it a day ahead, for two reasons: first is that the ingredients have a better chance of blending into one another for a better, fuller flavor experience, and second is that you can show up at that picnic looking fresh and relaxed, while everyone else is doing all sorts of last-minute stuff and adding sweat to their brows (or whatever else). You can smugly avoid that summer "glow", and still present a fine dish, to the envy of all.

Baked Potato Salad

Ingredients: 

Salad:
about 2 1/2 lbs small red potatoes
cooking oil
kosher salt

1/2 cup bacon bits or diced ham, fried until crisp, any grease drained and blotted away

1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

Dressing:
1/2 cup sour cream 
1 Tablespoon dill weed (less, if fresh)
2-3 Tablespoons chopped chives
1/4 cup buttermilk or regular milk
1 teaspoon granulated tomato bouillon (chicken flavor is a reasonable alternative)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400º F.
Thoroughly wash and dry potatoes. Generously coat with cooking oil and plenty of salt, placing them on a baking sheet, at least 1/2 inch between them. Bake until tender (about 40 – 50 minutes, depending upon their size). Allow to cool completely.

While potatoes are cooking, mix up the dressing and store in refrigerator.

Cut cold potatoes into bite-sized chunks, placing them in a large mixing bowl.

Stir in remaining ingredients and dressing.

Allow to rest, covered, in refrigerator at least an hour – or overnight – before serving cold.

Notes:
If you're not a fan of tater skins, you can always peel the little guys after they've cooled, but that will take away some of the best of the flavor. Plus, it's a lot of work. This is supposed to be an easy salad.

Also, in the above photo, I used a mixture of crisp deli ham and non-fried bits, for a little visual variety. One can also add fresh diced peppers (sweet or hot), capers, or whatever else one recalls enjoying on baked spuds. Red bell pepper pieces might give it a perkier color, but some in my family don't much care for the after-effects of peppers…

Pulled Pork Salad

 I've noticed that, these days, prices for poultry are often similar to those of  centuries ago, when the height of political luxury was the promise of "a chicken in every pot". For those of us who look for the least expensive option when we can, pork is back as a chicken substitute… but that looks like (ewww) work. Also, right now it's August, so pretty darned hot, so frying stuff just makes a girl sweaty (sweatier). So go ahead, fetch out the slow cooker, get the cheapest pork roast you can find, set it in a little bit of broth, and let the thing slow-simmer until it's tender enough to pull apart with a fork.  Then remove it from the liquid, slice it into slabs, and get it to the table before everyone riots from hunger, letting people apply their own preferred BBQ sauces, if they wish.

Or, if you're like my household, eat half the roast for dinner and save the other half to make this salad later in the week. The salad is plain, simple, and adaptable to your tastes, just like chicken salad, tuna salad, etc.  The secret is usually in the dressing.

Pulled Pork Salad

Ingredients:

 
2 cups chilled roasted pork, sliced thickly and pulled into shreds with a fork
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup fresh peas (or frozen peas, thawed)
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
1/3 cup good mayonnaise (I like Duke's)
1/4 cup (or more, if you like) stone ground mustard
1 Tablespoon apple cider or 3 Tbs finely-grated apple
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt & pepper. In medium mixing bowl, combine shredded pork, celery, peas, and onion. Stir in dressing.

Serve chilled on your favorite greens or as a sandwich filler.

Just call me Pork Salad Annie…

Simple Sour Cream Dill Dip (the kind Pop prefers)

 I know most recipes call for a blend of mayonnaise and sour cream along with whatever seasonings and additives one wants (it's the way even The Bat learned to make it, after all), but Pop never actually partook of that stuff. It wasn't until I simplified the process to eliminate one of those ingredients which tends to set off my migraines that he started actually snitching my supply of dip. The funny thing is, it sits well on the refrigerator shelf for longer than the stuff with mayo does. And it has only four simple ingredients: sour cream, dill weed, milk, and bouillon powder (it's my go-to cheat ingredient – depending on my mood & what I'm serving with it, I'll use chicken, shrimp, or simple tomato flavoring).

Simple Dill Dip

Ingredients:

1 pint sour cream (you can use lower-fat version if you prefer)
2-3 Tablespoons dill weed (to your preference, as well)
2 teaspoons bouillon powder
1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a medium-small bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour to overnight before serving with chips or crudites*

*In our household, we deliberately mispronounce the word as CRUD-ites. Because some people don't like celery sticks.

Quick and Easy Random Fruit Crisp

The best thing about putting together fruit crisps for dessert is that they're simple and supremely adaptable. All you need is fruit, nuts, sweetener, a little butter, a little binder, and your choice of spices (or none at all).

And, because a fruit crisp can be adapted to whatever ingredients you have on hand, it can easily become not only the go-to dish for emergencies, but the customizable signature dessert for your kitchen, and the guests need never know how simple and easy it is for you to throw together.

The formula is fairly simple: filling and topping, baked in a moderate oven (usually 350º F) until done.

Filling:
3 cups of your favorite pie fruit, such as blueberries, cherries, sliced apples, peaches… you can go with fresh, or drain a couple of cans/jars. If you feel really decadent, add some dried fruit to the mix, too (it'll help absorb any extra juices, as well, so factor that in, if you plan to use a starchy thickener).

2 to 4 tablespoons sugar (or your favorite substitute), to taste

approximately 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or somewhat less nutmeg, allspice, or cardamom to your taste)

If you're working with a particularly liquid filling, such as fresh berries or cherries, you may wish to add a tablespoon of corn starch, arrowroot, or instant tapioca as a thickener/binder (your mileage may vary)

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, cold, cut into roughly 1 centimeter cubes

Combine fruit, sweetener, spices, optional thickener in the bottom of a greased 8 or 9-inch square baking dish. Distribute pieces of butter over all.

Cover with topping:

 

Topping:

3 cups chopped pecans (or walnuts, pistachios, or unsweetened shredded coconut, or a mix – whatever; your choice), and a few extras, not chopped, to toss into the mix for esthetics, if you so desire

1/2 cup brown sugar (or your choice of substitute – I really like Swerve)

1/2 cup flour to bind the topping (I have, at various times, used whey powder, gluten-free all-purpose flour, almond flour, and rolled oats – even once turned to coarse powder in the food processor –, as well as traditional all-purpose flour)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (or your preferred spice, to your taste preference)

4-6 Tablespoons butter, melted

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add melted butter & mix thoroughly. Spread over filling. (I have been known to sprinkle dried fruit – especially tart cherries or cranberries – over the topping at this point, as well).

 

Bake at 350º F for 30-35 minutes, until browned (for fresh-apple-filled, make that 45-50 minutes, and you'll want to cover the dish for the first 30 minutes so the topping doesn't burn).

 

Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving with your choice of chilled or frozen dairy or dairy-like topping (whipped cream, heavy cream, ice cream, fro-yo, whipped coconut cream… go crazy).

Carrots, Again??? A sugar-free, low carb carrot cake

We didn't think about taking a pic, this time. Everybody just dove in.
Therefore, this is from the day after Easter dinner.

 I keep coming back for variations on a theme: the carrot cake. Well, then, and why not? It's tasty, satisfying, and relatively difficult to ruin, especially when you slather on a mass of cream cheese frosting.

My most recent version is sugarless, gluten-free, and nearly keto-friendly (between the carrots and the chopped dried Montmorency cherries, the carbs get bumped up a bit more than most strict keto diets would allow, so keep this in mind. It's no-sugar-added, not totally carb neutral). And it's tender and tasty enough to share with just about everyone – excluding any friends or family who might have nut allergies. Nobody will guess what isn't in it.

I recommend toasting the pecans ahead of time for this cake. Put about 2 cups of pecan halves on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven at 350º F for about 5 – 7 minutes, until they begin to look a little dry. After you chop up what you need for the cake, you might have some left over to nosh, or to put into an apple salad for tomorrow's dinner…

Also, for a bit more complex, nutty sweetness without adding extra sugar substitute, I suggest browning your butter for the cake (but not so much for the frosting).

For sugar substitute, I stock up on erythritol & baking blends – Swerve produces some truly fine replacements, especially for brown sugar and confectioner's (powdered) sugar. You may decide you prefer a different sweetener, though, so check proportions if you want to go your own way.

This makes two 9-inch round cake layers.

Sugarless, Flourless Carrot Cake

 
Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted and browned (browning optional)
1 cup granulated sugar substitute (I prefer erythritol)
1/2 cup brown sugar substitute
8 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or powder
3 cups fine-ground almond meal or almond flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups coarsely grated carrots
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 – 1 cup coarsely chopped unsweetened dried tart cherries (like these)

Directions:

Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with greased or non-stick parchment.

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle (not whisk or dough-hook), combine granulated and brown sugar substitutes, add melted butter, and mix at medium-high speed until creamed and fluffy (this may take 10 minutes or so).

In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk (or sift) together almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine grated carrots, chopped pecans, and chopped cherries.

When the butter and sweeteners have begun to turn fluffy-ish (the artificial sweeteners don't cream as easily as regular sugars do, but they bake nicely, even so), begin adding in the eggs, one by one, making sure to mix thoroughly before adding the next egg. When the last egg is added and the batter is smooth, mix in the vanilla.

On low speed, stir in the bowlful of dry ingredients until completely mixed, then fold in the carrots, pecans, and cherries.

Divide batter between the two 9-inch cake pans, bake on center rack of 350º F oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean.

Cool on racks on counter 20 to 30 minutes – until only slightly warm to the touch – before removing from pans.

Allow to completely cool before applying frosting (recipe below).

Sugar-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 lb. (2 8-ounce bricks) regular full-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
3 – 5 Tablespoons fresh, strained lemon juice
1/2 cup confectioner's sweetener
1 Tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream (optional)

Directions:

Bring ingredients to room temperature.

In medium mixing bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, and lemon zest and whip until light and fluffy. 

Add in lemon juice and confectioner's sweetener in alternating portions, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and then a couple of tablespoons of the sweetener, until you have the thickness and tang you desire. If the frosting is too thin, add a little more sweetener. If it's too thick, add either a small amount of lemon juice or a bit of cream.

This will easily cover a 2-layer 9-inch cake or very generously cover a single 9" x 13" rectangular cake.

The thing I like about this kind of frosting is that you can easily adapt it to your own preferences, whether you want a hint of lemon or a great big bite of it.

Low-Carb Fried “Rice”, for when Regular Rice Isn't Nice

 

 

In this house, I cook for three (The Bat, Pop, and myself), and too often the cuts of meat I can buy are too big for a single meal. Leftovers, therefore, are a regular thing.

Sometimes, The Bat and I throw together soup or stew, sometimes sandwiches, and sometimes… sometimes… we go crazy and I make fried rice. Except that, recently, I've been put on a lower-carb plan, and I have a friend or two with even tighter restrictions on starches and sugars, so rice (being one of the starchiest of starchy foods) is a pretty much no-no. Naturally, this means playing with substitutions.

If you like working from scratch, you can prepare your own cauliflower rice in advance, but I felt flush enough to buy some already prepared (from the freezer section of my local supermarket). With that, it needs to be completely thawed and allowed to drain and dry out a bit. You can also use rinsed and drained hearts of palm "rice" (such as Palmini) in the same recipe – I like it a lot, but it's often hard to find, out here in the sticks. So cauliflower it is, for us, today.

The trick to cooking any fried rice, is, of course, to have everything lined up in advance (mise en place, people!), so you have it ready to stir in quickly, without any pause in your operation. Further, it's best to have most of the ingredients at room temperature before cooking. Cook your meat and mushrooms as far in advance as a day or two, and store them, covered, in the refrigerator (marinating the strips of meat overnight in a combination of deglazed pan drippings and a teaspoon or so of soy sauce gives it a little something extra, as well), but bring everything out to stand at least 20 minutes before you start cooking. 

As soon as you start the heat on your stove, you'll just keep adding and adding, letting each layer get fully heated up before adding the next, until the last, tenderest leafy item is heated to just shy of your liking (let it come to completion off the burner, on its way to the table).                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                

Fried "Rice", Low-Carb Style

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar substitute (I like erythritol)
2 – 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated 
1 small carrot, diced small or very coarsely grated (up to 1/4 cup)
1 small onion (about 1/4 cup or less – to taste), minced
1 cup riced cauliflower
1/4 cup leftover cooked beef, sliced into small, thin strips, & marinated in soy sauce
8 – 10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced and stir-fried in butter until slightly crisp
1 cup broccoli florets
2 – 3 heads baby bok choi, chopped coarsely
3 – 4 medium scallions, chopped finely

Directions: 

In a small bowl, beat eggs, soy sauce, and sugar substitute thoroughly (you don't want blobs of egg white showing up). Set aside.

On stove top at high setting, bring oil and lemon zest to shimmering heat in wok or frying pan; add in carrot and cook just until tender. Add onion, cook until it becomes somewhat transparent. Stir in cauliflower, coating it well with oil, and cook until the onion and carrots begin to brown. Add in egg mixture, stir well (and scrape the bottom of the pan to keep it from sticking), cooking until eggs show signs of setting up. Scoop the meat out of the marinade*, allow a second for it to drain, and add meat to pan, bring to full heat, then add mushrooms and heat, then broccoli, and finally the baby bok choi and scallions.

Cook only until the bok choi leaves start to wilt,  remove from heat, and serve.



*you can freeze the meat marinade for use in a later dish, such as noodles or even scrambled eggs, for a bit of a kick. Since there's nothing raw in it, it's even safe to just drizzle over your roasted skinny asparagus.

The only real rule about this kind of dish is that you should use ingredients you like to eat. Almost anything can be substituted for something else on the list, in whatever flavor combinations and proportions will float your boat. But for it to meet your own dietary restrictions, check with health professionals for more specific guidelines. As it stands, this one falls into the relatively keto-friendly range.

Addendum: lots of chefs, these days, tell you to scramble & cook up the eggs first, and stir them in as a separate item. However, The Bat taught me what she learned from Buwei Yang Chao's  How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, and that is to add the eggs to the oily, heated rice. I find that it gives the dish an almost creamy finish, as opposed to having eggy lumps distracting me from the other flavors and textures. It does mean you have to be more aware of the potential for sticking to the pan, but firm, swift stirring with a good spatula can reduce or even prevent that.

Quick Bread from Freezer Emergencies (Ice Cream Quick Bread)

 

 

 

A while back, I took a stab at this sort of quick bread using some old, not particularly good leftover ice cream.  Today, I had a better excuse for giving it a test: our freezer door was left slightly ajar for several hours, causing a meltdown of our excellent Tillamook ice cream. Rather than let it all go to waste – or worse, to my waist – I looked up a few recipes for ice cream bread. Almost all of them are labeled "2-ingredient bread" and call for self-rising flour.


Well, kiddies, this house doesn't keep a lot of self-rising flour around. Instead, we adjust those recipes to serve at need. Therefore, my adaptation in today's post means that, if you are like us and don't have a bin of self-rising flour, you don't have to go rushing out to the store for some. You'll only need your regular stuff and some good ice cream you're willing to sacrifice to the heat.

Ice Cream Quick Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups melted regular vanilla ice cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans*
2 cups dried blueberries*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Line a 4-inch by 8-inch loaf pan with parchment, allowing an inch or so of  overhang on the long sides.

In a small bowl, cover dried blueberries with warm water, allow to "plump" for about 15 – 20 minutes, drain and pat dry.

Meanwhile, allow ice cream to completely liquefy and come to room temperature.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, pecans, and blueberries. Add ice cream and stir only until completely mixed – DO NOT OVERMIX!

Pour into loaf pan, bake at 350º F for 35 – 40 minutes.

Remove from oven, allow to cool about 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Cool completely before serving.



*optional. May substitute your own favorite nuts & fruits, or omit them entirely.

Serve with softened butter or cream cheese.

While this isn't quite as decadent as turning our ice cream into a milk shake, it turns out a quick bread can be a very nice alternative, during a freezer crisis.

Also, for the record, the flavor and texture of this bread is somewhere in the range of a traditional muffin. It isn't particularly sweet and dessert-like. I recommend it as a breakfast food, so you can tell everyone you have ice cream for breakfast.