My friend brought over tonight this amazing meal that I will def make again.

Harvest grain blend by TJ (so awesome!! Israeli style cous cous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa)
grape tomatoes
2 cubed avocados
edamame
light dressing- olive oil, apple cider vinegar, crazy jane salt, lemon juice


Such a thrown together hodge podge that is amazingly delicious.





[Edited on April 20, 2011 at 6:54 PM. Reason : ...]

[Edited on April 20, 2011 at 6:56 PM. Reason : ...]

4/20/2011 6:54:08 PM

that looks amazing

4/20/2011 6:59:50 PM

cooked avocado always bugs me out

idk why

4/21/2011 10:48:26 AM

is it something to do with alabama?

4/21/2011 10:59:29 AM

I can't do cooked avocado either but there's bo reason you couldn't toss it in the couscous salad raw.

I make something similar to that but with summer squash, etc and curried.

4/21/2011 11:07:44 AM

yeah ive used it raw on top of things a lot

i guess i assumed it was cooked with that dish but it doesn't look like it, nor do the maters.

my bad

however, i did just find these two and am very intrigued.

like... a lot.

http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2009/06/guacamole-pasta
http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2009/06/avocado-creme-brulee

4/21/2011 11:14:30 AM

^ check out the avocado thread

4/21/2011 11:16:46 AM

I love avocados

I'd fuck them if my dick would fit

4/21/2011 11:18:09 AM

I've been eating the hell out of avocados lately too. And I adore that Harvest Grain Blend. Will make soon!

I have not, however, cooked much at all lately. Boo.

[Edited on April 21, 2011 at 11:39 AM. Reason : .]

4/21/2011 11:39:29 AM

I'm making these for my two classmates' birthdays and the last day of class / end of our first year

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/03/strawberry-lime-stuffed-cupcakes/

5/2/2011 8:42:55 PM

Those are so cute!

I am substantially behind. I was sick last week and didn't have too much in the house or feel up to cooking or being creative at all so ... yeah. It's day 122.

103. Chicken Scallopine: http://www.handletheheat.com/2011/03/chicken-scallopine.html — I forgot to write down my feelings on this one when I made it, and I don't remember it much now so apparently it was nothing fabulous. It was good though. I just had the chicken by itself without pasta.

104. Low Country Boil — I can't find the site I used but the recipe was just potatoes, sausage, corn, shrimp and crab boil. Used chicken sausage. I bought the crab boil bag thing that says it cooks like 4 pounds of crab, but it didn't seem to impart that much flavor to me. I also added cayenne. It was easy and something fun to try, but didn't wow me or anything. The company was good though

105. Vegetarian Southern-Style Turnip Greens: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cooking-for-real/vegetarian-southern-style-collard-greens-recipe/index.html — I didn't feel like chopping an onion so I added a little onion powder with the garlic powder. Also had a mishap with the red pepper bottle and added way more than called for, which turned out pretty good actually. I thought the tomato might be weird, but it was good.

106. Curried Yellow Split Peas: http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Curried-Yellow-Split-Peas-Recipe — Definitely needs salt. The curry flavor didn't come through very well even though I kept adding curry powder. And my split peas didn't soften as much as I expected even though I cooked it longer than it called for. I debated using a sweet potato instead of regular, and I sort of wish I had. This wasn't bad at all, but needs a few tweaks.

107. "Power Bars" middle of the page on http://liftforlife.com/content/bodybuilding-fitness-diet-health-articles/diet-articles/727-protein-bar — I wanted to make some homemade things to mail Fareako but decently healthy foods you can mail are rather limited. I didn't try these so I can't comment.

108. "No Bake Protein Bar" same site as ^, Had to add a good bit more water. I cut the recipe in half and blended all the oats into coarse flour since the other ones had whole oats and I wanted these to be a little different. They came out chalky. I mailed them anyway because I figured either I'd throw them away or he'd throw them away unless he happened to get hungry enough to eat them. No bueno.

109. Buffalo Chicken Chili: http://www.thesweetslife.com/2011/02/crockpot-buffalo-chicken-chili.html — Instead of adding broth I just didn't drain the tomatoes. Turned out more liquidy than I expected. It would have been good if I'd planned on serving it with rice or something but I was eating it plain. I ended up adding maybe 1/3 cup tomato sauce at the end because I like my chili to have that tomato-ness to it and be a little less soupy. I also don't like blue cheese so I just sprinkled a little cheddar on it. Better as leftovers.

110. Texas Caviar with Avocado: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Texas-Caviar-with-Avocado/Detail.aspx — Not sure I like the Italian dressing with this. Otherwise it was fine.

5/2/2011 9:14:09 PM

just laughed at no-crust artichoke quiche on the previous page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frittata

5/2/2011 9:19:45 PM

Eh frittatas are usually made (or at least started) on the stovetop.

5/2/2011 9:28:16 PM

5/2/2011 11:14:41 PM

eh its a frittata.

but if it is a no-crust quiche, it's stupid anyway. the crust is the best part.

5/2/2011 11:22:01 PM

I thought you were gonna comment on my cupcakes.

5/2/2011 11:28:38 PM

i was going to

then the daily show happened.


they look dericious though.

5/2/2011 11:54:24 PM

the cupcakes look SO good.

Samwise, what did you use to cut out the hole in the center? just a knife? was it easy to do?

5/3/2011 7:52:34 AM

cupcakes

5/3/2011 8:28:09 AM

thanks I used a paring knife... it was pretty easy, and a good excuse to eat the extra cupcake bits

5/5/2011 12:28:58 AM

I have to share this recipe!! I'm amazed how yummy this is!

Paleo banana bread

2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
4 really ripe bananas (mashed well)
2 tbsp local honey
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, add the mashed bananas, eggs, honey, and vanilla and mix well.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir until combined. Normally with breads or muffin recipes, you don’t want to overmix, but since there’s no gluten here, mix to your heart’s content. The muffins won’t get gummy or icky.
Fill greased muffin tins, baking cups, mini-loaf pans or big loaf pans about 3/4 full. Bake muffins for 23-25 minutes and loaves for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

[Edited on May 11, 2011 at 7:28 PM. Reason : Spaces]

5/11/2011 7:26:11 PM

Do bananas freeze well? I have 5 very ripe bananas in the freezer that I'm planning on using for a banana bread but they've been in there for a few months

5/11/2011 9:48:39 PM

^ They will let off liquid when you defrost them but they will cook just fine.

You can probably tell what ingredients I was trying to use up with these ...

111. Baby Spinach Omelet: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baby-Spinach-Omelet/Detail.aspx — Quick as hell, easy as hell, and actually tastes good. Like one of the commenters I'm not a big fan of nutmeg in savory things, but I made it exactly as written (well, plus a tiny splash of milk) and it was very good. Normally I'm inclined to top my egg dishes with something (salsa, hot sauce, cheese ...) but this was great all by itself. Use a good Parmesan though, not the green Kraft crap.


112. Amaretto Strawberries: http://whatscookingamerica.net/amstraw.htm — I used a little bit of whipped cream instead of ice cream. The amaretto turned into a syrupy kind of liquid and tasted amazing. The strawberries themselves were pretty good, and I don't think the almonds added all that much.


113. Strawberry Agua Fresca: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beverage/StrawberryAguaFresca.htm — I didn't use all the sugar because it suggested to scale it back if the berries were pretty sweet. I probably would use even less next time. Good on its own, then inspired by ^ I added a splash of amaretto. That was even yummier.


112: Turkey Zucchini Meatloaf: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Turkey-and-Zucchini-Meat-Loaf-5671 — I went really fast and loose with the ingredient quantities here, cut it in half but still used a whole egg. Used red onion instead of white. The glaze kinda wigged me out so I put it on one of my mini-loaves and went with ketchup on the other. I am not sure which one I like better, honestly. The peach-mustard one was good but seemed like it could use something else to cut the peachy sweetness a tiny bit more. Maybe a dash of Worcestershire sauce.


113. Overnight French Toast: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1818,150170-236192,00.html — Scaled it down to one serving, used fresh strawberries and I didn't have banana so used a little bit of chopped pear. I wish I'd had the banana. The strawberry-only parts were a bit bitter, but the parts that had pear were sweeter. I also used Trader Joe's Sprouted 7 Grain bread, which isn't as soft as other bread. I cubed the bread instead of leaving it as slices. It was definitely different than normal French toast consistency, but not in a bad way.


114. Turkey and Zucchini Skillet: http://cleananddelicious.com/2008/10/14/turkey_and_zucchini_skillet_vi/ — I used a can of tomatoes instead of fresh, and red onion instead of white. Served over spaghetti squash and topped with Parmesan it was really good. I did mix about 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce in with my portion just because I had some leftover and it seemed like it would be good. I didn't use red pepper flakes but will if I make it again.


115. Sweet Potato Falafel: http://judicialpeach.com/2011/03/21/sweet-potato-falafel/ — I had issues with the manufacturing process for these but won't chronicle that here. I didn't measure the seasonings and tried to be liberal with them, but I should have used more, especially salt. I fried half and baked half at 425 degrees, and they turned out to be pretty much identical except the fried ones were a little more brown. I think if I'd used way more seasoning they would have been quite tasty, but they were pretty bland. I intended to make tzatziki but the green thing I'd spied in my crisper drawer that I thought was a cucumber turned out to be a zucchini. Fail.


So I made this:
116. Light Lemon Yogurt Sauce: [link]http:// http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Light-Lemon-Yogurt-Sauce-107547[/link] — I used dried parsley. I tasted it this way then added garlic. Cucumber sauce would have been way better, but this was an OK substitute.

117. Spinach and Sweet Corn Mashed Potatoes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spinach-and-Sweet-Corn-Mashed-Potatoes/Detail.aspx — I was using what I had on hand so instead of half and half I used a few scoops of Greek yogurt and a few splashes of chicken broth, and less butter overall. It was odd but really good.

5/11/2011 10:51:02 PM

another paleo dish
chicken soup

olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped (i just use minced from the jar because i'm lazy
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 c. chopped zucchini or yellow squash (i usually do 1 cup of each, i like alot of veg)
2 c. shredded Savoy cabbage (i've used regular plain cabbage and it is just as good and a bit cheaper)
1 small tomato, chopped (i have also used a can of diced tomato if I don't have fresh on hand)
4-5 c. chicken stock based on your level of desired "brothiness"
1 whole chicken, roasted and shredded (i have done my own chicken, bought a rotisserie one, & just used chicken breasts...it is all good)
3 cups fresh kale, swiss chard or spinach
1/4 c. chopped italian parsley (optional)

1) Saute the onion, garlic, & carrots in olive oil until light golden brown.

2) Add chili flakes, zucchini, tomato, cabbage, chicken and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then add kale. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes
3) Garnish with parsley if desired.

Pics later if I remember

5/21/2011 6:47:20 PM

5/21/2011 7:53:08 PM

don't know how that double post happened.

[Edited on May 21, 2011 at 7:53 PM. Reason : triple post ]

5/21/2011 7:53:08 PM

That looks super tasty. I might have to try it.

5/21/2011 8:03:56 PM

That looks gorgeous, punchmonk!

And Skwinkle, I am a strawberry fiend so I'm def gonna try those Amaretto strawberries. I'll have to make sure I use both the ice cream AND the whipped cream so I can pack in as many calories as possible

5/22/2011 1:22:23 PM

118. Black Bean Mushroom Chili: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/slow_cooker_black_bean_mushroom_chili.html — I used 3 tomatillos, which is probably less than 8 oz. It smells strongly of chipotles so I was a bit afraid that flavor would be predominant, but it was nice and balanced. Instead of the broth I just covered the veggies with water in the crock pot and added maybe 2 teaspoons of chicken flavor Better than Bouillon. The mushrooms were mostly imperceptible in the final product. I cooked mine in the crock pot on low for about 6 hours and the beans weren't quite soft enough yet, so I turned it up to high for another 30 minutes or so and it was nice. Served over some leftover wheat pasta with a sprinkle of cheese and Greek yogurt. I wouldn't have added lime to this if it hadn't suggested it, but it was pretty good.


119. A red salad: Combine tomato wedges with halved strawberries, basil leaves, shaved Parmesan and balsamic vinegar. — If you had great versions of all the ingredients this seems like it would be a tasty and interesting combination. But I was working with eh-quality grocery store tomatoes, and even the strawberries I had didn't seem to have too much flavor. It was not so great when I first mixed it up, but after the flavors melded and the Parmesan softened a little it was pretty good. I would try it again with better fruit.


120. Broiled Tilapia Parmesan: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/broiled-tilapia-parmesan/Detail.aspx — I really love tilapia because of how quick and easy it was. I just made one portion of this so, as usual, basically just combined the ingredients it called for in really guesstimated proportions. The saltiness of the celery salt was a little much, but otherwise it was very good.


121. Sweet and Spicy Soup with Black-Eyed Peas and Sweet Potatoes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-and-Spicy-Soup-with-Black-Eyed-Peas-and-Sweet-Potato/Detail.aspx — Damn that's a lot of spices. I used them all, with fresh basil instead of dried and more red pepper flakes than called for. Fresh sweet potatoes instead of canned, frozen peas instead of canned, jarred roasted red peppers instead of doing that myself, and tossed in a few chopped green bell peppers with the onions because I needed to use them. I had to up the liquid to get it to cover everything, and I let it cook for a little longer than called for. When it was done I kind of smushed the sweet potato chunks with my spoon because I think that's the desired effect. I liked the buttload of spices. I even liked the amount of cinnamon, which some people were complaining about (though keep in mind I don't measure stuff and just eyeball it so I could have been shorting that). It was good plain but I also topped some with some plain Greek yogurt, and I really liked that.

Next day note: This is one of those great leftover foods because you can adapt it a bunch of ways. You can throw in some leftover meat if you have any, put it over rice or pasta, dilute it and have it as a soupier soup, top it with different things, whatever. I love stuff that is flexible like that because you can have healthy leftovers and not get bored eating the same thing a few times in a row.


122. Strawberry Pear Clafouti: http://blogs.familyeducation.com/blogs/sweet-pea-chef/strawberry-pear-clafouti — I have never had clafouti so I am not sure exactly how it was supposed to be, but I think mine didn't set up as much as it should have. I cut the recipe into one egg's worth so I might have added a little too much milk or something. The flavor was good but it didn't hold together too well.

It looks greasy here but it was fruit juice.


123. Gingersnap Oatmeal: http://www.food.com/recipe/gingersnap-oatmeal-426466 — I used steel-cut oats instead of old-fashioned. Eh. I didn't use a full tablespoon of molasses because I'm not the hugest fan of it, but then it needed a little more sweetener so I added a sprinkle of Truvia. It was still pretty unexciting. I added a little more cinnamon and ginger, and that didn't fix it. I mixed in a teaspoon or so of sunflower butter and that was pretty OK. I wouldn't make it again though.

124. Mix cooked or canned chickpeas with toasted coconut, shredded carrots, chopped celery, curry powder, olive oil, lime juice and cilantro. — I only had lemons so subbed lemon for lime juice and didn't use cilantro. The olive oil was getting overpowering and it wasn't moist enough yet so I tossed in a tablespoon or so of Greek yogurt. I liked the taste of that a lot. Then I got all crazy and added a can of tuna. That was also really good. Lots of flavors going on, but it worked. I know I totally bastardized the intent of the recipe though.
before

after


125. Salty Balls: http://www.webtender.com/db/drink/5176 — The salt complements the sweetness of the melon, and the grapefruit juice keeps it from being grossly sweet. Much better than I expected.

126. Pompous Mexican: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pompous-Mexican/Detail.aspx — I'd heard of this but never tried it. I happened to have a Corona I inherited from someone else. It doesn't really add much flavor-wise, but perhaps I wasn't using a full-flavored-enough gin. Or maybe that's the point.

127. The Liver Transplant: http://www.mixologyguide.com/component/option,com_mtree/task,viewlink/link_id,1933/Itemid,27/ — I didn't have creme de almond so I double the amaretto. I didn't use sour mix because I didn't have any but I wish I had.

128. (T)BLT. Yes. I have never made or eaten a BLT. I very lightly toasted a wheat sandwich thin and filled it with turkey bacon, baby romaine lettuce, tomato and Duke's mayo. Now I see why people like them. I may or may not have immediately made a second one after I finished the first.

129. Crock Pot Caponata: http://www.allcrockpotrecipes.com/sides/crockpotcaponata.shtml — All this baaarely fit in my Crock Pot. I have never had caponata so I'm not entirely sure what to compare it to. It's hard for me to describe how I feel about it. I recognize that it tastes good, but I also am not crazy about it. I think it's just because it's eggplant. That's one of few veggies I don't love. I ate it hot today but am looking forward to trying it room temp or cold. It has an intriguing blend of flavors.

5/23/2011 8:38:41 PM

your food looks awful.

5/23/2011 8:43:03 PM

^

5/23/2011 8:54:24 PM

I'm def going to try quite a few of your recipes. I think tomorrow is the night for your zucchini skillet recipe.

5/24/2011 6:44:28 PM

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/02/ginger-lime-shrimp-and-noodles/


(except I substituted quinoa for the noodles)

5/25/2011 9:33:51 PM

Made this tonight: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/engagement-roast-chicken-recipe/index.html

It was amazing. Really amazing. And quite easy to make.

5/25/2011 9:35:05 PM

OMG!!! Skwinkle!!!

This zucchini turkey skillet thing is A-MAZING! and the spaghetti squash just pairs beautifully with it!

5/26/2011 7:57:44 PM

I'm so glad you gave the spaghetti squash another chance! YAY!

5/26/2011 8:04:33 PM

I am adding it to the dinners spreadsheet.

5/26/2011 8:14:38 PM

I made this incredibleeeee shrimp over creamy basil pesto the other night. I wish I had a decent camera!

5/26/2011 8:27:38 PM

Hey you asked me to post my non-decent-camera pictures. You better do the same!

5/26/2011 8:29:39 PM

Chocolate oatmeal no-bake cookie, i.e. Cow patties, shit piles, peanut butter delights, fudge http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,2310,154177-234202,00.html

My mom used to make these when I was little. I would prob like them better with crunchy peanut butter but they are nummers.

5/28/2011 2:24:20 PM

I'm going to use this recipe as the inspiration for my cupcake recipe

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/05/strawberry-lemonade-cupcakes/

I'm going to use blackberries instead though.. I might do blackberry chunks in the batter. I will report my results tomorrow.

I also might make these tomorrow

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/02/dark-chocolate-cupcakes-with-white-chocolate-ganache-and-candied-bacon/

5/28/2011 2:49:42 PM

Sam, I took the strawberry/lime cupcakes and did what you want to do with the blackberries. I actually cut up strawberries and mixed it in with the frosting and then put that in the hole I cut out in the cupcake. Came out delicious!

5/28/2011 3:01:24 PM

^ awesome! any pics?

5/28/2011 3:13:52 PM

I'm gonna make those this week too, Sam.

5/28/2011 3:15:10 PM

punchmonk are you telling Maya that they're called cow patties?

That'd be so LOL if she went to someone and said MY MOMMY AND I ATE COW PATTIES

5/28/2011 4:56:56 PM

trying out the pineapple chicken recipe tonight. We shall see how it turns out. I added white onions to it because I like cooked onions with this kind of combination normally.

6/1/2011 1:57:40 PM

I'm going to make those strawberry cupcakes at the end of the month. I might add some rum or other liquor, I'm undecided.

6/1/2011 2:06:52 PM

Quote :

"^ awesome! any pics?"

yes but they're on my iphone

i made them mini too - so they were little bite sized cupcakes. i brought some to the borough for friends to share and they were a big hit.

6/1/2011 2:36:36 PM

This weekend I plan on making Butterfinger brownies, Chips Ahoy cookie-laden coffee cake, possibly some other baked stuff, and adult marshmallows. Those flavors will include at least beer and gin fizz. We've also considered White Russian and I forget what else. Lady at the grocery store looked at me like I was a wizard when she asked what I planned on doing with 3 boxes of unflavored gelatin and I told her I was making marshmallows.

6/1/2011 3:13:12 PM

OMG!!! That dish is soooooo yummy!!! The onions were a good choice. I added the avocado and it creates this flavor in my mouth that is unexpected but absolutely welcomed.

6/1/2011 5:59:21 PM