Shrimp and Sautéed Vegetables

3 baby red potatoes

2T EVOO

a good sprinkle of my rosemary seasoning.

Sauté until the potatoes starting turning translucent.
Add the peas and whole or halved shrimps.

1c frozen peas

1/2 lg. purple shallot

7 big Argentinian red shrimp

Stir and continue to cook; covered,
just a few minutes, over low heat; until the shrimp is done.

I had my family over for lunch after church and thought that might be it for me regarding food for the day. Later I got hungry again and this came together fast.

I had leftover vegetables so this morning that + an egg became a really great breakfast. . .Lin

Italian Zucchini Meatloaf

Today I wanted zucchini-something! I made zucchini fritters a while ago that were great, but today I didn't want anything quite so futzy since The Packers are playing 😉Somehow the idea of Zucchini Meatloaf sounded so good to me, even though I'm not quite sure what that is!

I just took it out of the oven.  It smells wonderful, but it's very soft.   There's a lot of liquid in the zucchini and I also added quite a bit, but I think this will really be good cut in slabs and topped with the baked potato-mushroom casserole I have in the oven right now.

To start, in a big glass bowl, combine the following:

4oz. Italian pork sausage

1 med. onion - chopped

2 lg. eggs

1t salt

1-2t Italian seasoning

a good shake of cayenne pepper

¼c dark EVOO

⅓-½c half and half

2-3c seasoned Panko breadcrumbs

In a food processor, chop the vegetables together until the consistency is similar to ground beef:

1¾# fresh zucchini

8oz. - 2med. carrots

5 big cloves garlic

Preheat your oven to 375°.

Mix everything together with your hands then divide it into thirds. Shape each into a loaf on a parchment lined baking pan. Bake an hour and 15 minutes, then cool to room temperature.

Cut into slabs, plate and top with Scalloped Potatoes, Mushrooms and a side of buttered peas. . .Lin

Romanesco and Turkey Breast

Romanesco

1 head of romanesco

2-4T butter

grated parmesan cheese

fresh ground black pepper

½t your favorite seasoning

Italian panko breadcrumbs

Combine romanesco, a little water, half the butter and seasonings in a 2 quart pot.  Cover, bring the water to a low boil.  Steam for 4 minutes after water comes to a boil.  Drain, add the rest of the butter, breadcrumbs, toss and serve.

Turkey Breast

Cut 12oz. turkey breast into smaller pieces, saute' them in butter and your favorite seasoning until done on both sides.  Serve with the romanesco.

Another Vegetable & Protein Breakfast (Lunch or Dinner) Plate

frozen skinny green beans

1 med. Vidalia onion - chopped

a little water

1T butter

2 hard-boiled eggs - chopped

2t champagne-dill mustard

seasoned salt

Put a big handful of the beans with the next 3 ingredients, together in a medium non-stick pan.  Cover and steam-simmer 5 minutes.  Uncover, add the eggs, mustard and salt.

Stir gently and it's ready in no time!!  Add another couple vegetables, Kimchi, carrot chutney, etc., and you're good to go for several hours.  Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE VEGETABLES!!  Combine with any good quality protein:  a small chicken breast, some slices of marinated beef, turkey jerky, eggs, a fish filet. . .for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it's always an energy-producing winning combination! . . . Lin

Stirred Eggs with Beans, Sprouts and More Beans

These are a combination of 'fancy' French Lentils I bought at our local Whole Foods Co-Op, here in Duluth, MN and plain brown ones from the grocery store.  I liked that the French Lentils were small and such an interesting teal color.  Are they better than the brown ones you buy in the dried bean section of your grocery store?  I don't think so, but it was fun mixing them together to sprout.

I can't say enough good things about Sprouted Lentils!!  They're very high in protein, fiber, they add so much freshness and crunch to everything you serve them in or with!  Their mild, Peppery Flavor is my favorite of all the sprouts.  I put them in tossed salads, vegetable casseroles, mix them into scrambled eggs, a little ground meat-egg-seasoned bread crumbs-cream and spices to make an interesting burger.  SO many ways to use them!

This is another quick, easy high-protein, breakfast-lunch-or-dinner with lots of vegetables.  The red beans, tomatoes and sprouts were first on the plate and warmed in the microwave.  I simmered the frozen, skinny green beans. (then drained the cooking liquid into a bowl to combine with dry food for my dogs later today)  A little butter, salt, pepper and they're ready.  



The eggs were cracked into some hot butter in a pan, stirred, seasoned with Trader Joe's Chili Lime Seasoning, flipped and plated.  All ready within 10 minutes.  Be Creative!  Do a little kitchen prep, and you'll always have ingredients for Quick Healthy Meals anytime you want them 😉. . .Lin

Green Beans and Cod

frozen cod

chili-lime panko bread crumbs

frozen green beans

Oh, a perfect, very simple, dinner.

Thaw the cod, then coat in bread crumbs.  Fry fast, in bacon grease or butter.  Serve with steamed green beans and tarter sauce or whatever salad dressing you like.  Ranch is good.  Tonight I chose Classic Caesar dressing.  Ohhhh, this was wonderful! . . . Lin

Quick Bratwurst Dinner

For each person:


1-2 bratwurst - any flavor
1/4 lg. onion
1 sm. Yukon Gold potato

Cut the bratwurst crosswise into a non-stick pan.  Add chopped onion, scrubbed-cubed potato and one or two tablespoons of butter.  Saute' 10 minutes or so until everything's done the way you like it and serve. . .Lin

Souper Chicken & Mashed Potatoes

2-4# skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 pkg. dry onion soup

Cut chicken into 1” pieces, put in a pan with enough water to almost cover. Simmer about half an hour.

Meanwhile, in a 2qt. casserole dish, combine canned and dry soup. Drain chicken, saving about 8-12oz. cooking water. Stir this into the soups. Add chicken, mixing to coat each piece, then bake, covered for about a half hour at 325°. Serve over mashed potatoes with a tossed salad or steamed broccoli. . .Lin

Coconut-Lime-Wild-Rice-Chicken Soup

2 lg skinless boneless chicken breasts

2-3T coconut oil (melted in the pot)

3 carrots

2c celery with tops

1 med. onion

1 lg. elephant garlic clove

½c organic wild rice

1 lg. lime - juice and zest

6c water

2-3T powdered chicken soup base

Chop-slice then combine the first 7 ingredients in a big soup pot with 1 cup of the water. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer another 10 minutes. Check, stir and continue to simmer another 45 minutes or longer. This soup is a gentle, clear broth soup, unlike that where a browning and deglazing technique is employed. This is an especially nice, simple recipe for when you're really feeling sick with the flu or a cold. . .Lin

Chunky Chicken Soup-Stew

2# boneless skinless chicken breasts

2T extra virgin olive oil

2T Balsamic vinegar

1lg. onion

3 big ribs of celery

4 big carrots

8-10 baby Yukon gold potatoes

Cut the chicken in large pieces and brown in the olive oil and vinegar with a little finely chopped onion. Cut the remaining piece of onion and all the other vegetables in big pieces. Once the chicken is browned a little add all the vegetables, 5-6 or more cups of chicken broth. Simmer several hours and serve with warm crusty bread. . .Lin

Beef Minestrone

1# stew meat cut in small pieces

2T extra virgin olive oil

½ med. onion – chopped

3 stalks celery – chopped

2 carrots – cut in oblique shapes

28oz. petite diced tomatoes

1T powdered rosemary

1T Old Bay Seasoning

1T beef soup base

12oz. frozen green beans

2 15oz. cans cannellini beans

Brown the meat and onion in olive oil, deglazing pan with water, beef broth, beer or red wine. Do this several times until meat is well browned. Add celery, carrots, tomatoes seasonings and 4-6c water. Simmer on low for about an hour. Add green and white beans and continue to simmer another half hour. Goes well with biscuits, cornbread or crusty bread sticks. . .Lin

Tomato-Garlic Chicken

6 chicken thighs - skin and fat removed

olive oil and Balsamic vinegar

1 lg. can crushed tomatoes

2 lg. onions - chopped

8-10 cloves of garlic - peeled and sliced

1t - 1T ground rosemary

1c sour cream

Brown the chicken just a little in a mix of olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. Remove chicken. Stir the tomatoes onions and rosemary together and bring to a low simmer. Add chicken pieces and cook, covered, slowly for several hours. At the very end, remove chicken, stir in the sour cream. Return the chicken to the pan to coat with the tomato cream sauce. Goes well with mashed potatoes and a big salad. . .Lin

Quinoa, Red Beans and Sausage

12oz. venison sausage, kielbasa, etc.

1 sm. onion

½c tri-colored quinoa

1 can red kidney beans

In a 2 quart pan combine cut up sausage, chopped onion and a little butter. Saute' and stir for a few minutes then add the quinoa and 1 – 1½c water. Bring to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes. Add drained-rinsed beans just before water evaporates. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes until the quinoa has sprouted little tails indicating it's cooked. Makes about 3 servings. . .Lin

Chicken Soup For A Rainy Day

4 6oz. pieces of boneless, skinless chicken

4c chicken or vegetable broth

3 stalks of celery

1 med. onion

4 lg. cloves of garlic

½# frozen green beans

4-6 pieces of roasted red pepper

Simmer the chicken in chicken broth for half an hour. Cut all the vegetables into chunky pieces and add to the pot. Simmer another hour. Makes 4 servings.
This would be wonderful with some crusty French bread. . .Lin

Talipia, Quinoa and Peas

1c quinoa red or white

2c water, chicken, or vegetable broth

2c frozen peas

Talipia filets

Today I initiated the little rice cooker my daughter bought for me. It's a smart little thing. It took longer than I thought it would, but as soon as it was cooked properly it just shut itself off! All together about 40 minutes, start to finish. If you don't have a rice cooker, just put the water quinoa and peas into a pan. Bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the water has asorbed.

Sprinkle the fish with your favorite seasonings while the quinoa and peas cook. Add the filets to a non-stick pan with a little water or butter. Cook just a few minutes on each side, plate and serve. Makes a nice dinner for 2. . .Lin

Shrimp and Green Beans

½# of large frozen raw shrimp

½# of frozen green beans

Start steaming the frozen green beans in a shallow pan with a little water. Remove shells and tails from the thawed shrimp. Add shrimp to the pan after the beans have steamed 5 minutes. Steam everything another 5-7 minutes. Drain, add seasonings and a little butter. Cover the pan until the butter melts then plate and serve. This was a great, quick and easy dinner. . .Lin

Tilapia and Broccoli

4oz. Tilapia filet - thawed

2/3c chicken broth

1 sm. crown of broccoli

Basil-Lime seasoning

fresh ground pepper

fresh ground pink Himalayan salt

Cover the tilapia with seasonings and place in a non-stick pan with the chicken broth. Simmer 5 minutes turning once. Meanwhile, separate the broccoli into florets and slice the stems into a 2qt. pan with about ½” of water in the bottom. Simmer on low-medium 5 minutes. Drain and add seasonings and a little butter. Pour pan drippings over the fish and serve. This recipe is for 1 and can easily be expanded for 2-4. . .Lin

Chicken Cacciatore Casserole

1½# skinless, boneless chicken breast meat

~ if frozen, thaw completely, dry with paper towels

1 lg. onion – 1/3 minced – 2/3 chopped

2T ea.: olive oil – butter

a splash of white balsamic vinegar or white wine

2 lg. cloves elephant garlic – chopped

1 lg. green pepper – cut in strips

8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms

1-2 T pasta or Italian seasoning

1 lg. can petite diced tomatoes

1 sm. can tomato sauce

8-12 oz. brown rice pasta
~ cooked al dente – rinse and drain

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and saute, with the minced onion, until browned. Add a little white balsamic or water to deglaze the pan, then brown again. Repeat several times until the chicken is nicely browned. Add garlic, chopped onion, pepper strips, mushrooms, a little more vinegar or water and saute10 minutes. Add seasonings, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Simmer, covered, on low heat at least an hour. Add cooked pasta, or serve over pasta. Mix, if combining. Heat and serve with crusty garlic bread and/or a big green salad. Makes a lot. This recipe is gluten free. . .Lin

Spicy Beans and Sausage

8oz. precooked breakfast sausages

1 lg. onion – finely chopped

1 15.5oz can cannellini beans – rinse and drain

1 28oz. can baked beans with juice

a pinch of cayenne pepper

Chop the sausages up a little and brown them with part of the onion and a little butter in a non-stick pan. Add water when browned, let evaporate and repeat to develop the flavors. After following this procedure 5-10 minutes, add rest of the onion and the beans. Simmer on low 30-90 minutes. The longer it cooks the thicker it will be. Serve with cornbread. . .Lin  

Quick Kale-y Bean Soup

1 bunch of kale, broken up,

~ ~washed and dried well

2 large elephant garlic cloves minced

1 large onion – ½ minced and ½ rough chopped

2T bacon drippings

4oz. smoked turkey lunchmeat, slice-cube

5c± chicken broth

2t cumin powder

salt and pepper if needed

2 cans drained-rinsed white beans

*1c sour cream – optional

Saute' the kale, onion and garlic in bacon drippings. Add meat and stir-fry for 5 minutes or so until kale wilts and everything is well blended and sauted. Add chicken broth, seasonings, white beans and simmer 45 minutes. Add *sour cream at the very end, rewarm and serve. Would be great with crusty Italian bread. . .Lin