Everyday Systems

Nicest Husband and I like to cook. One of the things I love about No S is that we can cook anything we want and even eat it on an N day, as long as it is not a sweet.

Last night, I made butternut squash and sage risotto for dinner. It turned out rather well, if I do say so myself. For dinner tonight, I've got a Provencal beef stew in the crockpot. We'll have pasta and wax beans with it. I hope it tastes as good as it smells.

Anybody else cooking anything interesting?

Soup, made with juice from this summer's tomatoes.

Last night was shredded beef tacos, I am lucky to be able to get fresh corn tortillas delicious. Tonight just salad. My hubby is coaching and we went out for lunch.

I love what's for dinner threads. I don't k ow why but I am always I treated in what people are eating.

Niceest I adore risotto sounds delicious!

snapdragon wrote:Niceest I adore risotto sounds delicious!

I got the recipe from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook. It has lots of interesting vegetarian risotto recipes, and all the ones I've made have turned out well.

One of the great strengths of No S is that we don't have to give up eating any particular food. We don't have to do without risotto, the way people on low-carb diets do. We don't have to give up beef stew, the way someone on a low-fat diet might. We just have to stick to reasonable portions of the foods we do eat, at least most of the time.

Not sure about tonight but last night was make-your-own sushi.
Cook and season a batch of sushi rice. Place on the table with quartered nori sheets and a selection of fillings, e.g. chicken strips, omelette strips, tuna, tofu, julienned carrots, cucumbers, snow peas, capsicum (peppers), avocado, wasabi and soy sauce. You take a nori sheet, add rice and your chosen fillings, wrap, dip in a little soy and eat.
A Japanese family member showed me this and said it is a common casual meal in Japan.

Last night...shrimp fettucine alfredo
Tonight...beef nacho casserole

Emmay, that sounds interesting!

Zippadee, I have a Cajun Alfredo on the menu for this week. I think I will add some scallops to it.

Niceist is right no s is awesome, imagine eating Alfredo pasta without guilt!!!!

Tonight was lamb curry with basmati rice, cucumber riata and tomato salad.
For a simple lamb curry: sauté onions in ghee or butter/olive oil, add whole spices, e.g. a cinnamon quill, pepper corns, star anise, cardamom pods, dried chillies, coriander seeds and cloves. Fry for 2 minutes, add diced lamb, fry a bit more, add a tin of diced tomatoes and half a cup of water. Simmer for an hour and a half. Adapted from 'The Real Food Companion' by Matthew Evans.

Dinner last night was fried potatoes (made with onions, garlic and some bacon) with a fried egg on top and applesauce. Lunch was avgolemono with homemade bread, green beans, leftover cranberry sauce and applesauce.

We didn't have our Thanksgiving feast until Monday and I'm working on leftovers.

Making white chili and I have some multigrain rolls to go with.

Everything in the garden frittata!
This year we've grown onions, spinach, beetroot and our asparagus is in it's second year, so we can do some light harvesting. Our neighbor grew some awesome tomatoes, so he gave us heaps.

My frittata:
Use a bit of olive oil to fry onion, potato (chopped small), tomatoes and a rasher of bacon. Layer that into the baking dish. Fry chopped spinach and beetroot greens, put on top of the other stuff. Mix up some eggs and pour over the top. Sprinkle with goat fetta. Bake in a moderate oven until egg is set (everything else is already cooked). Yum!

Chef, that sounds delicious!

I love ogling what people are eating, gives me inspiration!

Last night was ham and cheese tortellini, this evening was meant to be lemon roast chicken and vegetables but will now be a celebratory takeaway as OH got offered a fab new job, hooray! Attempting to investigate healthy Chinese options...

Either colcannon and pork chops or frittata.

Either way, I'm making veggie and rice soup tonight. It's an easy lunch to grab this time of year.

broccoli and carrot cheese soup in a bread bowl... no snacking... no seconds... no dessert...

Millie I am the same, I love when people tell what they ate on their daily check ins.

Tonight it's bangers an mash. I got these spicy jalapeño sausages from Costco. I know I have lots of veggies in the fridge, and a salad.

Just checking out this post (11:30 pm in Switzerland).

So, not tonight but tomorrow evening for dinner, a large mixed salad as the main meal:
onion, garlic gloves (crushed), Eichblatt lettuce (red and green leaves), cherry tomatoes, cucumber, cicorino leaves (dark red lettuce), shredded carrot,
cauliflower, Italian-seasoned chicken strips, shrimp, thinly sliced apple, lightly roasted walnut pieces, celery slices.
Raspberrry-oil dressing; if needed, extra balsamico vinegar.
1-2 hrs. after dinner I'll have rooibos-cinnamon tea with 1/2 tsp of honey.
Sorry folks, nothing fancy to speak of
_________
Hedster

I made a brisket yesterday, so I think I'll have a brisket sandwich tonight. Or maybe I'll bake a potato and put some of the meat and carrots on top.

Yesterday: Leftover Curry and Rice, rounded out with a fried egg on top. Big Salad (Lettuce and assorted chopped/diced veggies), homemade toast, and fruit to fill the plate. We have a "Breakfast for Dinner" meal at least once a week.

Today: Mushrooms in Port Sauce over Popovers, Sauteed Green Beans and Red Peppers, Creamy Broccoli Salad. The fresh mushrooms just so look good right now at the stores.

Tomorrow: Grilled Carne Asada with Cranberry Salsa, Guacamole and Chips, Fresh Cabbage Salad, Quick Spanish Rice (put together from l.o. rice, salsa, cooked veggies). We can only intermittently get avocados and when we do, guacamole is always our first choice. However, I can attest that a meal of nothing but guacamole and chips, while tasty, is not something I want to repeat!

I also always have fruit and nuts available for finishing off the meal if needed.

Mmmm. Maybe we should rename the NoS Diet the Good Food Diet!

mmm, I love reading what everyone is having. Very inspiring.

I'm especially envious of those in the northern hemisphere enjoying that last of the fungi season. I spent some time in Italy and France during Sept and Oct a few years ago, and I think I just about turned into a mushroom after all the porcini and truffles I ate

Tonight - roasted lemon chicken and veg (parsnips, carrot and onion). Smells amazing in the oven!

Venison Chili!

My lunch today was pretty hearty, so I want something lighter for dinner. I'm thinking avgolemono and this carrot and beet salad. I'm not sure how they'll go together, but they're both from the Mediterranean!

I just made burgers with garlic aioli. We like our burger wrapped in iceberg lettuce, oven fries with more aioli and a spinach salad. I also had a spoonful of almond butter.

Made tandoori chicken and turmeric quinoa pilaf. Too lazy to make any veggie.

Chili. Maybe cornbread.

Garlic crumbed fish, sweet potato and leeks tonight.

Tonight I'm going to make a version of Jerusalem Mixed Grill and have more of the carrot-beet salad. I say a version of the mixed grill because I'm only using chicken breasts and not putting the mixture in a pita (don't have any).

Yesterday: Homemade Falafels with trimmings, flatbread, garlic yogurt sauce, Spicy Carrot Salad, mandarins

Today: Italian Beef Sandwiches, Oven Fries, Hearty Salad (lettuce plus plenty of chopped veggies--including the last tomatoes from the greenhouse), cheesecake cookies for dessert (Fri=S day at our house).

Tomorrow: We are invited out.

Sunday: Pesto-Mozzarella Stuffed Pork Chops, Polenta, Roasted Veggies, Spinach Salad, Cherry Cobbler for dessert.

Vegetarian tacos.

Yum guys! That spicy carrot salad sounds nice.

Roast lamb and potatoes with pease and mint sauce. I am not crazy about lamb but my husband loves it so it's really for him. I bought some chocolate chip coolies for dessert.

The house is empty. A protein shake. A steak and salad sound much better though.

An (almost) classic tonight, meatloaf, green beans, brown/wild rice, gravy and mixed salad with apple slivers, dessert: 2 dried figs.

Love and peace
__________
H

I considered meatloaf. The kids hate it though so I decided against it. I adore meatloaf!!!,

Over43 wrote:The house is empty. A protein shake. A steak and salad sound much better though.

I would have made the steak and salad.

I love to cook too, but sometimes am in a hurry, this is a yummy fast soup I make when in a hurry:

Homemade chicken stock from the freezer, or you can use low sodium canned stock, but homemade is better and low sodium V8 juice. season with pepper and a little plain yougurt or sour cream. I serve with thin noodles. It almost tastes as good as homemade tomato soup and really hits the spot.

P.S. way better than the canned soups

I made tomato soup a few days ago and we're having that with grilled cheese for lunch today. Not sure what we're having for dinner. I don't have a lot of leftovers from the holiday and we're in the middle of a blizzard right now.

Last night was fish and chips with a bottle of Guinness. We cooked up the last of the fish my son caught this past summer. I also roasted some broccoli which I love.

I made soup last night because I like having it for lunch. It's "All In" soup as in All the veggies I have on hand go IN the soup. Peas, corn, squash, canned tomatoes, celery, carrot, onion.

We have quite a bit of prime rib left from Christmas dinner so maybe hot beef sandwiches with au jus? Or maybe spaghetti and meatballs if the prime rib takes on a lot of damage at lunch time. My three sons (25, 22, almost 19) are home and they do eat.

Pork chop, cabbage cooked with bacon and onions, roasted potatoes.

I put a stew in the crockpot: Limas, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, Mediterrean seasonings, top with crumbled feta. Served with mixed veggies and dinner rolls. Yum.

Dinner last night was tandoori chicken, sweet potato and carrot mash and broccoli.

I think dinner tonight will be sausage and vegetable pasta, yum.

Any inspired ideas for tomorrow? I think I have some white fish (cod I think) in the freezer that needs using up...

I need to use up some cod too. I might make cod cakes or lemon baked cod( baked with butter and lemon with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs on top.

Tonight it's Polish sausage, red potatoes, sauerkraut, and rye bread.

Chicken and veg soup. I make a version that uses garlic and ginger. Yum.

Ham, Swiss cheese, mushroom frittata with roasted squash, broccoli, and onions for a side.

Jammin' Jan wrote:Tonight it's Polish sausage, red potatoes, sauerkraut, and rye bread.

Oh my goodness that sounds good!

Pork chops over au gratin potatoes, corn and brussels sprouts.

Last night was slow cooker taco soup with tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Yum!!

Yesterday: organic pork chops with Brussels sprouts and seasoned boiled potatoes
Tonight: Backed potato slices with quark (curd cheese? Dear me, please read my disclaimer and replace impolite with inedible, if applicable) with herbs, or tzaziki

Yesterday: Green Chile Verde, Corn muffins served with a bit of butter and honey, carrot sticks with homemade ranch, fruit plate.

Today: Omelette (mushroom, cheese, greens), bacon, toast, l.o. green beans, fruit salad.

Tomorrow: Falafels with homemade pita, all the fixins (yogurt sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, etc), feta cheese, hummus, fruit and nut plate. MMM. Can't wait.

I am currently roasting some chicken breasts to make some enchiladas tonight. Will have a salad with it and possibly something with spaghetti squash if I can think of something. I also have some tomotillos so I will likely make a little green salsa to go with it all.

Will probably make the cod for tomorrow though I don't feel like it.

Jonas Jonasson wrote:Yesterday: organic pork chops with Brussels sprouts and seasoned boiled potatoes
Tonight: Backed potato slices with quark (curd cheese? Dear me, please read my disclaimer and replace impolite with inedible, if applicable) with herbs, or tzaziki

I looked up quark and sounds delicious.

Tonight is Green Chilie Pie, hash browns, corn muffins

We're having cheeseburgers and veggie chips.

Tonight was sauteed chicken. Tomorrow will be tacos. And Saturday will be ham and beans.

Yesterday we had Things-we-found-in-the-freezer, this was basically salmon fish fingers and spinach. I added fried eggs and boiled potatoes.
We seem to eat potatoes almost every night but there is a reason, besides our genetic disposition:
We live in this quite big village but there is only one independent greengrocer left but, for various reasons, he seems to be facing bankruptcy. I just don't want this to happen, he is very nice and I want to have a greengocer not only supermarkets, so I try to buy my greens there. But at the moment there are not too many things on offer (vicious circle no customers - no goods) so I usually end up schlepping potatoes and apples out of his shop. I somehow suspect that this will not save him.
Positive side effect: In the meantime I have discovered millions of nice potato recipes.
Tonight we'll have homemade pizza. No potatoes for a change and a good way to deal with the odd slice of ham etc. in the fridge.
@snapdragon: yes, quark is nice. Backed (sic) potatoes are even better
Many words

Jonas, I love potatoes we all do in our house. I was going to make cod tonight but we have a crazy soccer schedule tonight. Three of the kids have practice and my husband has a late game so might make pasta. That way everyone can grab some when they get home. They would ignore the fish.

Tonight is red beans and rice, green beans, corn muffins.

Update: I have been trying to find a way to season red beans so they taste like they have sausage in them without actually containing and meat or even fake meat. Tonight's magic ingredient was liquid smoke, in addition to my usual garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. Perfect!

Yesterday: Homemade Ranch Burgers (Burgers with Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, and BBQ sauce); 3-bean salad, veggies with homemade ranch, corn on the cob.

Today: Beef Vegetable Stew with butter dips (log-shaped biscuits made w/o butter, but rolled in melted butter before baking. Mmmm), fruit, l.o. salad

Sunday: Grilled Steak with Creamy Mushroom sauce, homemade rustic bread, tossed salad, roasted veggies. Cheesecake cookies for dessert.

Monday: Sloppy Joes on homemade buns, cabbage salad, oven-fries, oranges.

We'd had a long week, so I used the Magic Sushi Phone to summon sushi. (Though I admit you can fit a LOT of sushi on a plate, even if you space it out and make it look all pretty).

Jan,

Try a wee bit of fennel too in your beans to give a sausagey essence.

Blithe Morning: I will try that, thanks!

Pizza tonight. Fresh fruit on the side.

Yesterday we had stuffed cabbage (? cabbage roulades?) a bit unnerving to make but the results are yum. And we are going to have them tonight as well. With mashed potatoes (here we go again)

I had tacos last night -- using the refried beans I made and the flour tortillas I made.

Tonight we had old fashioned corned beef - cooked with a clove studded onion. Served with carrots, potatoes and cabbage, and a white sauce with Italian parsley and celery leaves from our garden.
It's such comfort food, and reminds me of meals my mother made when we were little.

Mmmmm it all sounds so yummy!

Iron chef interested in your white sauce, was it a Bechmael type sauce. Wouldn't of thought of that with corned beef.

Making meatloaf and mash potatoes with garlicky green beans!

Gonna try and make some Scotch eggs for breakfast this week, with a spicy mustard sauce.

Jonas, stuffed cabbage is what it would be called here. Yum, never tried to make it myself. My grandmother was Russian so I have had her version.

Tonight was lemon chicken, from a recipe from Bee Yinn Low's Easy Chinese Recipes.

snapdragon wrote:Iron chef interested in your white sauce, was it a Bechmael type sauce. Wouldn't of thought of that with corned beef.

Yep, parsley sauce is pretty close to the basic bechamel that I would make for veggies or a lasagna. So, some foaming butter, a little plain flour, then milk, and finally chopped parsley and in my case, chopped celery greens. If I was making lasagna, I'd add some nutmeg instead or some grated parmesan.

Parsley sauce is *the* traditional corned beef accompaniment in our family (as well as cabbage, carrot and potatoes).

I'd be interested in how you serve it - would like to mix it up now and then.

Mmmmm will try that next time I make corned beef. I know my husband would particularly like it. I usually serve it with grainy Dijon and straight up horseradish. A side not my husband is from the UK and his mum and dad are Irish and to them corned beef comes from a can and is nothing like what we eat! I really love our kind though, so does the Mr.

I have some leftover roast that needs to be used today so likely will make some sort of hash tonight. Will have a crazy day kids are off and we have a soccer tournament from 1-6:30

snapdragon wrote: A side not my husband is from the UK and his mum and dad are Irish and to them corned beef comes from a can and is nothing like what we eat! I really love our kind though, so does the Mr.

Years ago I learned that when the Irish started immigrating here they couldn't find a certain kind of ham they cooked in Ireland. Their Jewish neighbors introduced them to corned beef to be used instead of the ham.

Tonight it's going to be Sauerkraut and Sausage soup with bread and fruit. Tomorrow I'm getting ambitious and making hummus, pita, and chicken shawarma with tahini sauce. There will be some kind of salad, too. That would have been dinner tonight if I'd started thinking about it earlier.

wosnes wrote:Tonight it's going to be Sauerkraut and Sausage soup with bread and fruit. Tomorrow I'm getting ambitious and making hummus, pita, and chicken shawarma with tahini sauce. There will be some kind of salad, too. That would have been dinner tonight if I'd started thinking about it earlier.

wosnes,
I admire your real food lifestyle FOR YOU.

As much as I love the process of eating,
I would have to be on the brink of starvation ... i.e. underweight after a 40 day fast or something,
to eat hummus, tahini, chicken shawarma, or sauerkrat and sausage soup.
It's good that each of us individually chooses what foods to eat.

BrightAngel wrote:

wosnes wrote:Tonight it's going to be Sauerkraut and Sausage soup with bread and fruit. Tomorrow I'm getting ambitious and making hummus, pita, and chicken shawarma with tahini sauce. There will be some kind of salad, too. That would have been dinner tonight if I'd started thinking about it earlier.

wosnes,
I admire your real food lifestyle FOR YOU.

As much as I love the process of eating,
I would have to be on the brink of starvation ... i.e. underweight after a 40 day fast or something,
to eat hummus, tahini, chicken shawarma, or sauerkrat and sausage soup.
It's good that each of us individually chooses what foods to eat.

If No-S told me what I could and could not eat or eliminated things like the Sauerkraut and Sausage soup, and hummus, tahini, chicken shawarma and so on, I wouldn't be on No-S.

How about sweet potato soup with bacon or lentil soup with sausage and kale? They're coming up soon.

wosnes wrote:How about sweet potato soup with bacon or lentil soup with sausage and kale? They're coming up soon.

Yes ... there are many people who are like me,
who don't enjoy strong tasting combinations of foods traditionally unusual to them.
Alhough I rarely eat at fast food places, I like most of the foods offered there.
When I dine out, I choose traditional "American" cuisine

Despite all the current marketing hype toward adding "international" and "health" foods to my diet.
I feel no inclination to "re-educate" my taste buds.
No apologies for this, I also don't like the tastes of cardboard foods
like many of the popular sugared cereals, crackers, bread, pastas, cookes, pastries etc.
How others choose to eat is up to them, I never eat anything I don't like.
Truthfully, I'd rather have an extremely long water fast than eat many of the common "healthy-real-foods".

I do like the foods: sweet potatoes, lentils, bacon and country pork sausage.
I do like Lentil & bacon soup seasoned with a bit of onion and salt and pepper.
I enjoy roasted sweet potatoes, but am not a fan of creamy, starchy soups.

I cannot see how ANYONE can tolerate the taste of Kale,
I see a lot of it in Health food stores, but no matter how it is prepared -
raw, boiled, baked, roasted, dried... to me, it is SOOOO nasty.

I Strongly dislike many international foods, especially strongly spiced or bitter tasting, foods.
Many spice tastes are offensive to me, such as curry, old bay, and all of those licorice flavored ones like coriander and tumerick.
Even when I'm very hungry, I'd rather go without eating than have those tastes in my mouth.
If those were my only food choices I would soon become underweight.
But .... they are not.

Basically, my favorites are simple tastes of mild "american southern" style home cooking,
but I can tolerate eating only the most simple common vegetables,
and loathe cooked greens, especially the slimy bitter ones.
I find Raw Salads made with Iceburg, Romaine, or butter lettuce acceptible,
but don't care for greens that are bitter or naturally spicy.
Chocolate is not a favorite taste except when sweetened to relieve its bitterness.

It has always been quite easy for me to abstain from alcholic beverages,
as I find the taste of alcohol totally disgusting, including wine, beer, and also mixed drinks.
Cooking with alcohol causes that unpleasant taste to linger in the food,
and I find that substituting broth as an ingrediant in recipes works quite well.

Prefer simple spices, like table salt, black pepper, onion, garlic,
cinnamon, nutmeg, mustard, ketchup, vinegar, cumin, mild chili powder, mild salsa,
italian seasonings, and various flavorings such as vanilla, almond, etc.
If a food is bitter, hot, or has a taste I find unusual, it is unacceptable.
This is true for me ... even during the times that I've chosen to greatly limit sugar and artificial sweetners.
I like black tea, but lothe the taste of coffee.

I don't feel limited by this.
There are far, far more tasty (healthy) foods available for me to eat,
than I can ever have enough calories for.

BrightAngel wrote:Yes ... there are many people who are like me,
who don't enjoy strong tasting combinations of foods traditionally unusual to them.
Alhough I rarely eat at fast food places, I like most of the foods offered there.
When I dine out, I choose traditional "American" cuisine...

I cannot see how ANYONE can tolerate the taste of Kale,
I see a lot of it in Health food stores, but no matter how it is prepared -
raw, boiled, baked, roasted, dried... to me, it is SOOOO nasty.

I Strongly dislike many international foods, especially strongly spiced or bitter tasting, foods.

We rarely eat traditional American cuisine, and never eat pork. I love spicy food, and dislike bland food. I'm probably the only woman in the history of obstetrics to crave bitter greens such as radicchio during pregnancy. Yet the same diet plan works for both me and BrightAngel. That's nothing short of amazing.

Home made Chicken and rice soup. Cold and flu season has struck our house.

BrightAngel wrote: Yes ... there are many people who are like me,
who don't enjoy strong tasting combinations of foods traditionally unusual to them.
Alhough I rarely eat at fast food places, I like most of the foods offered there.
When I dine out, I choose traditional "American" cuisine

Despite all the current marketing hype toward adding "international" and "health" foods to my diet.
I feel no inclination to "re-educate" my taste buds.
No apologies for this, I also don't like the tastes of cardboard foods
like many of the popular sugared cereals, crackers, bread, pastas, cookes, pastries etc.
How others choose to eat is up to them, I never eat anything I don't like.
Truthfully, I'd rather have an extremely long water fast than eat many of the common "healthy-real-foods".

I do like the foods: sweet potatoes, lentils, bacon and country pork sausage.
I do like Lentil & bacon soup seasoned with a bit of onion and salt and pepper.
I enjoy roasted sweet potatoes, but am not a fan of creamy, starchy soups.

I cannot see how ANYONE can tolerate the taste of Kale,
I see a lot of it in Health food stores, but no matter how it is prepared -
raw, boiled, baked, roasted, dried... to me, it is SOOOO nasty.

I Strongly dislike many international foods, especially strongly spiced or bitter tasting, foods.
Many spice tastes are offensive to me, such as curry, old bay, and all of those licorice flavored ones like coriander and tumerick.
Even when I'm very hungry, I'd rather go without eating than have those tastes in my mouth.
If those were my only food choices I would soon become underweight.
But .... they are not.

Basically, my favorites are simple tastes of mild "american southern" style home cooking,
but I can tolerate eating only the most simple common vegetables,
and loathe cooked greens, especially the slimy bitter ones.
I find Raw Salads made with Iceburg, Romaine, or butter lettuce acceptible,
but don't care for greens that are bitter or naturally spicy.
Chocolate is not a favorite taste except when sweetened to relieve its bitterness.

It has always been quite easy for me to abstain from alcholic beverages,
as I find the taste of alcohol totally disgusting, including wine, beer, and also mixed drinks.
Cooking with alcohol causes that unpleasant taste to linger in the food,
and I find that substituting broth as an ingrediant in recipes works quite well.

Prefer simple spices, like table salt, black pepper, onion, garlic,
cinnamon, nutmeg, mustard, ketchup, vinegar, cumin, mild chili powder, mild salsa,
italian seasonings, and various flavorings such as vanilla, almond, etc.
If a food is bitter, hot, or has a taste I find unusual, it is unacceptable.
This is true for me ... even during the times that I've chosen to greatly limit sugar and artificial sweetners.
I like black tea, but lothe the taste of coffee.

I don't feel limited by this.
There are far, far more tasty (healthy) foods available for me to eat,
than I can ever have enough calories for.

Well, BrightAngel, you'd probably be pretty comfortable in my kitchen or at my table. Maybe not entirely comfortable, but pretty comfortable. We have a lot of the same likes and dislikes.

Let me start with what prompted your comment: tahini, hummus and chicken shawarma. Tahini is sesame paste and is really bland tasting. Tahini sauce has lemon juice and/or water to thin plus garlic and salt. Hummus is pureed chickpeas (also bland) with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Some olive oil is drizzled on top and it's sprinkled with paprika (I used sweet) and parsley. The recipe I used for chicken shawarma calls for the chicken to be marinated in a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. The recipe also called for turmeric, but I didn't have any so omitted it. Nothing bitter or hot.

I grew up in northern Indiana in a town with a strong German and Polish presence (hence the sauerkraut and sausage). But most of the food we ate was classic midwestern. It's still a strong preference for me. I think the food of the midwest is a lot like southern food except cornbread is sweet, greens aren't nearly as popular, and there's a noticeable absence of hot sauce (or there was until fairly recently).

It's only been in the last 10-15 years that I've found I really like the foods of the Mediterranean, especially the northern and eastern Mediterranean. I think I was drawn to it, at least in part, because most of the food and cooking methods were already familiar to me.

BrightAngel wrote:I Strongly dislike many international foods, especially strongly spiced or bitter tasting, foods.

BrightAngel, does that mean you include the various bitter tasting types of lettuce in your dislike list, e.g., escariole, cicorino, or cress herbs?
They are sooo healthy, especially helpful for the digestive system.
_________
H.

wosnes wrote:Let me start with what prompted your comment: tahini, hummus and chicken shawarma. Tahini is sesame paste and is really bland tasting. Tahini sauce has lemon juice and/or water to thin plus garlic and salt. Hummus is pureed chickpeas (also bland) with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt.

I think the food of the midwest is a lot like southern food except cornbread is sweet, greens aren't nearly as popular, and there's a noticeable absence of hot sauce (or there was until fairly recently).

wosnes - I have shelves and sheves of cookbooks, and cooking is one of my Hobbies. I've tried most foods, including most spices. I've given tahini and hummus a try on several occasions, and simply don't like them. Actually I can easily skip the dip... even the tradtional sour cream ones. I like sesame seeds and sesame oil, but not tahini. Bland still has a flavor and added to it is that gummy, pasty, consistency ... Also, I don't like the taste of chickpeas... nor black-eyed peas ... nor hominy... nor grits, nor quinoa.. For me the tastes together with consistency make those foods inedible .

I do like pinto, kidney, black beans and lentils. I love Oats including oat bran, and nuts, brown rice, as well as dense breads, and all of these are simple foods I have to work hard to keep from overeating.

While greens do appear to be a Southern staple, hot sauce is an international (Cajin) influence originating around Louisiana, and isn't really traditional southern cuisine for most of the South ... except due to it's spread through the years, the way mexican cooking has in the west and southwest. I never even tasted hot sauce until I was an adult.

Nicest of the Damned wrote: We rarely eat traditional American cuisine, and never eat pork. I love spicy food, and dislike bland food. I'm probably the only woman in the history of obstetrics to crave bitter greens such as radicchio during pregnancy. Yet the same diet plan works for both me and BrightAngel. That's nothing short of amazing.

Nicest of the Damned
Yes, isn't it great?

heddi55 wrote:BrightAngel, does that mean you include the various bitter tasting types of lettuce in your dislike list, e.g., escariole, cicorino, or cress herbs?
They are sooo healthy, especially helpful for the digestive system.
_________
H.

heddi, Yes, I dislike the taste of the bitter lettuces,
not even the tastiest sweet dressings disguise it.
I won't eat them.
and my digestive system seems to operate quite well without them.

There is actually no need for my food to be multi-cultural, fashionable, socially aware, or even interesting.
I like my food to be Delicious.
Healthy is good, but there are immense amounts of "Healthy" foods that one can choose from,
and I am fortunate not to need to eat anything that I dislike.

TLMWA wrote:Home made Chicken and rice soup. Cold and flu season has struck our house.

The other day on the news I saw a piece about Jeni's Hot Toddy sorbet: orange juice, lemon juice, honey, cayenne pepper, ginger and Maker's Mark bourbon. Except for the Maker's Mark and cayenne, it sounds like something that would be welcome if suffering from a cold or flu.

So, I googled and found this: Spiced Fresh Orange and Honey Sorbet. I'd leave out all the spices except the ginger -- and probably wouldn't worry too much if I didn't have any fresh ginger. Though I do have an ice cream maker, not having one isn't a problem. Just pour the mixture into a 13x9 pan and put in the freezer. Stir every 30 minutes or so until it's frozen.

Well said BrightAngel. We're all different, and it is good that way
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H.

BrightAngel wrote:Healthy is good, but there are immense amounts of "Healthy" foods that one can choose from

Conversely, if you eat basically healthy food, but eat too much of it, you will be overweight. You can eat mostly healthy Mediterranean and Asian type foods and be overweight, if you eat too much of them. I know, I've done it.

Wosnes, I was just looking for a schwarma recipe, funny.

Not sure what's for dinner tonight. I am hoping DH will bring something in......

Last night I marinated some chicken in a lemony garlicky, herby marinade, mate some tatziki, and a chopped salad with a vinaigrette I put it all in whole wheat tortillas and made wraps. It was yummy but Mr. Snap was not impressed. *snif*

He dislikes chicken, too bad for him chicken was on sale recenly. I got a few whole chickens buy one get one free deal. There are always leftovers when I roast a chicken, so I think my chances of bringing food in are pretty good tonight.

snapdragon wrote:Wosnes, I was just looking for a schwarma recipe, funny.

I used this one.

It's been unseasonably warm here and last night I wanted something light. I decided to try Le Grand Aïoli from The Wednesday Chef (I cannot get the link from the post to work). Apparently there are some traditional ingredients for this, but also a wider variety of fish, vegetables and some meat that can be used. I used what I had on hand: hard boiled eggs, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and carrots. It was delicious. It's a little time-consuming, but very easy. I can see this becoming part of my regular rotation with different seasonal vegetables.

Wosnes, that looks AWESOME, the whole site looks good a thousand thank yous, I am certain my husband will be delighted!

I am excited to say I am having Lou Malnati's for linner (lunch/ dinner) it's Chicago style pizza a thick buttery, flakey crust where the sauce is on top of the cheese. One of my kids got a voucher from school for a readingprogram.

Wosnes, thank you so much for this link! I will definitely try this recipe. It looks super scrumptious; the whole website looks interesting. I have added it to the list of my home pages.

I am always open to new things and new tastes (keeps me young and flexible . Oh, the blessings of NoS...
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H.

Snapdragon and heddi55 -- are you talking about The Wednesday Chef? I started following her several years ago, about the time she moved back to Berlin. Then I dropped off for some reason. I "found" her again when her book was published. It's more of a memoir with recipes than a "cookbook," but it's very enjoyable. In the book and on her blog she's mentioned some of the recipes she didn't include and naturally I'd love to try those. I specifically remember potato dumplings. Try her meatballs; they're delicious.

Or, at you talking about The Shiksa in the Kitchen? I just noticed the recipe for brisket sliders and my mouth is watering. I love brisket!

They're both great sites.

Snapdragon, I responded to your comment about Lou Malnati's and Portillos on the other thread. I'm envious. I'm not sure if I'm more envious about the Italian beef or the pizza.

wosnes, I meant "The Shiksa in the Kitchen" with the Chicken Shawarma recipe, for now. Mmmh
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H.

heddi55 wrote:wosnes, I meant "The Shiksa in the Kitchen" with the Chicken Shawarma recipe, for now. Mmmh

Have you seen her other site The History Kitchen? It's very interesting.

02.04.12

Stew made in the pressure cooker. Of course that isn't for 10 hours, but I'm already planning. Busy night tonight.

Tonight I think it's going to be shrimp baked with a crumb topping, broccoli sauteed butter or olive oil and garlic and bread. Not an original idea. I saw it on the Today Show this morning.

I am making beef fajitas. My local grocer now has fajitas marinating at the meat cow ter so giving it a whirl.

Shrimp in crumb topping sounds tasty but a sure fire way to cause weeping and wailing at the dinner table from the kiddos, and not in the mood to listen to that.

Tonight we were going to have left over Tuscan style chicken (made in the oven with pancetta, tomatoe sauce, red wine, rosemary etc.) but just before dinner time the door bell rang and a friend gave me some flounders (plaice?) they had just brought with them from Denmark.

Fresh fish on a Monday fried in butter with boiled potatoes with parsley and a mixed green salad. So good.

snapdragon wrote: Shrimp in crumb topping sounds tasty but a sure fire way to cause weeping and wailing at the dinner table from the kiddos, and not in the mood to listen to that.

Really? I loved shrimp when I was a child. We never had it at home, so if we went out to dinner, that was what I ordered.

Madras lentils over cooked rye berries, mixed lettuces plus small red and orange sweet peppers, a beer bread muffin, yogurt with papaya and hemp seeds.

Forgot to take the shrimp out of the freezer. Had chili mac and an orange instead. Not what I wanted, but the dab of leftover chili is gone!

Wosnes, I made that schwarma and tahini sauce....awesome!!! My husband called it Roti not sure on spelling. I served it with roasted vegetables, salad and a rice pilaf. Very good!

Madras lentils sound tasy. I can't find rye berries where I live I have looked! I do adore wheat berries and farro.