Baked Spaghetti Squash is not for me

http://www.idontgotothegym.com/2013/01/baked-spaghetti-squash.html?m=1

So, I made spaghetti squash the other day and came across this recipe and decided that I needed to try it. It claims to be a delicious and healthy alternative to lasagna type dishes-- pasta-free lasagna!

To be fair? I totally changed the recipe-- I just used store bought sauce (the good stuff though-- Newman's Sockarooni) and added sauteed spinach and onions and garlic. But, my basic impression was that this was super delicious, but just left me wanting real lasagna.

But it's still totally worth it right? Something that tastes mostly like lasagna, but is uber healthy and on the low cal side of things-- worth it, right? Not the way I make it. I used like double or triple the amount of cheese that their recipe called for. I'm pretty sure this ruins it-- and if I'm eating a meal becuase its' delicious and filing and fabulous, but not THAT healthy for me-- I want actual lasgana, damnit.

But spaghetti squash is delicious, so I need to find some good stuff with that. I roasted it once and then I made it in the microwave once, both were delicious.

Vanilla Milk

Okay, so, this is currently my soothing headed towards bedtime and trying to increase my calcium intake go-to.

1% milk + couple dashes ground cardamom + dash or two of vanilla extract
then stir it together (preferably in a pretty flower cup).

Watermelon Water

Okay, so, this is basically just diluted watermelon juice. I had a bunch of juice left in the watermelon after I'd cut up cubes, so I dumped it in a tupperware. Figured I'd spice up my water.

Ingredients
12ish oz Water
4ish oz Watermelon juice
Ice (essential)
Dash of lemon juice

Put it all together and drink

Own Recipe: Instant Brussel Sprouts Upgrade

Take a bag of microwavable steamed brussel sprouts. Cook 'em.
Poured cooked sprouts into a bowl.
Add dashes of parmesan cheese, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and a splash of lime juice.

Delicious!

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

**This recipe was inspired by the great and lovely Melissa**

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/223211/quinoa-stuffed-peppers/

So, once again, I'm not sure that I could call this the recipe I followed, because I ignored it, but this was the start.

Quinoa + broth + carrots, onions, and tomatoes because that's waht I had around.
The peppers needed more time in the oven (350, 22 minutes)

This is a great starter. It could use a bit more, but I like how flexible it is.

Staple: Smashed chickpea and avocado sandwich

This is such a winner!!

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/smashed-chickpea-avocado-salad-sandwich/

I didn't have a lime, so I used a lemon. The lime would be better, but this is still way delicious. I also added sriracha as a topping because I couldn't resist.

I'll let you know how well it survives the school transport/fridge/freezing, because this could be one of my new go-tos.


Update
So, freezing was okay, but it took a long time to thaw out--longer than the PB&J for sure. And unsurprisingly, lettuce does not freeze well. Only kept it in one night, so not sure how it would do on the freezer burn front.

The raw stuff kept in the fridge fine, so totally good to make ahead of time and then make the sandwich daily for sure.

Also, tried it with pinto beans instead of chickpeas this week because that's what I had and it was a little watery, which I kind of suspect was just because I was lazy about draining, but it was delicious as well. So, very adaptable.

Lentil Salad

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/215280/refreshing-lentil-salad/

So, the plan was to make that recipe. I think instead it turned into--- I made lentils and then I put some of these ingredients in there and then just started putting stuff on my lentils. Generally delicious, but I'll give feedback on the combo later.

Staple: Lemon Kale and Quinoa Salad

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/01/lemony-kale-quinoa-salad/

This is delicious and so so so easy. I make this all of the time and it only gets easier.

So, I have made some modifications that up the price a little bit, but are so worth it. (And my quinoa from costco probably makes up theh difference really)
-- use precut kale. so. easy.
--use prechopped garlic, it's not quite as good, but oh well.
--double it, I'm going to eat it. Save myself the trouble

So directions are now

1. Put some olive oil (1 tbsp or so) in a big pot and put the garlic in there too and turn up to like 6.
2. Add a bunch of kale... haven't figured out how much is ideal yet, but dump a bunch in. Keep them in there for a couple of minutes or until they start to get glossy.
3. Add two cups of quinoa and three bouilion cubes and three cups of water. Put a lid on it and turn up the heat to a 7 or an 8
3. Start zesting the lemon
4. When the pot is boiling, turn it down to a 2 or so and let it simmer for 15 minutes. (Do longer if necesary to get the liquid out)
5. Put the lemon zest on it, squeeze either half a lemon or the whole lemon into it, add feta and walnuts. Done.

So. EASY.

Own Recipe: Fastest Healthy Dinner on the planet

-can of beans (whatever kind)
-can of diced tomatoes (usually with chilis)
-can of tuna
-sriracha
-whatever spices you want to add

Un-can, drain, mix, delish

Own Recipe: Leftover Brown Rice and Stirfry Veggies

This is perfect for when I have leftover rice and I want to use it up and eat something delicious in ten minutes

Ingredients
Kroger Stirfry frozen veggies
olive oil
brown rice
sriracha
soy sauce
optionals: whatever-- this time it was green onions and canned pineapple bits

Directions
Olive oil on the frying pan and heat it up. When it's warm, add the frozen veggies. When that's all warm, go ahead and add the brown rice to warm that up too. Once it's all hot and happy, add sauce and other ingredients as desired. Boom.

Staple: Thai Curry Vegetable Soup

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/03/thai-curry-vegetable-soup/

This needs a proper entry, but this will do for now. This was delicious. Bok Choy was expensive, so I replaced it with leftover spinach and a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. I think the Bok Choy would prob have been better, but this was delicious. Also, sriracha is worth it. The red onions were blegh for me.

Keeper: I made NAAN

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2010/09/naan/


http://www.fullforkahead.com/2013/09/25/homemade-naan/

Some interesting instructions here

Naan notes
--takes an hour + to rise (may use tips in second article next time)
-- if don't have rolling pin, make do with any cylindrical object-- I used a water bottle
--the thinness of it seemed to be a crucial variable-- thin, but not toooo thin
--the minced garlic added to the butter after (from the tin), was meh on the flavor. may be better added to the dough--see second article

Keeper Recipe: Dal Nirvana

Oh my god. It's so good and so easy and so cheap.

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2010/09/dal-nirvana/

Wow, I did it!

Not even four months into the year, and I've met the first goal.

 I've got 12 keeper recipes!!

 I cook most weeks now.  I could easily bring something that someone else would want to eat if I were invited over. Course, it's a life long process and all that and I've got tons of learning ahead of me, but I did it! I am definitely at accomplished beginner cook stage. :-)

Grab and Go Breakfast: Cottage Cheese Parfait

So, you could totally make this with plain greek yogurt instead, cottage cheese is just usually cheaper. It's delicious with regular yogurt (plain or flavored), but that's not going to have as much protein.

So, here's the deal. Get containers to take to work/school. Get cottage cheese, bag of nuts (baking aisle seems to be cheapest usually for the good stuff), and bag of frozen fruit (I haven't found one that isn't delicious yet-- berries, tropical blend, weird blend with peaches and grapes). Put cottage cheese in the containers, add some nuts and fruit. Then shove the nuts and fruit in the freezer to keep 'em good. Done. Delicious.

Hmmm I should try adding some spices... cardamom or cinnamon or something.

Keeper: Chana Aloo Masala

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/02/chana-aloo-masala-chickpea-and-potato-masala/

So, if you come into this with the expectations that this is going to taste just like the Indian food from your favorite restaurant, you're going to be disappointed. Your favorite restaurant probably uses a pile of ghee, don't get their garam masala on sale from Kroger, and probably use a more complex spice combo. However, oh my gosh was it good. Especially once I added sour cream/plain greek yogurt and sriracha? Super addictive.

It was also super easy to make, although I did also have a romcom moment. I was trying to drain the potatoes when I heard all of these popping sounds-- the lovely tomato sauce was trying to splatter all over my walls. So, I tried to hop over there (carrying the pot with me), which caused my poor little foot to cramp. So then I somehow ended up with one shoe off, half crouched by the stove, with one hand massaging my foot and the other hand swatting at the sauce trying to stir it to stop the little explosions. It was fun.

Cost: Cheap? It's from budget bytes. That's all I know.
Convenience: This is quite easy to make. If I could chop potatoes evenly and quickly it could be quite fast! The sauce does need some monitoring if you take too long though.
Delicious: This is way better the second day and with the creaminess and a little more spice added. Sooooooooooooo delicious.
Freeze: Apparently yes. Budget bytes Beth says the potato might get grainy, but she thinks it'd be great.
Uses: Fast dinner with Indianish twist?
Notes: I added twice the garam masala as suggested because I think mine was pretty weak, I also ended up adding some sour cream and sriracha. Next time maybe add green peas? More veggies in this would make me really happy. I know that's even less Indian, but I'm going to try it anyway.

Needs Practicing: Budget Bytes Breakfast Burritos

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/01/freezer-breakfast-burritos/

These were better the second day than they were the first. This is a very very simple recipe. I definitely needed better salsa and it could maybe use a little more oomph-- sauteed onions and peppers maybe? That would be awesome. Still, I feel like these may be the answer to life's problems and I need to figure them out. Because this would be super fast and filling.

Keeper: Asparagus

So, this was super simple, but soooo good. It's also mostly from budget bytes.

Take the trimmed asparagus and put it in a skillet with some water (so it's like half covered). Put heat on high and leave it on there until the asparagus is soft and a happy bright green. Then drain off water and add a tiny pat of butter, lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh

Drink: Raspberry Lemon Iced Tea

So, this is barely even a recipe, but I bet I'll still have trouble remembering it exists when I want something healthy to drink that's not water. So here it is:

Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger Tea
Lemon juice
Make the tea, put lemon juice in it. Fridge and ice.
Mmmmmh refreshing

Keeper: Freezer Food: Black Bean Quesadillas

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/02/hearty-black-bean-quesadillas/

These are a great freezer option. I want a healthier version though. Things to contemplate.

Cost: My most expensive ingredient was the whole wheat tortillas. Regular flour would have been cheaper (and honestly possibly more delicious to my tastes), but much less healthy.
Convenience: Super easy. Chopping onion and garlic was the hardest part.
Delicious: Mmmh quesadilla.
Freeze: Works well, but can take a while to warm up so the cheese will melt, need it on low.
Uses:  Quick healthy dinner, warming and filling, easy
Notes: -can I add more veggies? --or more cheese? Intriuging

Vegetables: Vegetarian Southern Style Collard Greens

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/vegetarian-southern-style-collard-greens-recipe.html

I had tons of leftover collard greens from the African peanut stew this week, so I made this. It's delicious and easy. I didn't have an onion to spare, so I used dried onion flakes.

My Own Recipe: Easy Hoisin Cabbage

I have no idea what someone else would think of this dish that I just made, but it's making me happy. It's very in your face with the flavors, but I'm liking it.

Situation: I had nearly a whole head of extra green cabbage from last week that I didn't know what to do with. I didn't want to eat the whole thing raw because I would like my stomach to still be talking to me politely by the end of the week. So, it needed to be cooked.

But recipes take effort. I looked up a few and then shrugged, chopped it into small bites, put a couple tbsp of water and the cabbage in the pyrex, and shoved it into the microwave until it got a little softer. (I meant to cook it until it was totally soft, but this cabbage was more persistent than I was.)

This is a success, but not a huge one.Now I had half-steamed cabbage that I didn't want to eat. How to give it some flavor?

Nothing sounded good (except maybe like apple and lime or vinegar, but that would take more chopping), but I want to use up my hoisin sauce, so I decided to see what I could do with that.

This is what I did with that:

 Hoisin sauce + Sriracha sauce + roasted sesame seeds + optional bit of cilantro (I liked the color the cilantro added, but I wasn't entirely sold on the flavor addition)

I couldn't tell you how much of each component because I just squirted the sauces in the bottom of a bowl and stirred them together, added the cabbage, and then liberally sprinkled on the sesame seeds.

And mmmmh it's got some kick and some weird depth of flavor and I am a happy girl. The sesame seeds are definitely essential.

Later: Hmmmm Well. It is delicious, but it's more of a small doses kind of delicious. I got that big bowl of it and I happily ate about half of the bowl. Picked at the next 1/4 and then threw out hte last 1/4. I think it had a chance of being much better if the cabbage was thoroughly cooked and therefore blander. I may shove it back in the microwave and try again.

Keeper Recipe: Baked Acorn Squash

So, I started with this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-acorn-squash-with-brown-sugar-and-butter-recipe.html

But that wasn't going to do it for me and my desire to not get diabetes. So, I did a dash of salt, dash of pepper, maybe 1/3 tbsp of butter, and 1/2  tbsp of brown sugar and no maple syrup.  Next time, I'd give more butter and brown sugar for a much richer flavor, but it doesn't really matter.

Recipe:
- slice it open (and slice a little bit of the bottom if it won't stay upright)
-scoop out insides and throw in trash (unless you have creative powers and can use it)
- put some stuff on it, preferably brown sugar and butter-- add a bit of salt and pepper too
-put it in the oven at 400F for 1 hour and stab it with a fork to be sure it's good to go

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
delicious

Cost: Whatever the cost of acorn squash is, currently it's real cheap.
Convenience: Could hardly be easier to make, but it does take time to cook. 
Delicious: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh
Freeze: Dunno. Doesn't sound like a great idea.
Uses: Side dish, quick healthy dinner, warming and filling, eat your veggies
Notes: -could be interesting to try some other toppings on it--lots of variety possible
-life is much better if you put it on aluminum foil so you can destroy the environment but not have to wash dishes.

Apple Cherry Baked Oatmeal: It's a thing

Eh. I'll probably make this again, but I'm not thrilled about it.

 I've tried budget bytes morning glory baked oatmeal and that was pretty addictive after a couple of days when I'd gotten used to the baked oatmeal and the flavors had intensified, but it was such a pain to make. I made this earlier this week for a potluck brunch and it was okay, so I tried it again today (all the ingredients were still there) and cooked it for less time and added a tablespoon of brown sugar. It's still just okay, but it's super easy to make and sounds great, so tomorrow I'm going to hope the flavors have gotten stronger and add some almonds on top. Live in hope!

It does get stronger and more delicious the next day. If I made it again, I would consider adding more spices or something-- maybe cardamom? Mix it up a little and give it a little more flavor without adding more sugar.

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/05/apple-cherry-baked-oatmeal/

Takes Time, but Dlelicious Sweet Potato Breakfast Burrito

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13954/addictive-sweet-potato-burritos/

I haven't made these since Albuquerque, but I was just thinking about them and wanted to make sure I had this at my fingertips.

Inspiration Page

I have lots of good soups, but I would like a soup that I could have as a go to for bringing when someone is sick-- a veggie chicken noodle or something?
http://thevegan8.com/2014/10/18/classic-vegan-noodle-soup/

Orzo Summer Salad
http://pinchofyum.com/zippy-orzo-summer-salad

Pasta sauce to try, maybe for my fancy pasta?
http://thevegan8.com/2013/12/28/vegan-garlic-alfredo-sauce/

Baked fried rice! Baked fried rice! (can also try with quinoa)
http://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-baked-fried-brown-rice-yes-baked-fried-rice/

Thai Basil Vegetable recipe-- for when I'm willing to chop things
http://www.food.com/recipe/thai-basil-vegetables-34202

Freezer Pasta Meal

http://ohmyveggies.com/freezer-friendly-pesto-lasagna-roll-ups/

https://www.budgetbytes.com/2017/05/5-minute-savory-microwave-breakfast-mug/
Easy breakfast!


https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/watermelon-strawberry-slushie
Healthy slushie come Summer!

https://twosleevers.com/instant-pot-paneer-vegetable-biryani/

Keeper: Quesadilla

I wanted something warm and satifying and comforting for snack and I was wandering around indecisively until I remembered that I had tortillas.

So, less than 5 minutes later, warm quesadilla in hand (pepperjack and brie!), I am so happy with life. 

I just did it dry, works fine and barely have to wash the pan, but I've also used just enough melted butter to coat the bottom before (internet tells me this is about 1/2 tsp. Could also use pam, or just read someone saying that they think it works better to put the butter on the tortilla with their fingers instead of hte pan)

Quesadilla ideas

 Peanut butter and banana (really delicious desert one)

cheese + tobasco

cheese + beans + hot sauce

grated sweet potatoes sauteed with onion and cilantro and layered with Jack cheese

caramelized onions and brie. 

Why am I even listing these? Just make delicious things.

Keeper Recipe: Weeknight Black Bean Chili

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/02/weeknight-black-bean-chili/

I continue my quest to rule budget bytes apparently and also my trend of making everything a keeper recipe. I suspect as the year goes on, I'll take recipes out as keepers, but at this point.

Cost: Canned stuff can be pricier, but it's still cheap. 
Convenience: So easy to make. Hardest part is prepping the onion and garlic, everything else is just dumping in cans and measuring spoons of stuff and stirring it rarely.
Delicious: Waiting to see what it tastes like after a couple of days, but even one night later it's awesome.
Freeze: Dunno.
Uses: Super convenient hearty filling meal. Also could be great for having guests over when don't have time to cook or are doing it when they're there and not wanting to have to think about it. 
Notes: I made my veggie by only using 2 cans of black bean, 1 can light kidney, and 1 can pinto bean. This did make it soupier (added one can), so may consider draining one of them next time, but the soupy tastes good. This would be really good with the adds on she mentioned--green onion, sour cream,tortilla chips and such. Oh, and the diced tomato, I used the jalapeno ones instead of the green chile ones. Aaaand I didn't have oregano, so I used the italian seasonings because the first ingredient is oregano. 

Staple: Kale Chickpea Curry Soup

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/05/kale-chickpea-soup/

Cost: Cheap!
Convenience: This is super easy to make. It's fast, it's simple, the ingredients are all easy.
Delicious: This is a more delicate flavor than some of my others, but it's really delicious. The chickpeas aren't always exactly the right texture, but I suspect that would just be fixed by not buying the cheapest possible chickpeas.
Freeze: Dunno.
Uses: Delicious soup that's healthy, light, and easy.
Notes: I added twice the curry, but I also think my curry is weak because its' old, so I don't know what the overall effect is. Also, next time, don't be in such a hurry--and actually take the time to make sure the kale is in bite sized pieces.

Take two: --work on getting the textures and spices better. The kale pieces can be still smaller, the potato bits should be better cooked (turn it up to a high temperature much sooner, it will take FOREVER otherwise), those chickpeas still aren't the best--consider making own and freezing? Need to get the pressure cooker up and running and see if can freeze. Spices muddle it up-- use straight up oregano-- get it at store soon. 

Take four?: It really does matter that you put the kale in and let it cook enough to wilt before you put all the other stuff in. I did this recipe from memory and forgot the order. It's a soup, so it's still perfectly delicious, but the kale is better when you do it that way.

Take who knows? I ended up using crushed tomatoes instead. Still worked delicious, but changed the taste.

Keeper Recipe: Microwave-Steamed Zucchini

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh this is such a keeper. It could not be easier, healthier, or more delicious. I was just looking for a way to use up a zucchini that was going to go bad, but I will be doing this over and over.



http://www.food.com/recipe/microwave-steamed-zucchini-323310
"

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice zucchini lenth-wise, not cutting all the way to the bottom.
2. Open slightly and spray interior with butter.
3. Sprinkle interior with salt and pepper (and parmesan)
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in microwave. Microwave for 5 minutes on high power.
5. Let stand for two minutes, remove, and cut in wedges.
6. Voila."
7. 
   

Keeper Cheesy Vegetarian Chili Mac

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/01/cheesy-vegetarian-chili-mac/

Super easy, not that fast and can't really be left alone because it needs stirring regularly, but good and really filling.

Cost: Cheese is the most expensive part. Could be cheaper with homemade beans, but there'd need to be a lot of them, not sure it'd be worth it.
Convenience: This is super easy to make... but not fast and not unattended. It needs to be stirred a lot, but it's mostly just dumping in ingredients.
Delicious: Good! 
Freeze: Supposedly a yes.
Uses: Hearty, warm, good food. A good complement for times when I've got light soups and I just need something filling.
Notes:  I need to buy a wooden spoon so i can do a better job of scraping the bottom. Too much of the flour ended up on the side of the pot. Also, the kroger brand kidney beans were a little dry or something. Used 1.5 cups of shredded cheese.

Keeper: Grilled Cheese Sandwich

So, I don't even have a recipe here, but it's definitely one of my keeper things. I wanted something warm and filling and delicious, but was too lazy to do much. So, I made a grilled cheese with pepperjack cheese and it was great. I'm sure I might want to do an actual write up later and include exciting variations, but in the meantime-- I will record that this is an option.

Keeper Recipe 3: Moroccan Lentil Veggie Soup

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/11/moroccan-lentil-vegetable-stew/

Damnit! So, I messed this up a little, I put too much cinnamon in and I used two different kinds of lentils ecause it was what I had. So, it's good, but not amazing. But I'm calling it a keeper anyway because its' one of my favorite things to pull out of the freezer previous times I've made it. Can't stop me. 

Cost: haven't calculated it, but budget bytes claims it's like a dollar a serving. 
Convenience: Very easy to make!
Delicious: Quite good!
Freeze: This is so good frozen and reheated. 10/10
Uses: It's a soup and it's different and it freezes amazingly well and is generally warm and happy.
Notes: Don't mess it up next time

Keeper Recipe 2: Summer Vegetable Tian

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/08/summer-vegetable-tian/

Cost: It's the cost of veggies and cheese pretty much. Not the cheapest ever, but definitely not expensive.
Convenience: This is super easy to make. It takes at least an hour to make, but most of that is unattended cooking. It's mostly lots of chopping and cramming for the work part. It is a little annoying that it uses up the dish to saute too-- so it might be nice to find other recipes to pair it with.
Delicious: So good. Soooo good. Mmmmmmh.
Freeze: Probably a no. Haven't tried yet.
Uses: We'll see how it holds up this week as one of my major meal options. It's not the most filling thing on the planet because it's mostly just watery veggies, but it was sooooo good. This makes a great side dish, a great snack food for my tastes. 
Notes: It came out watery in the bottom this time, I just drained it off and it wasn't a big deal, but there were some recommendations to take the seeds out of the tomato, salt the veggies first, or cook it for longer. ALSO, I used sweet potato instead of potato and cooked the potatoes for 3-4 mintues before I chopped them up, that seemed to work well. Also, the cheese was delicious melted, but not evenly distributed and not really toasted brown (I burned my hand, so I was over it)-- so that could be better next time too. Also, I basically doubled the recipe and used a larger pan because I didn't have an 8x8..There's definitely room for modification on this recipe to make it more stellar, but I'd eat it any day of the week.

Cooking websites to check when stuck

budgetbytes
the minimalist baker

Keeper Recipe: Spicy Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmh
So I used the full fat coconut milk, which I'm sure makes this way less healthy, but it is fantastic. It's so easy, so delicious, and quite different

Note for next time taken from the comments section:
"We made this soup last night but didn’t feel like eating soup again tonight, so we threw it on top of some jasmine rice and added chickpeas, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower for an instant curry. It was delicious!"





FAILED ATTEMPT ONE BELOW

I more or less made this soup:
http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/07/spicy-coconut-pumpkin-soup/

It's kind of a less because I made some desperate changes:

1. I used zesty chicken spice instead of bouillon. Turns out better than bouillion needs to be refrigerated. It smelled and looked fine, but I saw the label on the top after I'd left it out for three weeks. And given the weather has been freakishly warm and they literally sometimes use broth to grow bacteria in labs... it hurt me, but I tossed it. And I refuse to go to the grocery store twice in one week. Can't. make me.

2. Grocery store was out of fresh ginger when I went (see note: can't make me go to the grocery store again), and I know the powdered doesn't taste the same at all.

3. I was trying frozen garlic, but it didn't smell very strong.

4. I was in the middle of doing laundry, so I didn't toast the cumin and red pepper flakes, I just dumped it all in.

5. Didn't have anything else to put the cilantro in, so used the whole bunch. Cause at that point, why not?

I list this all, so that when I say, it didn't turn out quite how I wanted, it's clear that it may not be the recipe's fault. The flavor wasn't right and I think I was expecting more texture (it's totally smooth excpet for the onion)--I'll see what I think of it tomorrow.

That said, this recipe is fast and SO easy and different, so I'd rather give it another go and see if I can fix it rather than just ditching it.


Cost: Cilantro, Coconut milk, and pumpkin are the big expenses. Not bad at all.

Convenience: SOOO easy, fast, and convenient

Delicious: This isn't great yet-- but I'm going to start modifying and/or actually do the recipe correctly. 
Although note, 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes will NOT make this spicy.

Freeze: Dunno, not finding out this time

Uses: SO FAST AND EASY. It's literally chop onions, garlic, ginger and toast those, then dump the rest in the pot and warm it up. If this could be delicious, it would be an incredibly easy recipe.

Notes: Ideas for modification: Follow the recipe!, Plain yogurt, sriracha, pumpkin or yam chunks, pumpkin seeds, coconut milk with more fat, fish sauce/lime/lemongrass/brown sugar? (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/146035/the-best-thai-coconut-soup/ )


Update: This recipe is definitely a keeper. I need to remake it how it's supposed to be made and then see what modifications, but I just made it worth having. I added sriracha, toasted sesame seeds, and tomatoes and it was quite good! Doing this right and with a few extra tweaks, this has real potential. I will continue to update with the modifications and when I redo this recipe properly with any regular modifications, I will redo this whole thing into a keeper recipe.

Modifications Tried
1. Sesame seeds, sriracha, and fresh tomato: mmmmh good, the flavor combo isn't right enough to be delightful, but good.

2. Didn't have any more tomatoes... but I did have some leftover sockarooni tomato sauce from the gnocchi. It was great!! It thickened it up just enough with only like a tablespoon in a bowlful. It did weaken the flavor some,but well worth it for fixing the texture. I'm hoping the bouillon would be able to do this too! I still might want to see about adding more veggies. Maybe one of the stirfry veggie bags in the freezer?

Keeper: Easy Ricotta Gnocchi

I was super excited about this. For me, gnocchi is one of those recipes that is reserved for people who cook like magicians or professionals. Turns out, that couldn't be more wrong. Working with the dough was hard, because I don't know that I've done it since I was a little kid, but it was tons of fun. I ended up using way too much flour and it wasn't that pillowy, but it was still plenty good enough to eat.

So,

I used this recipe: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/08/easy-ricotta-gnocchi/

but, next time, I want to try this one: http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2009/05/19/15-minutes-to-fame-gnocchi-for-beginners-and-braggarts/

Cost: Surprisingly cheap. I rarely get gnocchi because the store bought stuff is expensive, but with this recipe, it's totally doable.
Convenience: All the recipes say that it's SUPER fast. It wasn't for me, it took more than an hour to prep, but I believe the recipes that other people can be that fast. If I practice... I could knock out home made gnocchi in no time. So, this is still a project, but maybe soon....
Delicious: Gnocchi is amazing. The first attempt was like a 6/10, so still delicious, but nothing to write home about. My guess it was problems with trying something new rather than the recipe.
Freeze: Oh my god. The recipe says this is easy to freeze. I COULD HAVE MY OWN FROZEN GNOCCHI IN THE FREEZER. Someone call Martha Stewart so I can use my snooty voice.
Uses: I don't know. It's pasta. If I got good at this, it would be super fast and easy to make for other people and would be totally fake-fancy, but not yet.
Notes: So, the parchment paper WILL rip and get all over you. Should have put more flour on it. You should flour your hands too. It will help a lot. Don't whisk the dough. You'll be sorry. Use a spoon. Smaller is better for the pillows. Use less flour next time! It'd prob be faster to do them in one batch instead of multiples. Playing with the dough was a crazy amount of fun. I think I need an apron.... Had it with store bought Newman's Sockarooni and it was awesome, but looks like nearly any sauce goes good on it.


By round two, I bet this one will be a keeper. Just not quite there yet.

Round Two! So, what I did was whisk up the dough very good, added about a cup and a half of flour slowly whisking that in. Then I put it on a cooking board coated with flour (coated my hands too) and then started kneading it, adding bits more as I went(just have the measuring cup full of flour and grab and pinch). I'm still very slow, but it gets better all of the time. It was delicious!

I still need an apron.

Staple: African Peanut Stew

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/08/african-peanut-stew-vegan/

This was my biggest absolute winner of 2015. I made it like four times. It's really delicious and really filling. It's been popular with a range of people and I love the taste.

Cost: Pretty cheap overall.
Convenience: Really easy. The longest part at this point is chopping up the stuff... if get faster than that... it's gonna be an absolute breeze
Delicious: It's so good. Mmmmmh.
Can you pressure or slow cook it?? I have no idea. Not tried yet
Freeze: Yup. It's not perfect, but it works quite well.
Uses: Make for other people, Eat all week, It's a favorite, use it for anything.
Notes: I actually prefer the non-natural peanut butter with it, extra crunchy versions. I've tried it with kale, but like it better with the collard greens. If you use the whole bunch of collard greens instead of half, it makes the flavor quite a bit less sharp, buuuut you get way more healthy greens so it's a tough call. I trade off like every time I make it. . The ginger is super important to it, if it's not fresh, it's just not as good. The best Tom suggested putting it on toast and it was super good -- bet it would also be amazing on naan or jasmine rice.

And now for something completely different

Hi Ounces!

Welcome to the exciting, possibly temporary, transmogrification of pluck and ounces. Here's the goal:  I want to have some place to keep track of what I'm cooking. Why?

- For inspiration when I am staring blankly into the dark night completely unable to remember anytime I ever cooked anything

-So that I have something searchable of stuff that I actually know how to make-- need to stock up on frozen food? Want a soup? Not a problem.

- Because online things require less organization than writing because they're a lot easier to change.

You are, as always, invited, to join in or make your own transformations, as the desire moves you.
My burning desire is my New Year's Resolution #10. By 11:59 pm December 31, 2016, I will  have at least 12 keepable recipes. Get after it.

 Let's see what happens in cooking in 2016!

Pluck