Recipe: Spaghetti for One

¼ of small onion or 1 small shallot, diced

Garlic cloves (3-4 medium or 5-7 small), minced

1 mini sweet pepper or ¼ of large, seeded & diced

(I also use chopped carrot, zucchini, any vegetable really, just add when adding the pepper in the recipe)

4 oz turkey sausage or ground beef

8 oz can tomato sauce

½ c diced tomatoes & juice (from 14.5 can, I use the entire can)

½ tsp Italian seasonings

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp basil (I don’t use)

1/8 to 1/4 poultry seasoning

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

Fresh cracked pepper (I use mixed peppercorns), about 5-7 grinds

1 whole bay leaf

½ c hot water

1 ¼ tsp beef bouillon*

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

2 oz spaghetti pasta

Kosher Salt

Sauté onion, garlic, peppers & any other vegetables you are using in about 1 teaspoon of olive oil until translucent & tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove from pan & set aside.

Add turkey sausage to skillet & cook through.  Just before done, add ¼ teaspoon of each of the above seasonings, a 1/8 teaspoon of the poultry seasoning & a pinch of red pepper flakes if using.  When cooked through, add onion mixture back in.

 

Add tomato sauce & diced tomatoes.  Add an additional ¼ teaspoon of above seasonings, 1/8 teaspoon of poultry seasoning & another small pinch of red pepper flakes.  Add in bay leaf.  Bring just to boiling over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to low & simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

While sauce is simmering, add bouillon to hot water & stir to dissolve; set aside.

 

At the end of the simmer time, taste sauce & adjust seasonings 1/8 to ¼ of a teaspoon at a time to adjust to your desired taste.  Add bouillon & lemon juice to sauce; stir to incorporate.  Set stove to lowest setting & simmer 1-3 hours, stirring occasionally.  The longer it simmers, the deeper the flavors of the finished sauce.

 

About 10 minutes before sauce is done, heat a pot of water to boiling; add pasta & cook until done, about 7 minutes.  Drain & return to pan.  For an even deeper flavor, you can add additional bouillon to the pasta water before adding the pasta, but this is optional.

 

Remove bay leaf, discard.  Take one final taste test & adjust if needed.  You probably won’t need the salt, but if using, add at this time (the bouillon is high in salt; I don’t add any due to this).

 

Pour sauce over pasta; stir to combine & serve hot.  I like to serve with green beans, a green salad & a loaf of fresh crusty French bread or homemade bread.

* use vegetable bouillon and eliminate the meat for a vegetarian option.

Savory Lentils, Rice and/or Beans

Savory Lentils, Rice and/or Beans

1-2 servings

¼ c lentils/½ c water  (I used regular lentils, but red lentils would be a nice substitute)

¼ c rice/1 c water  (I used brown basmati rice, but any rice will do, just cook until tender & liquid has been absorbed)

for each pan:

¼ tsp beef bouillon (use vegetable to make this vegetarian/vegan)

1 tsp onion soup mix (use dried, minced onions to make this vegetarian/vegan)

Smidgeon red pepper flakes (leave out if you don’t care for spice)

1/8 tsp Himalayan pink salt powder (oops…too long in the coffee grinder)

– use any salt you prefer if you don’t have the above

1/8 tsp chef’s essence (use any spice mix you have/prefer)

½ tsp Earth Balance buttery spread (or, if you can have dairy & prefer, use butter)

Cook rice & lentils separate.

For the rice, put water on to boil.  When boiling, add bouillon; stir to dissolve; add rice & remaining ingredients; reduce to simmer (low to medium-low), cover & cook 20-30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

For the lentils, put the water on to get hot enough to dissolve bouillon; add lentils & remaining ingredients and once boiling, reduce to simmering & simmer until the liquid is absorbed – 15-30 minutes.

Combine lentils & rice and stir in ½ teaspoon Earth Balance/butter.  Enjoy

You can change the bouillon & seasonings to fit your tastes… Experiment & let me know how you changed it below.

Savory Beans

½ c beans (pintos, red kidney, black, etc or a mix of any)

Water

1 ½ to 2 teaspoons beef bouillon (or vegetable)

1 tbsp onion soup mix (end of packet from above)

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp chef’s essence or spice blend of your choice

2-3 oz cooked, chopped steak (or steamed vegetables for a vegetarian/vegan option)

½ tsp Earth Balance buttery spread (or, if you can have dairy & prefer, use butter)

1/8 tsp Pink Himalayan salt powder*

Rinse beans & check for any rocks (discard); put in bowl & cover with water to approximately 3-4” above beans; soak overnight.

Drain & rinse beans; place in pot with approximately 2 cups water; bring to a boil.

Add seasonings & beef (veggies) & boil lightly until beans are soft, stirring occasionally.  30 minutes to an hour or so.

Boil off the liquid until you have the soup or stew consistency you desire (I boil most off because I don’t like “soupy” beans).  Add Earth Balance spread/butter & enjoy

*Taste & if needed, add salt a pinch at a time.

Notes:

• A delicious option is to combine all three after cooking for a hearty stew; serve with a salad and bread (cornbread?). If you combine, this will make at least 2 servings – lunch & dinner or a meal for 2.
• “Chef’s Essence”: this is a spice blend that I found at a local store; you can substitute any mixed spice blend you like.
• ¼ c dry rice makes approximately ½ cooked
• ¼ c dry lentils makes approximately 1 c cooked
• ½ c dry beans (pintos) makes approximately 1 cup cooked
• To make VEGAN/Vegetarian, substitute beef bouillon with vegetable bouillon; sub the onion soup mix with dried minced onions and sub the beef for lightly steamed vegetables or tofu or leave out completely.
• To increase the servings, just double or triple.

Did you try these recipes?  What did you think about them?  Would you make any changes?

Cream Cake Recipe

Non-Dairy Cream Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup egg whites

1/2 to 3/4 tbsp applesauce (unsweetened)

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract (use 1 tsp vanilla if you don't want/like almond)

1 1/2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup (8oz) canned coconut milk (boxed won't work, need canned)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*; grease & flour 8x8 or 9x9 cake pan & set aside.

Beat egg whites & applesauce until frothy and about doubled; add sugar and mix well.  Add in extract and beat well.

Combine dry ingredients.  Alternating with egg mixture & coconut milk, combine just until all is combined.  Pour into pan & bake 35-45 minutes or until done (when toothpick or knife, inserted in center, comes out clean).

Cool a few minutes in pan & invert onto cooling rack.  Once cool, place on serving plate & cover in frosting or glaze.  Serve & enjoy.

Store in refrigerator.

Wingin' It Tilapia and Pepper Slaw

Wingin' It Talipia and Pepper Slaw Recipe (1-2 servings)

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 head garlic, peeled & coarsely chopped

kosher salt (approximately 2-3 tsp, to taste)

fresh cracked pepper (approximately 2-3 grinds, to taste)

1 can green chilies (adjust to your taste using mild for no heat and hot for a little heat)

2 tilapia fillets, thawed & dried with paper towels

Cilantro, chopped, optional

Combine all ingredients except tilapia & cilantro; place in long shallow bowl; place fillets in marinade & cover.  Let sit about 10 minutes.  

Scrape marinade off fillets & p

lace fillets in baking dish; spoon just the liquid of the marinade over the fish & bake about 5 minutes; remove from oven & spoon remaining marinade liquid over fish & bake another 5-8 minutes, or until fillets are cooked through & flake easily with a fork.  Serve with cilantro sprinkled over.

Pepper Slaw (1-2 Servings)

1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved OR 1 or 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped.

1 Serrano chili, sliced*

2-3 mini sweet peppers, seeded & julienned

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

cilantro, chopped (to taste)

*remove seeds & ribs to remove some of the heat

Mix all ingredients & refrigerate about 20-30 minutes to chill; mix before serving.