Converting Jack's Peach and Chickpea Curry into a Toast Topping

As you can see, if you preview my blog posts, I follow Jack Monroe https://cookingonabootstrap.com/.

I have also bought most of her books. Like Amy Dacyczyn, author of the Tightwad Gazette, Jack encourages people on a limited budget with limited cooking skills that they, too, can make great frugal meals.

Here is Jack's original Peach and Chickpea Curry:
https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2019/11/05/peach-chickpea-curry-recipe/.

While this post is not an actual recipe, you can go to Jack's website and try her recipe.

I was skeptical about trying to make this recipe for several reasons. Because I need to adapt recipes to make them GERD-friendly and according to available supplies, I wondered if I could actually achieve a curry.

Suffice it to say, adapting the recipe to make it GERD-friendly meant No onions, No garlic and No tomatoes. I tried to use a bit of onion and garlic powders. I tried to give it the tomato flavor by adding a few crumbles of tomato bouillon. If I use too much of any of these spices, my stomach rebels.

Well, it did not turn out the way I thought. So, I now I had a lot of peaches/chickpea mix left.

What could I do with this? First, I thought, I’d try to make the curry again by recooking a batch with additional spices. No, that won’t work, it would be too spicy.

Ok, let me sleep on it.

Then, I thought let’s see if it works as a toast topping. So, in the morning, I spread some cream cheese on a slice of toast and topped it with a 1 1/2 tablespoons of the peaches/chickpeas mix. It worked! It’s great. Hurray, another save!

#GERD-friendly

No Bake: Small Yogurt & Whipped Topping Pie

My recipes have devolved into small or single portion servings and minimalist ingredients.

While I don't have a sweet tooth, I do crave something sweet now and then. I made a version of this recipe, previously, but this one is simpler and more basic.


No Bake: Small Yogurt & Whipped Topping Pie
(Adapted from: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12225/strawberry-yogurt-pie-i/)

 
Ingredients:

6oz Yogurt, flavored
6 Tbspns Whipped Topping
6-8 Cookies, crushed, use more if needed
Garnishes: Cookie crumbs and cinnamon


Process:

Put cookies in a plastic bag.
Smash cookies into crumbs with something hard like a can or a cutting board.
Conserve some cookie crumbs for garnish.

Layer the bottom of a small pie dish with the crushed cookie crumbs.
Use a spoon to level the cookie crumbs in the dish out to the edges.

In a small bowl, add yogurt and topping.
Stir and mix well until smooth.

Pour yogurt mixture over cookie crumbs in pie dish.
Use spoon to smooth mixture out to the edges.
Place in freezer for several hours to set.

When serving, garnish with additional cookie crumbs and cinnamon.

For a variation, see other blog post:

No Bake: Fruit & Yogurt Dessert
https://riastoneblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/no-bake-fruit-yogurt-dessert.html

#GERD-friendly - this is GERD-friendly for some but not all. Because I use lactose-free milk and dry milk, the use of other dairy products sparingly does not cause a problem. Be cautious.

Hotplate: COVID19 Chicken Broth with Additions

Breakfast today was a catch-all, Kitchen Sink Mug O'Something.

Lunch was a mug of COVID19 Chicken Broth with additions accompanied with several saltine crackers.


COVID19 Chicken Broth with Additions


Ingredients:

6 Cups water
1 Chicken Bouillon cube
1 Dollop vegetable oil
A sprinkle of onion powder
A sprinkle of garlic powder
Ground black powder
1-2 drops hot sauce
Additions: Use what you have.
Saltine crackers 


Process:

In 1 cup of water, add bouillon cube and microwave on high for two minutes.
Remove, stir to dissolve bouillon.
In a pot, add oil.
Add onion and garlic powders.
Add ground black pepper and hot sauce to taste (Optional).
Turn heat to high.
Stir the ingredients quickly.
Add bouillon water.
Stir.
Add 5 more cups of water.
Let this mixture heat up then remove from hotplate.

I added 6 ladlefuls of the broth to a large mug.
Then I add a ladleful of Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Stew to the broth.
Then, I stirred the mixture.
I microwaved the mixture for 2 minutes on high.

Be careful this broth will be hot!

Have some saltine crackers with the broth.


While I had a healthy frugal Breakfast and Lunch, the cafe next door has begun to offer door-to-door service. So, today, I got a Cafe-Carmelo Frappachino.

Microwave: Mug O'Something - Kitchen Sink Variety

I have been a small meal eater for over 20 years.

It began when my family went to a restaurant and when my meal came, I was shocked. The plate was piled high with food. There was no way I could eat all that food, so I asked for a doggie bag, immediately. Then, I divided the meal in half and saved the rest. I have been doing that ever since.

I consider a burrito a meal. Previously, at home, when I cooked casseroles or one-pot dishes, I divided them into single serving containers and froze them for work lunches or dinner.

But, it was when I started making and collecting recipes for my next cookbook, I began to focus on what I called:

Small meals
Spoonful snacks
Savor the flavor bits, and
Micro-nutrients

When I make a meal, I think, what does it provide from the concepts of MyPlate:

1 serving vegetables
1 serving fruit
1 serving protein
1 serving grains
1 serving fiber

I am also using the term "serving" liberally. I consider a spoonful of protein or fiber a serving.

Toast toppings and mug recipes probably triggered several of these ideas.

With a toast topping or mug recipe you could add one bit of something healthy mixed in with the rest of the ingredients.

For example, today, I wanted to make a toast topping with one egg.

In these COVID19 Crisis times, using one egg in one recipe seems extravagant. I am now pondering how to use one egg in a recipe that makes more than 1 serving. Frittatas come to mind.

After perusing my frig, what did I have to make a healthy toast topping?

I had some chorizo left. When I buy chorizo, I slice it into wafers and freeze them. Then, when I want to add some chorizo to a recipe, I take one wafer, crumble it into a mug and microwave it for 45 seconds to cook it. I do this because chorizo is a meat and I want to make sure it is cooked.

I realize that my definition of "healthy" is pretty broad.  In essence, it's not a bag of potato chips for dinner, or 10 chocolate-filled cookies, or cupcakes. I generally, eat chicken and fish, and some pork. To me, cooking beef is too much effort and the taste is nothing to get excited about.

Then, I added the egg and a dollop of milk.
 
But, I wanted some vegetables, too. Attempting to stretch my vegetable supplies, I used two spoonfuls of my Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Stew. I added a few drops of hot sauce and a few grinds of ground black pepper.

Then, I stirred and whipped the ingredients thoroughly. Then, microwaved the lot for 1:30 seconds on high (high is the only setting, I have).

Meanwhile the toast was ready. I was out of mayo, what should I use to coat the toast? What did I have? I had Italian dressing, ketchup, mustard, thousand island dressing, and vegetable oil. I choose the oil.

I added a dab of oil onto the toast and smeared it around.

When the egg mixture was ready, I stacked it on top of the toast and then mashed it down and sprinkled a bit more ground black pepper on top.

The results were tasty.

Now, did I get the daily recommended amount of vitamins, minerals, grains, and protein, etc? No, but I did get a micro-amount of many of these items.

You'd think I'd be slim because of all these small meal tactics, but I am overweight. I think it's because I like late-night snacks, even though they are small. Plus, when I used to gather with family and friends, eating and talking were usually the main events.



Microwave: Mug O’Something - Kitchen Sink Variety


Ingredients:

1 Slice of Chorizo, crumbled
1 Egg
1 Dollop of milk
Ground black pepper to taste (Optional)
1-2 Drops of hot sauce
1-2 Tspns of Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Stew or find something in your frig to add
1 Slice of bread
A Dab of oil


Process:

Make a slice of toast and set aside.
After crumbling the chorizo into the mug, microwave on high for 45 seconds.
Add egg.
Add dollop of milk (I used powdered milk mix).
Add some ground black pepper to taste.
Add drops of hot sauce.
Add Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Stew or your addition of choice.
Stir and whip ingredients thoroughly.
Cover mug (I use a saucer).
Microwave on high for 1:30.
Add a dab of oil to toast top.
Dump egg mixture on top of toast.
Smash it down and spread over toast.

 

Hotplate: Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Stew

I love the works of Dick Francis, a famous British Steeple Chase Jockey. I have lived in the worlds of horse racing that he created in my mind for years.

So, of course, when I found these recipes in an article about Jockey's diets (http://www.greatbritishracing.com/latest/the-jockey-diet/), I had to give them a try.

The idea for this recipe came from: Hayley Turner’s Chicken and Vegetable Risotto.

I have tried to make risotto several times without success, meaning the rice never got very soft. But, this turned out to be a tasty, filling dish.


Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Stew


Ingredients:

2 Cups water
1 Cube chicken bouillon
1-2 TBspns vegetable oil
1 Tspn onion powder
1 Tspn garlic powder
Ground black pepper
1 dash of hot sauce
1 cup rice
1 Can chicken, drained
2-3 TBspns frozen mixed vegetables
2 TBspns frozen red bell peppers, sliced
1 Can 8oz mushroom slices, drained and rinsed



Process:

In a 2-cup measuring cup, add water and bouillon cube.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Remove, stir to dissolve bouillon.
Add oil to large pot.
Add onion and garlic powders.
Heat on medium.
Stir.
Add ground black pepper and hot sauce.
Stir.
Add rice.
Stir.
Cover.
Heat on medium for about five minutes.
Stir frequently.
Add 1/3 of chicken stock.
Bring to a boil.
Stir.
Reduce to a simmer.
Stir.
Cover.
Cook until the liquid has been absorbed.
Add remaining stock.
Stir.
Cover.
Simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Add vegetables to a large bowl.
Add black ground pepper.
Stir to mix.
Microwave vegetables on high for 3-4 minutes.
Add chicken to rice.
Stir to mix and break up chunks.
Allow mixture to heat thoroughly.
Add vegetables.
Stir and mix.
Let mixture heat thoroughly.

The recipe made a lot of stew. So, I froze half of it in single serving containers. I also added some of the stew to the Quick Tomato and Vegetable Broth to make a hearty soup.

#GERD-friendly

Hotplate: Scallop Squash Slices and Cheese

I've made this before but I did it wrong.

This time the dish was much better.


Scallop Squash Slices and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 Scallop Squash, washed
1 Pot about 1/4 full of water
1 dash of hot sauce
Ground black pepper
Mozzarella cheese (or other cheese)

Process:

Cut the squash in half. remove seeds, if desired.
Cut each half into thin slices.
Place slices in pot of water.
Add a dash of hot sauce.
Stir.
Bring to a boil.
Simmer about 15 minutes until squash is soft.
Drain squash.
Place squash into a microwave dish.
Sprinkle mozarella cheese or chunks over squash, be generous.
Sprinkle mixture with ground black pepper (Optional).
Microwave on high for about 30 seconds to melt cheese.

This was so good, I ate the whole thing.

I need to make this recipe more often. It is delicious and healthy.

#GERD-friendly

 

Hotplate: COVID19 Quick Chicken Vegetable Broth

I will be posting about my experiences self-quarantining.

I am a small portion eater to begin with but, after a recalculation of my pantry supplies, I decided to try making a soup to stretch my vegetable and protein stock. I adapted my Hotplate: Simple Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe as a trial.



Hotplate: COVID19 Quick Chicken Vegetable Broth


Ingredients:

1 Chicken bouillon cube
6 cups of water
3 Dashes Onion powder
3 Dashes Garlic powder
2 Dashes Hot sauce (Optional)
1 Grind black pepper
4 TBspns frozen mixed vegetables
1 Heaping TBspn canned chicken, drained
2 TBspns canned diced potatoes, drained and rinsed
Use What You Have regarding additions, I found:
2 Snack carrots, diced
2 TBspns canned salsa
Small quantity of cooked white beans


Process:

Add 2 cups of water to a microwaveable container
Add 1 bouillon cube to the water.
Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.
Remove and stir until bouillon cube has dissolved.
Add stock to large pot.
Add 4 cups of water.
Add spices.
Stir.
Cover pot.
Cook on high.
Cover pot.
Bring liquid to a boil.
Add vegetables and leftovers.
Stir.
Recover pot.
Cook on medium for about 15 minutes.
Check vegetables, if they are soft, the soup is ready, if not, cook for 5-10 minutes more.

This recipe could make 6-8 servings.

Cool remaining soup. Freeze in portions.


#GERD-friendly, if you determine which and how much of the spices you can tolerate.

 

A New Batch of Vegetables - How Meals Will They Make?

I went to a local Expat market to get 1 cucumber and came home with 9 vegetables.

How many meals will they make?

Day One:

Quick pickles
Cucumber water with cucumber slices
Cucumber and Apple salad with yogurt
MW Baked potato topped with beans and cream cheese
Sliced up lime and froze for use in various drinks

Day Two:

Baked Apples
Vegetable Soup with potatoes
Sliced up Bell peppers and froze for future recipe

FYI: The cost for the 9 vegetables was $62MX. This was an Expat market, so I assume the prices are higher than at a local market.

$62MX = $3.30US (based on $18.77 exchange rate for 1$ on this day.)

I looked at an American Grocery flyer (I do not have a car, so I choose a store near my home that I can reach by bus) online and came up with this cost comparison:

Apples $1.79 - 2.49 a pound
Potatoes $3.50 for a 24oz bag or 3.99 for a 5lb bag
Peppers and/or Cucumbers 3 for $5
.10 or .25 for a lime, a Key lime or a Persian Lime

Estimated cost:

1.79 - 2.49 Apples
1.25 Potatoes
5.00 Peppers and Cucumbers
0.10 Lime
--------
$8.14 - $8.84US

Quick Pickles

DIY Quick Pickles
(Thanks to: Quick Pickled Cucumbers | Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe)


Ingredients:

1 Cucumber
A jar with a lid
Water
Apple Vinegar
1-3 TBspns of sugar
2-3 Tspns of rock salt or salt



Process:

Wash cucumber.
Cut in half vertically in the middle.
Cut each half into length-wise strips (julienne).
Cut away the seeds.
Add cucumber strips to jar.
Add water to jar until about 1/2 half to 2/3rds full.
Add spices.
Fill with vinegar.
Affix lid.
Shake jar to mix spices and liquids.
Store in frig.

Curry and Cinnamon Overnight Oats

I am enjoying making variations on Jack Monroe's Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

For this recipe, BudgetBytes offered another good idea for making a version of overnight oats using spices like Turmeric. As usual, I often don't have the spices called for in a recipe, so I have to make substitutions.

I did not have Turmeric, so I took a look at my Badia curry powder and it had Turmeric and a few other spices as its ingredients.

So, I went with the Curry and I made a few other adjustments. I had wanted to make one small serving, so instead of measuring the ingredients, I used them as a guide.

(Badia: https://badiaspices.com/product/curry-powder-1-20-lbs/)

Curry and Cinnamon Overnight Oats
(Adapted from:) https://www.budgetbytes.com/golden-milk-overnight-oats/)

 

Ingredients:

2 - 4 TBspns Rolled oats
1/2 - 2/3 Cup milk, made from dry powder mix
1 Tspn Curry powder
1/2 Tspn Cinnamon
1 Tspn Honey
 1/2 Capful Vanilla


Process:

In a small container with a lid, add a layer of oats.
Add a little milk, stir to coat oats.
Add a little more milk to cover oats.
Add spices and honey.
Stir and mix thoroughly.
Add lid.
Place in frig overnight.

In the morning, open the container. The oats will have absorbed the milk, add more milk and stir well before eating.

This makes a small serving. Increase oats, milk and spices for larger servings.

#GERD-friendly
 

Canned Corn Salsa

Corn Salsa Recipe

Perused several Corn Salsa Recipes then made my own.

Ingredients:

1 14oz can kernel corn, drained and rinsed
1 8oz can salsa, drained
1 TBspn Onion flakes

1/2 Tspn Garlic Powder
1 Tbspn Basil flakes, crush in palms
Ground back pepper, to taste
1 capful Lemon juice

Process:

Mix all ingredients together.

Throw Together Cucumber Sandwiches

I am in Cucumber heaven!!

My cucumber quick pickles came out great.

The cucumber water was refreshing and the water seemed to keep the cucumber slices crisp. So, I grabbed a few slices to make a sandwich and then, I added more water to the jar.

I also grabbed some:

Cream cheese
2 Slices of multi-grain bread
some Basil
some Paprika
Ground black pepper

After slathering the bread slices with cream cheese, I topped the cheese with a few cucumber slices.

Then, I sprinkled the slices with crushed basil and paprika. I added a few grinds of ground black pepper and slapped the two pieces of bread together. No way am I going to cut of the crusts, they are the best part.

I cut the sandwich into quarters and ate them.

They were good. There are many ways to make cucumber sandwiches, maybe someday I will try some of those variations.

I had a lot of fun using one cucumber to make five different recipes.

#GERD-friendly if you use little to no ground black pepper. 

Hotplate: Salmon and Cheese Chowder

I am enjoying making soups from various recipes.

The original recipe can be found in the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacycyzn on page 570. I made adjustments in an attempt to make it #GERD-friendly and based on What You Have on Hand.

 Hotplate: Salmon and Cheese Chowder


Ingredients:

2 Cups water
1 1/2 Chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 Cup butter or margarine
2 Carrots, grated or 2 Cups shredded carrots
1 Tspn onion powder
1/2 Tspn Worchestershire sauce
Ground Black pepper to taste
1/4 - 3/4 Cup flour
1 2/3 Cups milk, deslactosada (Lactose-free)
1 140g (4.9 oz) Can of Salmon (or Tuna), drained
1 Cup Cheese, mozzarella or other, grated
Garnish: Parsley fresh or dry, crushed (Optional)

Process:

Add 2 cups water to a microwave container.
Add bouillon cubes.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes or more to dissolve cubes in water.
Remove and stir.
Set aside.

In a large pot, add butter.
Add carrots.
Stir.
Cook on medium, saute carrots.
Add onion powder.
Add Worcestershire Sauce.
Add Ground Black pepper.
Stir.
Saute for a few minutes.
Stir occasionally.
Add 1/4 cup flour slowly.
Stir as you add the flour, in an attempt to avoid lumps.
Add 1/2  Chicken stock.
Stir continuously to reduce lumps.
Stir for until flour has been mixed thoroughly.
If soup has not thickened, add a bit more flour.
Add remaining stock.
Stir.
Add milk.
Stir thoroughly.
Reduce to simmer.
Stir until the mixture bubbles.
Add salmon or tuna.
Stir.
Add cheese.
Stir and heat mixture until the cheese melts.
As you serve in a bowl, add garnish, if desired.

 

Microwave: Baked Apples with Jam, Oats and Cinnamon

Update 2/11/2020

I just made this recipe, again, because in the first recipe, I used wax paper, and overcooked the stuffed apples. I microwaved them on high for 10 minutes and they came out like hard candy. I don't think the wax paper was useful.

Today, I covered the stuffed apples with plastic wrap and microwaved them on high for 3 minutes and they came out perfect.

I, also, made some minor adjustments to the ingredients.

So, I altered the recipe to reflect these changes.

You can find several online cookbooks at The Guelph Family Health Study.

I appreciated their goals of involving children in cooking in the kitchen and making recipes to avoid food waste.

Often, when I buy even 1 or 2 apples, somehow they don't get eaten quickly. So, I have to devise ways to cook them to preserve them. Often, I can freeze what I have cooked.


Microwave: Baked Apples with Jam, Oats and Cinnamon
(Adapted from: Baked Apple with Crisp Topping https://guelphfamilyhealthstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/GFHS-Fall-2016-Cookbook.pdf)


Ingredients:

4 small apples
4 Tspns of Jam
4 Rounded TBspns Oats
2 Level TBspns Flour
1.5 - 2 TBspns Sugar
4 Dashes of Cinnamon powder
1.5 - 2 TBspns Butter, softened
Plastic wrap to cover microwave dish


Process:

Wash apples.
Cut apples in half, horizontally.
Place apple halves in a microwave dish.
Scoop out cores.
Fill space with a Tspn of jam.

In a bowl, stir and mix flour, sugar, oats and cinnamon.
Add butter.
Stir and cream the butter into the mixture.
Add about 1 TBspn of mixture over top of apple halves.

Cover microwave dish with plastic wrap.
Microwave on high for 3-5 minutes for small apples. Microwave a few more minutes, if the apples are larger.

New picture of 2nd Batch of Baked Apples

 

One Cucumber, Many Uses

Update: minor adjustments to Quick Pickles measurements.


My biggest problem with fresh produce is I never use it all immediately and end up with waste. Generally, I dice or slice any remaining produce and freeze them.

But, cucumbers don’t freeze well. So, I have a few ways to prepare cucumbers for multiple uses without waste.


One Cucumber, Many Uses

With 1 large cucumber:

Wash and cut in half, in the middle.

With one half:

Peel.



Cut into slices (round).

1. Put slices into a jar of water to make cucumber water.

2. Dice remaining slices, place in a container.
Use with various sauces, see choices in Cucumber Bonanza post on this blog.


With the second half:

Cut into length-wise strips (julienne).
Cut away the seeds. 

3. Place strips into a jar with spices to make quick pickles. See DIY Quick Pickles below.

4. Dice any remaining strips, save in a container. Use in cucumber salsas or cucumber salad like Apple / Cucumber Salad with Yogurt. See below.

Apple / Cucumber Salad with yogurt
Add diced apple with some diced cucumber. Add yogurt and stir to coat diced apple and cucumber.



DIY Quick Pickles
(Thanks to: Quick Pickled Cucumbers | Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe)


Ingredients:

Cucumber
A jar with a lid
Water
Vinegar
1-3 TBspns of sugar
2-3 Tspns of rock salt or salt


Process:

Wash cucumber.
Cut cucumber in half vertically in the middle.
Cut each half into strips.
Cut away seeds.
Add cucumber strips to jar.
Add water to jar until about 1/2 half to 2/3rds full.
Add spices.
Add vinegar.
Affix lid.
Shake jar to mix spices and liquids.
Store in frig.