Refrigerator: Overnight Seeded Oats

Bananas! Thanks to some friends, I have lots of bananas!

I will be happily trying to make the new banana bread, puddings, cakes, bread puddings, cookies, and ice cream recipes I found.

 

In addition, I love using bananas as a topping.

 

I have also developed a fondness for overnight oats, thanks to Jack Monroe and others. The various seeds in this recipe make an interesting combination.

 

Refrigerator: Overnight Seeded Oats

(Adapted from: https://www.budgetbytes.com/make-ahead-seeded-oats/)

 

 

Pre-preparation:

 

First, make a batch of seed mixture:

 

Seed Mixture:

 

4 TBspns Flaxseeds

4 TBspns Sesame seeds

2 TBspns Chia seeds

2 Tsps Cinnamon

A Pinch Salt (Optional)

 

Other ingredients:

 Oats

2-3 TBspns Coconut creme

Water as needed

Or Milk or Milk alternative

 

Toppings: fresh, canned or dry fruit; or nuts; peanut butter; honey; jam; jelly; or syrup.

 

 

Process:

 

Make seed mixture.

Add a thick layer of oats on the bottom of a small bowl with lid.

Sprinkle some of the seed mixture over oats.

Add 2-3 TBspns coconut creme.

Add enough water to cover oats.

 

Or

 

Add milk or milk alternative to cover oats.

Stir the mixture thoroughly.

Add lid.

Refrigerate overnight.

 

Upon serving, add additional water, or milk, or milk alternative to moisten oats.

Add topping of choice.

#GERD-friendly @BudgetBytes

Hotplate: 10+ Hours Pinto Bean Soup

Hotplate: 10+ Hours Pinto Bean Soup
(Adapted from: https://whatscookingamerica.net/soup/appalachian-soupbeans.htm)


Pre-Preparation:

Add 1 Cup of pinto beans, rinsed and drained into a medium pot.
Cover with water an inch higher than the beans.
Cover pot.
Leave on counter overnight.
If possible, check in a few hours to see if the beans need more water.


Ingredients:

1 Chicken bouillon cube
4 Cups water
A drizzle of vegetable oil
2 slices canned meat, cubed
5 dashes onion powder
5 dashes garlic powder
2 dashes hot sauce
1 TBspn Cilantro, dry (optional)
3 Grinds Black pepper
S/P to taste
Garnishes: shredded cheese, diced onions or scallions


Process:

In the morning, drain and rinse beans in a colander.
Set aside.
Add 1 chicken bouillon cube to 2 cups of water.
Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
Remove and stir to dissolve bouillon.
Set aside.
Add a dribble of veg oil to pot.
Add meat cubes to pot.
Add garlic and onion powders, hot sauce and black pepper.
Cook on medium-high, scald the meat quickly, then add 1/2 cup chicken stock.
Stir mixture.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook for a few minutes.
Add beans to a pot.
Add remaining stock.
Stir.
Add 2 Cups Water.
Stir.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer.
Stir.
Add cover but leave a small gap to let air circulate. It will help the beans soften.
Simmer 45 minutes.
Check mixture.
Stir.
Add more water if liquid is low.
Add salt to taste.
Stir.
Simmer for another 45 minutes.

 When serving, add garnishes of choice.

References:

Wikipedia, Pinto Beans
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinto_bean

#GERD-friendly
 

Lentils, Mixed Vegetables and Black Bean Salsa

I am always on the lookout for a lentil recipe that works for me.

This one turned out pretty good. It's probably not as crunchy as the original recipe because I used mostly canned goods.



Lentils, Mixed Vegetables and Black Bean Salsa
(Adapted from: https://www.lentils.org/recipe/lentil-corn-black-bean-salsa/)


First, I made a batch of lentils using my recipe: Stovetop: Lentils with Garlic Powder (https://riastoneblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/stove-top-lentils-with-garlic-powder.html).

Then, with each of the items below, drain, rinse, drain again in a sieve. Then dump into a large food container with a lid.

Note: the ounces measurements are approximate.

I used: Metric-Conversions.org (https://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/grams-to-ounces.htm).

1 560g (20oz) Can Black Beans
1 400g (14oz) Can Mixed vegetables
1 210g (8oz) Can of salsa

Next, add to the ingredients:

1 Juice from a slice of lime
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 Cup cooked lentils, drained in a sieve
Stir the ingredients to mix thoroughly.

Cover container.
Place in frig.
Chill for a couple of hours.

This is a hearty, meaty tasting salsa.

#GERD-friendly

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.

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: 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.

 

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
 

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.

 

Hotplate: Simple Chicken Vegetable Soup

Hotplate: Simple Chicken Vegetable Soup
(Inspired by: https://natashaskitchen.com/easy-chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/)

I love soup. It is one of many comfort foods. This recipe is also frugal (Budget-friendly).

I appreciate Natasha's recipe. It inspired me to keep trying to make Chicken Soup. I had failed before so many times. While my recipe is a major departure from Natasha's, she pointed me in the right direction.

Now, I have an easy recipe, I can make with confidence.

I used leftover vegetables and vegetables I had on hand, so this recipe can have lots of variations.

I think potatoes add additional flavor and texture to the soup.


Ingredients:

1 Chicken bouillon cube
6 cups of water
1 dash of garlic powder (Optional)
1 dash of onion powder (Optional)
Ground Black Pepper (Optional)
Season to taste and GERD tolerance
Use vegetables on hand for example:
2 chayotes, 1 frozen, 1 fresh, sliced and diced
6 Leftover roasted potatoes, cubed
10 snack carrots, diced
*I added some leftover pastrami slices. (Optional)


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.
Bring liquid to a boil.
Add vegetables.
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.

I serve soup with crackers.

I divide remaining soup into single servings in freezer containers and freeze for later use.

#GERD-Friendly, use none or a little of the spices

Hotplate: Simple Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a #GERD-Friendly soup. Using the spices is optional. What gives the soup some flavor is the tomato or spinach flavored noodles.


Hotplate: Simple Chicken Noodle Soup
(Inspired by: https://natashaskitchen.com/easy-chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/)


Ingredients:

1 Chicken bouillon cube
6 cups of water
Noodles, fettuccine (Spinach or Tomato), or other type of noodles
1 dash of garlic powder (Optional)
1 dash of onion powder (Optional)
Ground Black Pepper (Optional)
Season to taste and GERD tolerance
1 354g (12.48 oz) Can of chicken, drained


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 this stock to large pot.
Add 4 cups of water.
Add spices.
Stir.
Cover pot.
Cook on high.
Bring liquid to a boil.
Add noodles.
Stir.
Recover pot.
Cook on high for about 10 minutes.
Add chicken.
Stir and mash chicken chunks into smaller pieces.
Cook on medium-high for about 5 minutes or until noodles are soft (el dente).

I serve soup with crackers.

Later, I divide remaining soup into single servings in freezer containers and freeze for later use.

#GERD-Friendly, use none or a little of the spices

Hotplate: Wagon Wheel Pasta with Chicken, Spinach & DIY Pesto

Updated 12/22/19
Made minor edits to clarify process.

I peruse my Star Trek Cookbook often and have made several recipes from the cookbook. There are two things, I think many cookbook authors miss, adding humor and personal stories. It's just fun reading this cookbook.

  One recipe I have been waiting a long time to make is Garrett Wang's Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. I spent months looking for "Rotelle" pasta (wagon wheel pasta). Then, Hurray! I found some bags of small wagon wheel pasta, called "Engrane" in Mexico.

Looking at this recipe, now, my eyes roll.

I am not going to be making this recipe as it is stated in the Star Trek Cookbook, gotta adapt it to what I have and also make it GERD-friendly.

Plus, I wonder, how can spinach be a substitute for pasta as the recipe suggests?

Oh no, I forgot the recipe called for pesto. So, I desperately searched for an easy DIY pesto recipe.

Luckily, I found one at RecipeTinEats! Now, I don't have a blender, so I am not sure what to call the mixture I made, maybe "Almost Pesto Sauce." Now, that I think about it, I should have just stirred the mixture more furiously.

Even though I have been trying to learn how to cook for years now, I am still uncomfortable with many of the ingredients and processes.

While this recipe states the process in a logical order, I was bouncing all over the kitchen because I would forget one step before I started another. Or the pasta boiled over. Or I almost ran out of tablespoons. Or I ran out of space to put things. I felt a little like Neelix (Ethan Phillips) when he runs around Voyager's kitchen cooking up a storm for the crew with various pots boiling, frying, and steaming.

The sink is full of all the dishes, cups, bowls, spoons, pots and pans I used. While I am exhausted, I know IF I make this recipe again, it will go easier.



Hotplate: Wagon Wheel Pasta with Chicken, Spinach & DIY Pesto
(Adapted from: Star Trek Cookbook, Garrett Wang “Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes”)

Note: While this dish is cooked on a hotplate, it is served cold.


Ingredients:

2 Cups Frozen spinach
1-2 Cups water
1 dab of olive oil
1 Tomato bouillon cube
1 200g (7 oz) Engrane (tiny wagon wheel pasta)
2 TBspns olive oil (Sorry I do not ask my olive oil about their sex lives.)
1 350g (12.3 oz) Can of Chicken, drained
1/2 Tspn garlic powder
A few grinds of Ground black pepper
S/P to taste
Sauce: 3 TBspns Pesto sauce, store bought or DIY (See DIY Pesto Recipe Post)
Garnish: Parmesan cheese and extra olive oil (optional)

(Some Ingredients shown are for the DIY Pesto)

 
Pre-Preparations:

Cook Spinach:

Add frozen spinach to a 2-cup container.
Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.
Remove, drain, and set aside.


Make Tomato Stock:

Add cube of tomato bouillon to 2 cups of water.
Microwave water 2-3 minutes on high to bring to a boil.
Remove and stir to make sure bouillon has dissolved.


Make Pasta:

Put pasta into a large pot, cover with tomato stock.
Add a dab of olive oil.
Stir.
Bring to a boil.
Stir.
Add salt if desired.
Stir.
Cover.
Boil about 5-8 minutes.
Watch the pot, it may boil over.
Check pasta to see if is done. It is done, if it is still a bit firm and you can bite it easily (al dente).
Drain pasta, reserve some of the pasta liquid, and set aside.


Process:

In a skillet, add a dab of olive oil and garlic powder.
Cook on medium heat.
Stir and mix oil and powder.
Add chicken.
Add spinach.
Stir thoroughly.
Cook on medium heat until mixture is hot throughout.
Add a little pasta water if the mixture is too dry.
Add mixture to pasta in pot.
Stir mixture thoroughly.
Pour mixture into a large bowl.
Add pesto sauce.
Stir thoroughly.
Cover bowl and place in frig.
Wait until mixture is chilled throughout.
When serving, garnish with Parmesan cheese and additional olive oil, if desired.

I forgot how much pasta 1 small bag makes. I have to figure out how to halve this recipe.

 Note: While I really like the flavor the tomato bouillon adds, I keep forgetting bouillon cubes add quite a bit of salt and spice to any dish.

 #GERD-friendly - if you reduce the garlic powder to just a hint.

Hotplate: Another TWG Mini-Universal Casserole

As you can see, I am on a bit of a kick here, using a variety of combinations to make TWG mini-universal casseroles.

So far, this one is the best, though it could use more spices.

This is what Amy Dacyczyn, author of The Tightwad Gazette, is all about. She encourages people to be creative.


Hotplate: Another TWG Mini-Universal Casserole

I really like this combination of ingredients. The homemade cream sauce reduced the salt level because I did not use canned cream soup which contains a substantial amount of salt. I do not use salt in most of my recipes.


Pre-Preparation:

Make a batch of pasta per package instructions.
Make cream sauce if needed. (See Hotplate: White Cream Sauce (Medium) Recipe)


*Ingredients:

1/2 14.75oz Can of salmon, drained
1/2 Cup Canned mixed vegetables, drained and rinsed in can
1 Cup Pasta, cooked
3/4 Cup Cream sauce or use canned cream soup
1/8 Cup Almonds, sliced
2 TBspns Parsley, dry, crushed between palms
A few twists of Ground black pepper
Salt to taste (Optional)
Topping: 1/2 Cup or more Mozzarella cheese
Garnish: Parsley, dry, crushed


Process:

Add all ingredients to a small microwaveable casserole dish, except the topping and 1 TBspn of parsley.
Mix ingredients thoroughly.
Add topping by sprinkling cheese over the mixture.
Sprinkle 1 TBspn of parsley over cheese.
Cover with plastic wrap.
Microwave on high for 8 minutes.
Be careful when removing casserole from microwave. The plastic may release hot steam.
Be careful when removing plastic.
Sprinkle casserole with more parsley if desired.

*Note: This recipe is a great catchall recipe where you can use leftovers. I used a little leftover pasta and some leftover cream soup from a previous recipe.

#GERD-friendly