Microwave: Faux Shepherd's Pie - Single Serviing

I have gotten into the habit of reviewing the contents of my frig to see what I can use to make what recipes in order to use up my leftovers.

Looking at my leftovers of black beans, and mixed vegetables with cheese, I thought, what could I do with them?

Why not try to make a Faux Shepherd's Pie?

So, without any recipe as a guide, I just guessed and I made one. I expected it to be uneatable mush. Instead, it was great!

I added some links below to some real recipes for Shepherd's Pie for your information.


Microwave: Faux Shepherd's Pie - Single Serving

Ingredients:

Instant Potatoes
Hot water
Milk
Black pepper
A few drops of hot sauce
Parsley, dry
Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
Canned or frozen mixed vegetables (La Huerta Guarnición de Verduras: Coliflor, Brocolí, Elote y Zanahoria)
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese


Pre-preparation:

Instant Potatoes
Make a small batch of instant potatoes with instant potatoes, hot water, milk, black pepper, a few drops of hot sauce, and parsley.
Add more potatoes, if too thin.
Add more milk, if too thick.
Mix well.


Mixed Vegetables with Cheese
In another small bowl, fill 1/2 with mixed vegetables.
Add several TBspns of shredded mozzarella cheese or other cheese.
Mix well.
Microwave on high for 2 - 4 minutes. May take longer if vegetables are frozen.
Remove and stir well.

 

 Process:

With a tablespoon, add a layer of mashed potatoes on the bottom of a small dessert bowl.
Then, add a layer of black beans.
Next, add a layer of mixed vegetables.
 Top it all with a layer of mashed potatoes.
Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.
Microwave on high (covered) for 2 minutes.

Real Shepherd's Pie Recipes

No-Fuss Shepherd's pie | BBC Good Food
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/no-fuss-shepherds-pie

Shepherd's Pie
https://www.recipetineats.com/shepherds-pie/

Easiest Shepherd's Pie
https://www.thespruceeats.com/easiest-shepherds-pie-recipe-435776

Wikipedia - Shepherd's Pie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd%27s_pie

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: 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

Microwave: TWG Universal Casserole -- Single Serving

TWG Universal Casserole -- Single Serving
(Adapted from The Complete Tightwad Gazette)

The Universal Casserole is one of my favorite TWG recipes but as a single person, I wanted to make a smaller amount. So, I decided to half the recipe and give it a shot.

Categories of Ingredient Choices
 
Main ingredient: tuna, cubed chicken, turkey, ham, seafood
Second ingredient: sliced celery, mushrooms, peas, chopped hard-boiled eggs
Starchy ingredient: sliced potatoes, noodles (cooked), cooked rice
Binder: cream sauce, sour cream, can of soup
Goodie: pimineto, olives, almonds, water chestnuts
Topping: potato chips, cheese, bread crumbs
Spices or Herbs: Your choice


Ingredients:

Choose one item from each category above.

1/2 Cup main ingredient
1/2 Cup second ingredient
1 Cup starchy ingredient
3/4 Cup binder
1/8 Cup goodie
Spices or herbs
Topping
Oil to grease microwave dish

I choose canned chicken; canned mushroom pieces, rinsed in the can; canned potatoes, diced, rinsed in the can; crema Flor de Calabaza; olives, diced; and mozzarella cheese, grated as a topping.

Dry Parsley and ground black pepper were my choice of spices. 

I had enough leftover ingredients to make this casserole again.


Process:

Stir and mix ingredients, except for topping, together thoroughly.
Add the spices or herbs of your choice.
Stir well.
If mixture is dry, add a bit of milk or stock.
Stir well.
Transfer mixture to buttered or greased microwave dish.
Add topping.
Sprinkle with spices or herbs. (Optional)
Cover with plastic wrap.
Microwave on high for 8 minutes.

Eight minutes was enough to heat the casserole all through but next time, I may try to microwave it for 10 minutes.

I also sprinkled more parsley, dry crushed over the individual serving.

I enjoyed this recipe even though it had strong olive flavor and was more salty than I would have liked.


#GERD-friendly if you use almond slivers or water chestnuts, diced, instead of olives.

Sweet Iced Neth with Spices (Faux Mango Lassi)

Ethan Phillips (Neelix) and William J. Birnes have created a delightful cookbook. Ethan / Neelix uses his experiences as chef on Star Trek Voyager to talk about various "recipes" he made during the show and recipes he gathered from crew members from all the Star Trek series.

It's like an anthropological cookbook because Ethan / Neelix weaves in stories about the history of the recipe and the ingredients. I must say I am glad that I don't really need any bloodworms or bugs to make most of these recipes.

For Sweet Iced Neith, Ethan / Neelix talks of his family adventures exploring the countryside near their home, discovering "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."

I rarely have all the ingredients called for in a recipe and I often want to make a smaller amount.

In this recipe, I used ingredient ideas from two Star Trek Cookbook recipes, Sweet Iced Neth and Spiced Iced Neth.


Sweet Iced Neth with Spices (Faux Mango Lassi)
(Adapted from: the Star Trek Cookbook)


Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Yogurt, plain
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Tspn Ginger powder
1/2 Tspn Cardamon powder
1/4 Tspn Cumin powder
5 Full TBspns Canned Mango juice with pulp, crushed
1 TBspn Honey

In a large glass, add ingredients.
Use the spoon to smash the mango pulp.
Stir and mix ingredients well.

 #GERD-friendly - this recipe is GERD-friendly for me, if I use lactose-free milk.
 

Toaster Oven/Stovetop: Fishy Snacks - Anchovy Savories and Deviled Eggs Stuffed with Sardine Mash

During the last few weeks of recipe frustration, I did make two recipes that came out well but only for people who like sour and salty snacks.

I like anchovies, so I had to try Jack’s recipe Anchovy Savories from Cooking on a Bootstrap (eBook version).

While it looks like a simple recipe, it is, but the whole melting butter mixed with flour thing intimidates me.


Toaster Oven / Hotplate: Anchovy Savories
(From Jack Monroe’s Cooking on a Bootstrap (eBook) )

Makes enough sauce for 2 slices of toast.


Ingredients:

1 tspn Butter
1 tspn Flour
A little Milk
A small lump of hard Cheese, grated
A few drops of hot sauce
2 pieces of multi-grain bread
Parsley (optional)
1 36g (1.25oz) Can of anchovies, drained


Process:

Make toast, first, either in a skillet or in a toaster oven.

In a small skillet, add butter.
On a low heat, melt butter.
Add flour and stir.
Keep stirring as you slowly add a bit of milk.
Keep stirring to avoid lumps.
Add grated cheese.
Keep stirring.
Add a bit more milk, if needed.
Add hot sauce.
Keep stirring, scraping the bottoms and sides of skillet.
Sauce should be slightly thick.
Spread a layer of sauce on toast.
Top with a few anchovies.
Add parsley (optional).
Eat immediately.

To my mind, this is a snack food.

Note: You may have heard about the controversy over the contents of some Parmesan Cheese containers. Some companies were selling cheese flavored sawdust. Well, the same problem exists in the spice industry. I had a jar of Parsley that was more like twigs than parsley leaves. So, that is why I did not use parsley in this recipe




I credit Alex Fergus for the inspiration for the following recipe. You can find him at https://www.alexfergus.com/blog/51-sardine-recipes-for-the-fussiest-of-fish-eaters.


Deviled Eggs Stuffed with Sardine Mash

Pre-preparation:

Make hard-boiled eggs via toaster oven. See recipe on this blog.

Make sardine mash. See recipe on this blog.

Ingredients:

Hard-boiled egg(s)
Sardine mash
1 TBspn Mayo and a little more
1/2 Capful of lime juice
Ground black pepper to taste
1 TBspn of parsley, dry


Process:

Peel egg(s) and cut in half lengthwise.
Carefully remove the yolk(s) and put into sardine mash container.
Add Mayo into container.

Add Lime juice to mixture.
Add ground black pepper.
Stir and mix sardine mash and yolk(s) well.
Stir mixture until it is creamy.
Add more mayo if needed.
Take a Tsp scoop or more of mixture and fill the hollow in the egg halves.
Sprinkle deviled egg(s) with crushed dry parsley.

#GERD-friendly if you do not add Black pepper.

Toaster Oven: Single-Serving Peanut Butter Cookies

Hurray, It’s a Cookie!

This is my first baked cookie in my Toaster Oven.

I am in heaven. I have hard-boiled eggs, Peanut Butter Mousse, Lentils with Garlic and Cookies!


Toaster Oven: Single-Serving Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
(Adapted from: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/07/26/single-serving-peanut-butter-cookies/)

This recipe only make 2 cookies.



Preparations:

Set Toaster Oven on Bake.
Pre-heat Toaster Oven to 350 degrees.
Add a layer of waxed paper to Tin Tray.
Add a dab of olive oil and wipe over waxed paper.


Ingredients:

2 Level TBspns flour
1 Level TBspn Sugar
1/16 Tsp Baking Soda
a dash of salt
1 1/2 TBspns of Creamy Peanut Butter
1/4 capful of vanilla flavoring or extract
1 Tspn Applesauce


Process:

In a small bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well.
Add the rest of the ingredients.
Stir and mix well until mixture is smooth.
With a Tablespoon, divide the mixture into two portions.
Scoop up one portion and drop onto tray.
Drop the second portion onto tray.
Use Tablespoon to reshape, if desired. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Unbaked

 

 

 

Baked

#GERD-friendly