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.

 

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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: Quick Tomato and Vegetable Broth

This is a "Kitchen sink recipe", meaning toss in whatever vegetables you can find in the frig.

Quick Tomato and Vegetable Broth



Ingredients:

4 cups water in a pot
1 cube tomato bouillon
1 dollop canola oil
5 dashes garlic powder
5 dashes onion powder
1 Tspn thyme, crushed
2 dashes oregano powder
2 dashes hot sauce
2 grinds ground black pepper
6oz leftover tomato-pasta liquid
6 snack carrots, diced
6 stalks celery, diced
1 1/2 cup cooked small white beans
3 TBspns canned mushroom pieces, drained


Process:

Add bouillon cube to pan of water.
Add oil.
Add spices.
Bring to a boil.
Add diced vegetables and beans.
Stir.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium, to a simmer.
Add mushrooms.
Simmer for 15 minutes.

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.