Stovetop and Microwave: Hug-A-Mug - Spicy Ramen Noodles with Leftover Chicken & Vegetables

Hug-A-Mug - Spicy Ramen Noodles with Leftover Chicken & Vegetables

(Adapted from: https://www.budgetbytes.com/chicken-yakisoba/)

 

Obviously, I adapted and reduced the size and ingredients of this recipe going from a bowl to a mug.

 

This is Not, Not #NotGerd-Friendly.

 

Use a large mug.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

A Dolllop of Vegetable Oil

1/2 Tspn Ginger powder

1 Tspn Onion flakes

1 TBspn Soy Sauce

1 TBspn Worcestershire Sauce

2 TBspns ketchup

1 Capful Hot Sauce

1 Tspn Sugar

2-4 TBspns Leftover Canned Mixed vegetables

2-3 TBspns Leftover Cooked Chicken, diced

2 TBspns Sauerkraut

3/4 Packet of Cooked Ramen Noodles

Noodle water

 

 

Process:

 

In a pot, add enough water to cover ramen noodles, bring water to boil, add noodles, cook for about 2-3 minutes until noodles are done. Drain and reserve some of the noodle water.

 

Add spices to mug, stir and mix well. 

Microwave for 30 seconds.
Add vegetables, chicken, sauerkraut.

Stir and mix ingredients thoroughly.

Add about half of the cooked noodles.
Add about 2 TBspns of noodle water.
Stir and mix all ingredients, thoroughly.
Microwave on high 1-2 minutes. 

 

This was an interesting recipe. It was much spicier than I imagined. 

 

But, it was a great recipe for leftovers.

 

 

Microwave: Creamy Chicken and Vegetables

This recipe adaptation was inspired by a recipe from @BudgetBytes. This a great recipe website. The author, Beth Moncel, writes in a fresh, clear, fun, informative style. Her recipes are always interesting and easy to make.

 

Also, I make miniature meals because as a single person, I don't need to make large meals. Plus, miniature meals reduces food waste.

 

As usual, I don't have all the ingredients. In this case, I was able to use several leftover items, so my measurements are a guess. Being frugal is a creative and adaptive process.

Microwave: Creamy Chicken and Vegetables

(Adapted from: https://www.budgetbytes.com/creamy-chicken-and-rice-skillet/)

Ingredients:

 

1 Cup Leftover Cooked rice

1/3 Cup Canned Salsa

2-3 Heaping TBspns Canned Mixed vegetables

1/3 Cup Cooked Chicken, diced

1/2 - 1 Cup Chicken broth (or use broth made from Chicken bouillon and water)

1 TBspn Crushed Dry Thyme

A few grinds of Black pepper

Plain yogurt

2-3 TBspns Mozzarella Cheese, grated (or use more if you desire)

 

 

Process: 

 

In a medium bowl, add ingredients, except the yogurt and cheese.

Stir and mix thoroughly.

 

Because, at the moment, I only wanted to taste the end result, I scooped out about 3 TBspns of the mixture and placed them into a dessert bowl.

 

Then, I microwaved it for 1 minute on high until hot.

 

After removing the bowl, I stirred in 1-2 ounces of plain yogurt and added cheese on top.

 

Then, I microwaved the mixture, again, for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese.

 

 

While it may not be clear, I made a larger batch than a dessert bowl and only microwaved a portion to make a miniature meal.

I can't say enough about the herb Thyme, I should use it more, it really makes this dish heavenly.

 

No Bake: Peanut Butter Balls with Chia Seeds Rolled in Oats

I do tend to repeat myself by making various versions of recipes I like. This is a pretty simple recipe with few ingredients.

 

Once made, these little balls are great to pop in your mouth when seeking a sweet treat.

 

 

No Bake: Peanut Butter Balls with Chia Seeds Rolled in Oats

 

Makes 10-12 balls.

 

Ingredients:

Two bowls

2-3 TBspns honey
2 heaping tablespoons  peanut butter
2 heaping tablespoons dry milk
2 TBspns Chia seeds
1/2 cup oats
1 dab of vegetable oil


Process:

Pour oats in a small bowl.
Mix honey, peanut butter, dry milk, chia seeds, oil in a soup bowl.
Chill for 5 minutes.
Take 1/2 a spoonful of mix and roll in palms to create a ball.
Roll ball in oats.
Place in freezer container.
Freeze and eat at any time.

 

Note: The Peanut Butter Balls do not really freeze. 

 

Skillet: Chicken, Vegetables and Fruit Skewers

Here’s a recipe that illustrates when a recipe search takes me down a rabbit hole.

I took to calling bits of food on a stick a skewer but what was a kabob or kebab?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kebab

See notes after recipe for options gathered from various sources.

Also, this recipe uses a gift of shrimp and a salvaged food item. (See Garlic Spread post).

 

After excessive research, this is the result.

 

 

Skillet: Shrimp Skewers with Vegetables and Fruit

 

Ingredients:

A large handful of frozen shrimp in a baggie

 

Marinade: add enough lime juice, crushed dry parsley, garlic spread to coat shrimp

 
Vegetable oil

A Dab of Butter

1/4 Squash, cut into chunks

A few Canned Pineapple chunks, drained

1 Cup Cooked rice

 

 

Pre-Preparation:

Add marinade to baggie with shrimp.

Close and shake baggie to coat shrimp with marinade.

Place in refrigerator to allow shrimp to defrost and marinate for 1-2 hours.

 

 

Process:

Cook Marinated Shrimp

 

Heat skillet at medium-high.

Add butter and oil.

Add shrimp to skillet.

Stir and spread over bottom of skillet.

Cover.

Cook 2 to 4 minutes until shrimp are opaque.

Remove and reserve.

In the same skillet, add slices of squash and chunks of pineapple in remaining vegetable oil.

Cook on medium-high until browned, flip, so both sides are browned.
Remove and reserve.

Thread shrimp, and pieces of squash, pineapple onto skewer.

 

Serve over rice.

 

I know I did this backwards, usually the uncooked items are threaded onto the skewer and then cooked. Then the items are removed and topped over rice.

 

But, my skillet was too small to fit a skewer, so I just did it for looks. Plus, I enjoy using the skewer like a utensil.

 

 

I was surprised, this recipe was tasty.

 

Notes from Various Sources:

Use one of several marinates:

- lime, parsley, garlic, veg oil, pepper

- butter, paprika, salt, garlic

- lime, garlic oil, parsley, worcestershire sauce, honey, salt, pepper

 

Other Addition Options:

 

Along with individual pieces of shrimp, add one or more of these items: chunks of cheese, cucumber curls, pineapple chunks, seared squash slices, bell pepper slices, olives, seared corn on cob, sausage, or items of your choice.

Optional: sprinkle with basil and feta cheese, mushrooms, onions

Variation: marinate cucumber curls in lime juice

Other shrimp cooking methods:

- Bake at 400F for 4-8 minutes.

- Broil in the oven if you don’t have a grill. Once the broiler is preheated, place the shrimp skewers on a sheet pan coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Broil for 2-3 minutes, then flip and broil for another 2-3 minutes; watching it closely so it doesn’t over-cook.

 

Resources:

https://www.themediterraneandish.com/mediterranean-garlic-shrimp-skewers/

https://www.saveur.com/gallery/essential-ways-to-cook-shrimp/

https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/recipe/cucumber-prawn-skewers/5cf6281448a155007c53887e

DIY Garlic Spread

This was a delightful experiment.

Where I live, often some of my spices like garlic powder, get clumpy, or dry and hard.

As I was cleaning out some drawers, I picked out that jar of hardened garlic powder I had hesitated to toss out. Hmmm, what if I made a garlic dressing using the hardened garlic powder?

So, I got a small jar and filled it 3/4 with vegetable oil, then I scraped the garlic powder into the jar. Next, I filled the jar with apple cider vinegar.

With the lid, I closed the jar and shook it vigorously. I did not know what to expect. What I got was something like a thick garlic spread.

  

It didn’t taste bad. It had a milder garlic flavor than I expected.

The first recipe I used the garlic spread was in a marinade for Skillet: Shrimp Skewers with Vegetables and Fruit. It came out great!

Great Save!

 

Toaster Oven: Milk Toast

Got this idea from The Cook Book of Left-Overs.

 

Ingredients:

 

1-2 Slices of bread, toasted

Milk or milk substitute

Sugar (Optional)

 

Topping: Cinnamon

Process: 

 

Just make some toast, make it brown but not burnt.

Tear the toast into small chunks and add to a cereal bowl.

Add milk or a milk substitute.

Add Sugar, if desired, and topping.

 

Note: I used integral bread and a mixture of 1/2 Horchata & 1/2 milk (dry milk mix).

 

While this was a fast & tasty breakfast, you need to eat it immediately before it gets soggy.

 

 

Stovetop: Salmon Sliders

I was scrounging through my canned goods trying to figure out what I could make. I had a Costco can of salmon. Hmmm, let's look for a salmon recipe.

 

I quickly found a @BudgetBytes recipe for Salmon Burgers. As usual, I adapted the recipe, plus, I did not have all the ingredients. Where in the past, I would have been stymied, now, I am comfortable making adaptations and learning to use ingredients on hand.

 

Also, I reduced the "spicy" ingredients trying to make the sliders #GERD-friendly.

While I started the recipe in the afternoon of one day, I had to rush out to do an errand, so the mixture sat in the frig overnight which may have been a good idea.

I made sliders rather than cakes because I like small meals.

 

While I have made salmon sliders in the past, this recipe is different.

When I went to cook the sliders, I had a hard time "measuring" time to cook. But, I was patient this time and used my cell phone clock to measure 3-5 minutes. I washed some dishes as I waited. I determined one side was cooked by the brownness of the bottom before I flipped the slider over.

I wanted to use pumpernickel bread, so I cut two slices into small squares, spread mayo over them, added the slider then topped it with a DIY pickle relish.

 

I added a miniature side salad of diced cucumbers, apple and ribbons of carrot without dressing to this small meal.

In the end, I made six sliders.

This could be a more GERD-friendly meal, if you eliminate black pepper and hot sauce, and substitute the DIY pickle relish with greenery.

 

By the way, the pumpernickel bread was great. Any scrap bread went into the scrap bread bag in the freezer for future uses.

 

 

Stovetop: Salmon Sliders

(Adapted from: https://www.budgetbytes.com/wprm_print/41304)

 

Ingredients:

1 Small Can of salmon*, drained

1/4 Cup Breadcrumbs

1 Egg

1 TBspn Mayo

1/2 Tspn Yellow Mustard

2-3 Tsp’s Onion flakes

1/2 Tspn Paprika powder

1/4 Tspn Oregano Optional

1/4 Tspn Thyme

1/8 Tspn Garlic powder

1 Capful Hot sauce

1/8 Tspn Black pepper 

 

Vegetable oil
A bit of butter
Mayo
1-2 Slices Pumpernickel bread, cut into squares 

 

Topping:
DIY pickle relish or get creative and add your own topping.

 

 

Process: 

Add salmon to medium bowl.
Add breadcrumbs, egg, mayo, mustard, onion flakes and spices. 

Stir and mix ingredients thoroughly.
Refrigerate 30 minutes or more.
Shape mixture into patties.

 

 

Add oil and butter to skillet.

Heat skillet to medium-high.

Once oil and butter is hot, add patties.

Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Check bottom, is it brown and crisp?

 

Once cooked, remove and reserve on a plate.

Spread mayo over 2 cut bread squares.

Add one slider.

Top with DIY pickle relish.

*Different brands of salmon will change the amount of breadcrumbs you use because some brands are more watery than others. Plus, the amount of salmon may affect the number of sliders you can make.