Food inspiration, or what's for supper?

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Replies

  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,295 Member

    Definitely white pepper. I’ve had rutabaga long ago and can’t quite imagine it with sugar. But I’m willing to give it a try once. Assume you boil it like potatoes? What about roasting?

    Yeah swede is a hairy blonde guy who lives in Minnesota where it snows all year.

  • Janatki
    Janatki Posts: 730 Member

    Yes … lovely boiled with spuds too, love it roasted with Sunday roast …. Mmm … just love swede, but prob not the hairy blonde guy in Minisota 😉

  • Bella_Figura
    Bella_Figura Posts: 4,322 Member
    edited November 2021

    I agree, Jan, swede is particularly delicious when made into neeps and tatties.

    Just cook chunks of swede in salted water for 15 minutes, add chunks of potato (in a 1:1 ratio) and boil for another 15 minutes or so until the neeps and tatties are both cooked to mashing consistency. Drain, mash with a little white pepper, a little sea salt and a good knob of butter.

    Delish!

  • TheKookyKiwi
    TheKookyKiwi Posts: 68 Member


    LOL Pav <3

    IF you can get Jacinda to let you into this country anytime in the near future (good luck with that - even Kiwi citizens can't come home at the moment 😰 ) you'd be more than welcome to come and stay and I shall make ALL of the above recipes for you (and then some) - and you won't be breaking your diet piggy bank!

    I shall pledge a promise here and now though - I shall only post pictures of my meals on the first occasion of eating them (since I joined MFP). But I warn in advance, summer is coming, so this means there will likely be seafood dishes coming!

  • TheKookyKiwi
    TheKookyKiwi Posts: 68 Member

    Todays Lunch - Poached Bantam Eggs on Toast

    Plus Hot Tea - 1 Teabag Blackcurrant & Apple and 1 Teabag of Licorice (no milk, 1 fake sugar)


  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member

    Oh it's OK @TheKookyKiwi Jacinda and I go way back ever since a Kiwi ARCHEOLOGIST linked me to one of her speeches!

    But I don't want you to stop posting pictures: that could impact my quest to expand the horizons of my Floridan Friend Connie, and that would just NOT do!

    I'll have to run Garfield's text through google translate if I can load both the Lilibet and Meaghan English modules just so that I can figure out what she's saying... but I suspect that swedes and potatoes go well together! Be that as it may, I was taught by a neighbour (so it's not my invention!!) that you boil the swedes, drain them in a non-obsessive manner, toss a couple of spoons of sugar on top and then beat the *kittens* out of them till they're mashed!

    Of course a philistine would add butter; but it is optional! And adventure puppies will find that sucralose works both there and in tomato sauce!

    That's really nice toast... and bantams!

    Now I will take advantage of MFP being a pain in the kitten and many of you not finding your way here yet... and admit that I nuked a large beef cannelloni frozen pack (370 Cal per two)... and then added the left over spaghetti sauces from the previous days! So dad got 2 pieces and his "sausage enhanced meatlike sauce". And I got 4 pieces and the remainder of the original extra spice meatlike sauce. I've actually left one piece for a late night snack! Oh I had a simple tomato and onion salad with mine.

    @Yoolypr the rutabagas I'm discussing are definitely boiled and mashed. The hardest part for me, to be honest, is cleaning and cutting the suckers without losing fingers and / or 20 hours to achieve!

  • TheKookyKiwi
    TheKookyKiwi Posts: 68 Member
    edited November 2021

    Well .. since this is quite the topic .. worthy of a literary Pulitzer nomination .. I'm going to add my few words on the subject!

    We not only have Swedes and Potatoes - but also Turnips and ... *drum roll please* Kumara (Aka Sweet Potato).

    Now my grandmother informed me many moons ago that the "proper" way to make mash is actually to use cream and not milk. Her answer to the calorie dilemma this would present would be to inform you that you should simply vacuum the house another time or two! Bless her.. I'm allergic to vacuuming.. so will have to improvise.

    Oh and you must season your mash - Salt is optional but cracked pepper is essential.

    Here's another mashie option that I've made once or twice: Cauliflower Mash - Boil it then mash/puree up with a portion of blue cheese (or tasty cheese if blue isn't your thing). If you like the cheesy flavour - but are not allowed the cheese (thinking Vegan or Non Dairy here) - then pop in some flaked yeast (Yes it really does give a VERY similar cheesy taste!).

  • The only problem with the shrimp scampi is that it leaves me looking for more protein at 10 pm so I can sleep. (No, I don't do well with going to bed hungry, I get panic attacks and wake up with a migraine.)

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member

    But shrimp is calorically cheap? You can load oodles of it on your plate... like near the Cal a gram mark, right? I hope you find something!

    I love some good grandmotherly advice... but no, between skim milk and vacuuming the house again plain water with white coloring is likely to win!

  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,295 Member

    Pad Thai for dinner tonight. It was made with riced cauliflower rather than noodles. I got it frozen in portions from Sams Club/Walmart. Prepared it with a dab of sesame oil and lite soy sauce. Oh and a bunch of shrimp.

  • Today's lunch, in deference to me going to the store, is pulled pork on buns, which is easy to do and fast to heat up when I come home ravenous. I'm going to try a larger breakfast today because I make bad decisions when I'm ravenous.

    Dinner will be Hunan pork. I know it's traditionally done with beef, but we like pork better.

  • Bella_Figura
    Bella_Figura Posts: 4,322 Member
    edited November 2021

    Both your lunch and dinner sound delicious, Alexandra!

    Today's lunch was a tortilla pizza - which was essentially a tortilla used as a pizza base, with a homemade tomato sauce, 27g burrata, 5g 'nduja pasta, chargrilled sweet yellow and red peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes and one rasher of crisp air-fried streaky bacon crumbled over the top. 360 calories of scrumminess!

    And dinner was another bowl of curried leek and potato soup, a granary roll (91g), followed by 60g Fage 5% fat greek yoghurt, 150g mixed defrosted berries and 5g nutella.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member

    @AlexandraFindsHerself1971 it definitely helps me to go to the store full as opposed to hungry! When full I am able to find way less candy on sale!!!! 🤣

    @Yoolypr your pad-Thai-like sounds really really good... though I am having trouble envisioning a noodle-less pad Thai! But, now you've got my curiousity going 'cause I've yet to see at our "up north" Walmarts these lower calorie versions!

    While un-warm outside (0C/33F), we currently have blinding sunshine and all the windows open!

    I have a turkey roast thawing in the fridge to maybe make with a bag of the veggie fries. But will it thaw in time? Fall back? I am thinking maybe a couple of frozen tuna steaks that I can start up from frozen? Something else? Hmmm..... 🤔

    And... I am fairly sure that my feelings about the forum changes so far can be summarized as follows: 😈👿

    Any Android users around here? I am currently getting NOTHING (blank page) when I open up community on MFP and I updated to the latest version of the app yesterday.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member

    Nice looking pizza Garfield❣️ still working on figuring out the toppings😝😹

  • Janatki
    Janatki Posts: 730 Member

    A day of overworking… and a rumbling tum ….meant little time to think about what’s for supper this evening Delved into the Freezer & found portion of OH’s Chicken Tikka Marsala …aka Hairy Biker style, defrosted & reheated with a chapatti & plain yoghurt as bit spicy for my pallete!

  • TheKookyKiwi
    TheKookyKiwi Posts: 68 Member

    Yup Android user here. Community just shows as a blank page for me too when on my phone. I'm accessing now via desktop/web application.

    I have several criticisms for this version of the forums .. but shrug .. I make do.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member

    ONLY several????😹

  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,295 Member
    edited November 2021

    Yeah - pad Thai without the noodles but seasoned up it worked. I’ll take a photo of the package next time I buy it. I think it would work fine with zoodles or even some rice noodles too.

    Whats chapati? Hairy Biker style?

  • I think eating more on the store mornings works. I was getting hungry by 11, but then again that's about when I usually start fixing lunch and it's okay to be a little hungry while lunch is getting ready. I have to eat on time or I get a migraine. I had one anyway today because the cold front came through, but because I'd been doing everything right for a week or so it wasn't terrible and I was able to get up and cook dinner.

    (Currently posting in a mild food coma. Ginger and garlic and red pepper yum.)

    And I was able to pack Son's lunch right after cleaning up dinner, and despite adding two cookies to it, I was able to resist the mental suggestion that I have one without too much effort. If I want anything it's one of those mini-candy bars that I have in the garage fridge, cause chocolate crisp. But the want is not acute enough to make me walk out there to fetch it, either. I'm good.

  • Janatki
    Janatki Posts: 730 Member
    edited November 2021

    Hairy Bikers are two character Northern cooks in GB …. Write cook books and one was about Indian / Asian food!

    Chapatti - a type of flat bread, but any without yeast .. is just flour water & salt and cooked on open flame, but allows you to eat the curry without a knife & fork!

    Go well together, but with rice is heavy on th carbs 🥴

    OH usually does a batch that rarely last one sitting when the boys were at home, but as they have both flown the coup, this batch allowed a couple of potions to be frozen … thankfully… as no energy this evening!

  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,295 Member

    I have no experience with Indian cuisine. I think there are a couple of Indian/ Asian markets in the city but only one Indian restaurant that I know of. A few Indian foods in the grocery store but wouldn’t know what to do with it.

    I’m not adverse to heat or spices except for rose water in food. So if someone can post a few easy favorite Indian recipes in the recipe postings I’d like to give it a try.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member

    The "standard intro" to Indian food for the un-initiated meat-eater is "butter chicken". If you want to end up sunk in calories... grab some naan bread from Wally-mart next time you're there. The 180 Cal you see? It's a TOTAL LIE. It is 180 Cal per HALF a naan bread.... and that's before anyone adds butter or ghee to it! :)

    Now. In the cheap section (but spicier)... you can grab the ready made Indian meals (mostly vegetarian). Walmart up here in the north actually has some of the least expensive ones around--and even though they carry two kinds (Ashoka and I believe MTR), I find nothing wrong with the less expensive ones (Ashoka).

    Figure 320 to 450 Cal for a one cup sized pouch of food. Plus either some rice or whole wheat bread to eat with it.

    And, of course, like Jan you might want to make your own chapatti! I tend to eat the pouches as is or with a wasa or two. And / or use half the rice out of the frozen dinners and split the rest of it with the dog :)

    Last but not least you can just buy some ready made sauces (again I would probably start with butter chicken sauce though I personally use the lower calorie blue menu one at about 360 Cal per 400g) and put it on top of pretty much anything (veggies or meat).

    But that's just me--and I'm obviously hungry right now contemplating Indian-like food combos! 😂

  • I have found a lot of really good accessible well explained Indian recipes at this lady's site: https://www.harighotra.co.uk/

    She has her recipes really well classified so if you're looking for things that cook fast or are okay with doing a longer prep, you can sort by that.

    Some Indian and Middle Eastern desserts do use rosewater, but at least in the Indian ones you could use vanilla instead. Rosewater is amazing in very small doses with other flavors (I make an almond milk, cinnamon, and rosewater custard pie that is wonderful) but in anything more than a small dose is just horrid.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member

    I am imagining rosewater turkish delights... don't ask me why, I have no clue. I actually would probably enjoy them... but that's about it for the obnoxious concoction.

    Truth be told neither the jaleibis aka orange pretzels (which I love but which most of my indian friends scoff at) nor the gulab jamuns (which remind me faintly of a greek ravani, though they are more dense and not shaped the same) that I've tried had any rosewater. I suppose the gulab jamun syrup could be made to have, but it just never happened to me!

    I don't know Alexandra if I'm sold on your custard pie yet!

    Tonight was an "interesting" one. Ended up firing up the oven and baking 600g (660 actually) of "blue menu breaded haddock" and 500g (exactly) of veggie fries (previously discussed). Basically dump from freezer to parchment paper and eat. A bit expensive calorie wise as my 54% fish and 71% plus 101g ketchup ended up just over 1K Cal. Goes to show you that even at 1500 Cal I must be seriously underestimating past fish and chip dinners... and that I still managed to lose/maintain in spite of that!!!

    NOT loving the forum change yet! And sure... more emojis... but harder to select! Resizable Garfields are good though!!!

  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,295 Member
    edited November 2021

    Thanks for the information on Indian food PAV. I’ll check out the frozen foods and prepared stuff first. If recall correctly there isn’t much frozen to choose from and little in the aisles. I think I’ve seen naan at the grocery but I’m not a big bread eater so probably would have a problem with half a piece. Might have to make the pilgrimage to the market up north

    Alexandra - I will read through the website. I think trying some homemade foods may be the way to go. I can get to a market. More time consuming but I don’t mind experimenting.

    I think the only Indian food I can recall tasting are tandoori chicken and some vindaloo that was so hot even I couldn’t eat it. I think I need to work on curry.

    No rosewater. Have had a gelatinous middle eastern dessert with rose water. It was like eating a deodorant stick!🤢

  • Bella_Figura
    Bella_Figura Posts: 4,322 Member

    @Yoolypr, this site https://myheartbeets.com/category/indian-cooking/ is a fabulous introduction to indian food. The recipes are simple, unfussy and quick (especially if you have an Instant Pot) and taste pretty authentic. The blog author is US based, so the ingredients should be available....

  • Yeah, Turkish Delight with rose does not usually please Western palates! I don't like it, but I like rosewater in Anglo-Norman cuisine. (one sort of Medieval European cooking).

  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,295 Member

    Thank you Bella! This site looks very promising. Lots of good reading here. 😋

  • Bella_Figura
    Bella_Figura Posts: 4,322 Member

    Mmmmm rose flavoured turkish delight. Nom nom nom.

  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,295 Member

    Nope. No rose water ever. Like licking personal care products. Hubby feels the same way about cilantro which I love. He says it’s soapy tasting.