Food and Recipes while under Coronavirus quarantine

[Yesiamapirate]

One of my friends received a food basket containing 20 pounds of potatoes and 5 pounds of onions. She shared them with me, and I made a big pot of mashed potatoes and served them with my special beer cheese gravy.

I used the leftover mashed potatoes in my breakfast recipe:

1. Sauté chopped onions in a large skillet in olive oil for 2-3 minutes.

2. Drop leftover mashed potatoes by half-cup size mounds into the skillet, on top of the onions. Sauté until lightly browned on the bottom, then flip. Smash the potatoe mounds down slightly and sauté until slightly browned. Using a spoon, make indentations in the top of each mound and drop an egg into each indentation. Cook for a few more minutes until the eggs are slightly cooked then carefully flip. Sprinkle salt and pepper on potatoes then top with shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar this time, but I use any type of cheese I have on hand)

When the eggs are cooked to your liking (I like mine over easy) serve on individual plates. Top with chopped fresh tomatoes and snipped green onions.

Sometimes I slice a fresh jalapeño (seeded and sliced) or green or red pepper in with the onions and sauté as well. This recipe adapts well to using any fresh veggies I have available.

Thank you for the great ideas!

 

[Yesiamapirate]

Here is a Spanish recipe that I’ve adapted for my Southern California roots. It actually stems from an ancient Roman recipe.

It’s a fresh, healthy summer recipe and I eat it about twice a week.

Recipe for two servings:

INGREDIENTS:
3 cans good solid albacore tuna in olive oil. Regular small cans.
2 jalapeños and/or a green bell pepper, sliced into fine slices. If you use both you can use half a green pepper and one jalapeño or to taste.
A handful of grape tomatoes cut in half or two Roma tomatoes cut in eighths and halved after that if you like.
Two tablespoons finely sliced red onion.
High quality olive oil. I like the tang and depth of Greek olive oil for this.
High quality red wine olive oil.
A couple pinches salt.
A couple pinches pepper.

DIRECTIONS:

Open the tuna cans. Drain in a colander with a bowl or something below. Throw away the oil in the trash. Not the sink!

After slicing the peppers, char them on both sides in a small frying pan with a bit of olive oil. If you use jalapeños, which give it a nice kick, make sure to put the stove fan on so you don’t cough from the cooking peppers!

Place the tuna in a glass container. (Tastes better than plastic). Add the peppers, sliced tomatoes and onions on top. Add a good amount of vinegar to cover up to half the depth of the tuna. Add salt and pepper. Add the oil. (A little less than the vinegar).

You can toss gently JUST to combine. You don’t want to break up the tuna. It’s supposed to remain in chunks.

Put in fridge to cool and for flavors to blend. This tastes best if prepared an hour or so before you eat.

For the original Spanish recipe, there are no jalapeños. Only charred green pepper. Use raw diced green onion.
They also add sliced hard boiled eggs and thinly sliced cucumbers.
It’s called “picadillo” in Spain.

Let me know if you try it and if you like it!

So I made this but instead of tuna, I used a can of chickpeas ( garbanzo's). It was wonderful. Thank you!

 

[IceIce9]

Thank you all for sharing your wonderful ideas for vegetables. We get a CSA box every Saturday and I am always looking for ways to use them. I am big on not wasting food. I am interested in recipes for leftovers. Like the mashed potatoes from IceIce9 above. I usually end up with small portions of veggies, grains, potatoes etc. One go to is a tofu scramble. Once a week before shopping day, we take all of the bits and pieces and sauté them with tofu. Put them over any leftover pasta, grain or even greens.

I have learned to make a good breakfast with leftovers. In the recipe I posted above, I used leftover mashed potatoes but I have also used leftover rice that I sauté with onions and then make wells with the back of a spoon and drop an egg into each well and cook until the egg is done. I sauté any bits of leftover peppers, fresh broccoli, tomatoes, etc. along with the rice and onions.

One of my favorite breakfast “recipes” uses leftover refried beans and Mexican-style rice. I sauté some onions and fresh garlic then add rice on one side of the skillet and refried beans on the other. Once the rice and beans are hot I make several wells in them, and drop eggs into the wells. When the eggs are nearly cooked I sprinkle shredded cheese and snapped green onions on top. Then I serve with salsa, avocado slices or guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce, or whatever I have available.

You can use any kinds of cheese so it is a great way to use up leftovers.

 

[MaryG12]

Not a food recipe, but several different recipes for bug deterrents when you're outside enjoying good weather:

Homemade Bug Spray Recipes

The recipe I used from this link:

1 cup alcohol or witch hazel and 10-20 drops of essential oils such as lemongrass, peppermint, or lemon eucalyptus.

Already had lemongrass essential oil plus 70% Isopropyl alcohol in a small new spray bottle (I keep an assortment of spray and non-spray bottles on hand for blending essential oils etc).

No idea if I'll get to use it today with a tropical squall headed my way this weekend.

 

[mickey2942]

Since it is starting to get cold here, I made a simple beef stew. And it is delicious. I always make it the day before, so the flavors can meld.
I added a few of my green chile peppers from my garden, roasted them and peeled them. They were a bit spicier than I expected! I wonder if they cross bred with the jalapeños?

Beef stew with baked potatoes for dinner. I bake the potatoes separately.

 

[SA55]

Since it is starting to get cold here, I made a simple beef stew. And it is delicious. I always make it the day before, so the flavors can meld.
I added a few of my green chile peppers from my garden, roasted them and peeled them. They were a bit spicier than I expected! I wonder if they cross bred with the jalapeños?

Beef stew with baked potatoes for dinner. I bake the potatoes separately.

too early in morning to be this hungry, that made me go to my grocery list and add ingredients for a stew. Supposed to cool down here late week, a stew would be wonderful.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

too early in morning to be this hungry, that made me go to my grocery list and add ingredients for a stew. Supposed to cool down here late week, a stew would be wonderful.

I messed up my shopping, didnt check the forecast. So we have a lovely Indian summer of 27 degrees here in England.... And cauliflower cheese with bacon for dinner!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Ratatouille has long been my favorite vegetable dish. My mom made it frequently every fall with the bounty from my dad's garden - eggplant, zucchini, green pepper, onion, tomatoes. It was delicious! There are many versions of the vegetable dish, but mine is very close to Geoffrey Zakarian's version from today's episode of Food Network's The Kitchen. I've never put olives in mine and will definitely include them in my next batch, but I'll skip the anchovy paste Ratatouille is a perfect side with meat, poultry, or fish/seafood, but we enjoy it as a main course with a crusty loaf of bread.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/geoffrey-zakarian/ratatouille-9395741

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I didn't do much baking during the summer, but I often make zucchini bread during harvest season. Just put a loaf in the oven I've used the same recipe for carrot bread or a combination of zucchini and carrot. Pumpkin bread is a favorite, too.

Zucchini Bread

Pumpkin Bread

 

[Quiet Time]

I really like eggplant, but I hardly ever buy cause I can never think of anything new to make w/it!
My mom would make an eggplant salad, kind of like babaganoush,
so I make that.
But, this recipe sounds delish. I like all the vegs included in this recipe...plus the addition of the kalamata olives,yum, makes it even more interesting.

Thx.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I didn't go to a grocery pick up this week because they gave me so much at the big pick up at the stadium last week. Today, I finished sharing all the produce they gave me this week. I put in the fridge what I knew I would use, then took the rest, loaded it in the back of my SUV, met up with my youngest. She couldn't even use everything that was left!

One of my friends took me out for dinner last night and I let her pick from the pile. There were still leftovers. So today, my other friend who has 3 little grandsons took the rest of it home. Plus I had some dry goods, like cereal, jelly, and juice from last week that the boys will gobble up. I think a lot of this is, there is so much in season and is not being used at the schools.

This weeks list:
Gallon of 2% milk
Fruits: peaches, blackberries, lemons
Veggies: tomatoes, cauliflower, jalapenos, zucchini, iceberg lettuce, kale, mandarin oranges, potatoes, chayote squash

At the stadium last week, they served 400 cars - so 400 hundred families!! They had a benefactor that contributed truckloads of food. I still have dozens of little orange juice cartons in my freezer. They gave me a case!!

 

[PayrollNerd]

I didn't do much baking during the summer, but I often make zucchini bread during harvest season. Just put a loaf in the oven I've used the same recipe for carrot bread or a combination of zucchini and carrot. Pumpkin bread is a favorite, too.

Zucchini Bread

Pumpkin Bread

Do you think that 3 cups of sugar in the pumpkin bread recipe is correct? That seems like a lot.

 

[MaryG12]

Bought a loaf of ciabatta bread from the bakery department at Publix, and a small jar of almond butter. Whoa. Make some knockout sandwiches for lunch.

 

[MaryG12]

Last night we had Beetnik Organic Peruvian Chicken - a couple of frozen dinners picked up from Detwilers (went after work so it was at a good time and only a few people in the store). Quite delicious, a nice spiciness with very fresh-tasting chicken and veggies). Will have to try the Oranic Sesame Ginger Chicken next time....

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Do you think that 3 cups of sugar in the pumpkin bread recipe is correct? That seems like a lot.

This might be another version of the BHG recipe than the one in my current cookbook. I use two cups of sugar. I've shared my pound cake recipe previously. The original recipe called for three cups of flour, but I reduced it two cups because I thought it was too sweet.

 

[mickey2942]

I have a ton of tomatoes. Maybe pizza?

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I have a ton of tomatoes. Maybe pizza?

I made a batch of tomato sauce for the freezer, probably better suited to pasta but it could work for pizza if I add more puree to it when I reheat.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I really like eggplant, but I hardly ever buy cause I can never think of anything new to make w/it!
My mom would make an eggplant salad, kind of like babaganoush,
so I make that.
But, this recipe sounds delish. I like all the vegs included in this recipe...plus the addition of the kalamata olives,yum, makes it even more interesting.

Thx.

I posted these eggplant recipes earlier in the thread:

Roasted Eggplant Caprese Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes...gplant-and-asparagus-napoleons-recipe-1923862

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-eggplant-spread-recipe-1942051

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/moms-stuffed-eggplant-recipe-1947404 (I use ground lamb instead of beef)

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/eggplant-rollatini-recipe2-1913538

 

[mickey2942]

Apple pie day. Off to peel apples. I have to make several, trading with friends.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

This might be another version of the BHG recipe than the one in my current cookbook. I use two cups of sugar. I've shared my pound cake recipe previously. The original recipe called for three cups of flour, but I reduced it two cups because I thought it was too sweet.

I checked my BHG cookbook this morning. The recipe shared above is the same, but I only use two cups of sugar in my pumpkin bread. I actually like to use brown sugar in this type of recipe.