Butternut Squash, Bleu Cheese, and Bacon Lasagna

The Carnivore requested the I make the butternut squash lasagna again to leave for him when I went on vacation. Since I wasn't going to eat any of it I "carnivored" it up for him with additon of his favorite cheese (bleu) and one of his favorite foods (bacon).

This lasagna also took far less time than the first attempt because I learned from my previous butternut squash related follies. This time around I roasted the squash first and then scrape out the "meat" instead of trying to cube the raw squash. SO MUCH EASIER!

I also baked the bacon in the oven. No grease spatters, easy to drain the fat, less shrinkage, and all the bacon is crispy. Directions I follow are here.

To make the bleu cheese sauce I simply combined the milk, butter, and blue cheese in a sauce pan in medium heat. I warmed the milk and butter first, then dumped the chesse in and whisked until a cheese sauce was made.

Then I layered all the ingredients in a 9x11 glass pan and popped it in the oven on 350 for about 40 minutes.

Ingredients                                                       
1 box no bake lasagna sheets
5 strips of maple bacon
6 oz of bleu cheese
4 handfuls of baby spinach
1/4 white onion
1 butternut squash
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Vanilla Cinnamon Bacon Cupcakes

Hello! I know it has been a long time since my last post. Sorry for the delay but I've been doing some extreme wedding planning for the last two weeks.

My posts might be few and far between this month because I'll be spending most of it traveling and visiting friend and family I haven't seen much of in the last two years.

The Carnivore isn't travelling with me. However, I am


so thankful to be marrying a man that is secure enough in our relationship for me to be out of town for an extended period of time.

Therefore, before I left I decided to make a special dessert as a treat for him that highlighted his love of bacon. After looking at several recipes I used bits and pieces and created my own Vanilla Cinnamon Bacon Cupcakes.


Batter
1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon

I always crack the eggs first to make sure I don't end up with shells in the batter. Then I added all the other ingredients together and mixed on medium for about 30 seconds.

I baked the cupcakes on 350 for 18 minutes.

Frosting
1 cup butter
4 cups of powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

I topped each cupcake with two pieces of crisp maple bacon that I cooked on a cookie sheet in the oven.

This recipe made 12 yummy cupcakes. However, I did have quite a bit of frosting left over.

I had planned to take the extras to the guys upstairs that taste tested my vegan pb&j cake but The Carnivore wouldn't let me give away even one of these cupcakes. He loved the frosting. It was super vanilla-y. The cupcake itself was sweet I think the cinnamon flavor really tied the cupcake to the bacon.

Carnivore-Spicy Sauage Pasta and Lettuce Wraps

So despite now describing himself as vegan by proxy, The Carnivore is still having a dish with meat for dinner each night.

This week he requested pasta with sausage. He also requested that I make a thin, not chunky spicy tomatoe sauce to go with it.

Instead of a salad he asked that I make lettuce wraps, which I've never done.

Spicy Sausage Pasta
1 tube of Jimmy Dean Spicy Sausage
1 box of pasta-your choice
32 ounces of crushed tomatoes
1 container of baby portabella mushrooms
2 habanero peppers or spicy pepper of your choice
Parmesan cheese
basil
oregano

I think this is the first meal I've made that has taken less than 30 minutes to prepare in almost two months!

I cooked the sausage in a pan and then after if was cooked through I added the mushrooms.

Meanwhile, I added the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, and both habaneros to the food processor.

At this point the heat level made The Carnivore cough after tasting it due to the heat level. However, I added the tomato sauce to the meat and mushrooms and let it simmer for about 10 minutes while I cooked the pasta.

After draining the pasta I tossed it in the meat sauce and portioned it out for the week.

The Carnivore reported that some of the heat cooked out of the sauce but that it was still spicy.

Lettuce Wraps
1 bunch of green leaf lettuce
1 can corn
2 peppers-red and orange
1/2 red onion
feta
sesame dressing
sesame seeds

 After washing 3 leaves of lettuce I cut them in half long ways. Then I assembled a bit of each of the ingredients in the leaf and rolled the up. Once I had them in the container I drizzled the sesame dressing over them and topped them with some sesame seeds.

The first night I made these I use the whole leaf of lettuce. The Carnivore reported that it was too hard to eat so I cut them in half the next night and gave him chop sticks.

Yes, it is still basically a salad but more fun!







Meanwhile, I'm having a veggie tray for dinner with some white bean hummus and tahini sauce.

Bean and Bacon Soup with Spinach Salad

As I mentioned earlier I decided to incorporate bacon in to The Carnivore's dinner this week since he's been so great during the transition to a more plant based diet.

Therefore, I made a bean and bacon soup for him. I think it smelled great but I didn't taste it since I'm eating entirely vegan for May, June, and July to see if I can make it work for me.


Step 1: I soaked a bag of navy beans over night and then added them to our slow cooker with enough chicken broth to cover the beans. I cooked them alone in the broth for about 90 minutes before adding the other ingredients.




 

Step 2:  I placed 12 strips of maple bacon on foil lined cookie sheets. I then covered the cookie sheets with a second piece of foil to prevent splattering. Then I put them in a cold oven set to 425 degrees. Once the oven reached temperature I cooked the bacon for about 25 minutes to get it crispy. I did drain the grease halfway through cooking.


Step 3: I chopped up a few carrots, some celery, half a white onion and a few cloves of garlic. I sauteed the veggies in some of the bacon grease until the onions were transparent.






Step 4: Add veggies and bacon to the slow cooker. Continue to cook on low until beans are done. Season as you wish. I added some additional salt and pepper.








This recipe made 5 2 cup servings.

The Carnivore gets a serving of soup with a spinach salad that contains spinach, feta, craisins, a few squares of a mixed nut block and a honey balsamic vinaigrette.

Baked Potato Fans

Since The Carnivore didn't get his Thai food for a special meal on Sunday I decided to do something fun for dinner Sunday night.

And, after making him smell maple bacon cooking in the oven most of the day for a soup I'll post later, I added bacon to his meal. He's been really great about cutting back on meat and eating what I've cooked so this week he's getting bacon, which he also LOVES, as a treat.

I'd been eyeing this potato creation that had been making the rounds on Pintrest and Facebook as a substitute for french fries so I headed to the store and picked up two potatoes to give this a try.

As usual, I changed the recipe a bit.

Original Recipe

My Changes:

before the oven

• I heated the potatoes in the microwave for 2 minutes before baking to speed up cooking time.

• I rubbed the whole potato in olive oil before cutting to make sure the skin was crispy. (Cut Carefully!)

• Instead of drizzling with plain olive oil I used some chili infused oil for some added heat and flavor.

• I also drizzled some bacon grease over The Carnivore's potato. 

• Even with the microwaving the potatoes took 65 minutes to be done in the center.

65 minutes later

The flavor combinations for this dish are endless and I can't wait to try it again. The skins were crispy and the center was creamy. But, one potato this size was a lot. Next time I'll either use smaller potatoes or we'll split one.

the chicken is under there somewhere!

The Carnivore's Plate:


I served the potato with bacon cheddar chicken with avocado for him.







My Plate:

I had the potato with some cucumbers, which I can't get enough of after my juice cleanse, and some of the left over corn salad from lunch with avocado. I have been craving this corn salad which is the only reason I had a plate with so much starch.

Pantry Panic Inspired Shrimp Bowl

As a treat this week I suggested The Carnivore get Thai takeout from a great Thai place we found in Omaha.

They have this Chicken Popeye dish with a peanut sauce that he loves.

I suggested this for last Sunday since I was working on breaking my juice cleanse and only eating a small amount of raw veggies. But, of course, we both forgot that they are closed on Sunday.

This is the 2nd time we've forgotten and I found myself wondering what in the world I was going to fix because other than what I purchase for our meals each week there is literally no other food in the house.

I did find 1 can of corn and 1 can of black beans hidden in the back of the pantry that I overlooked. Thank goodness!

Using the canned goods and what I had on hand I was inspired to make a Shrimp Burrito Bowl of sorts.

Ingredients: steam shrimp, white rice, corn, cilantro, roma tomatoes, jalapenos, avocado.

I had some of the corn and tomato mixture but I wasn't up to rice and beans yet. And I'm going vegan for the summer so no shrimp.

Easy. Simple. Delicious.

Black Beans and Rice on the bottom

Improved Fried Rice with Shrimp

For a first go at Chinese food, or American Chinese food at any rate, I think the Pork Fried rice turned out okay.

However, I wasn't happy with the way I added the egg. You couldn't actually see the egg because it was all mashed up with the rice. And, I think it needed a bit more soy sauce and Sriracha.

After we used all the pork I decided to make the fried rice with shrimp.

I bought some raw shrimp that was frozen and cooked them myself in boiling water on the stove.

I shelled them and cooked them in a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, Sriracha, and chopped onions for about 2 minutes on med-low heat to add some flavor.






Then I sauteed some broccoli and snow peas.

Next, I added the already cooked white rice to a pan contained heated soy sauce, oil oil, and rice vinegar. Once the rice was coated I added some Sriracha for heat.







After the rice has absorbed the liquid I pushed the rice to one side and added a bit more olive oil and two eggs to the empty side of the pan.

Once the eggs were almost cooked I mixed the rice back in and returned the shrimp and green veggies to the pan.






The Carnivore says this attempt at fried rice was much better. I think it looks better. He did add some more Sriracha though because he does like things spicy!

Steak Sunday!

For the month of April we had "Steak Sunday" as our treat/cheat day.

If I had it my way I wouldn't eat any meat but I have a B-12 deficiency and my body won't processes synthetic forms of the vitamin.

For me, beef is the easiest source of B-12 to include in my diet. And, it makes The Carnivore happy.

Recently I've tried experimenting with supplements again to see if there's a way to completely eliminate meat from my diet. No solution yet, but I'm still working on it.

On to the steak...

Steak Sunday #1:

We seasoned the steak with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. The steak was then grilled and cut in to cubes. I covered it with left over fontina sauce from the Amazing Mac and Cheese and served it with steamed broccoli seasoned with salt and garlic.

broccoli...yum!

Steak Sunday #2:

Again, we grilled the steak. We love that table top grill! We season the steak with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (notice a trend?) Then, it was served with the homemade pesto pasta.

grill marks!

Steak Sunday #3:

I seared the steak on the grill and the finished it in the oven. After I let the meat rest I sliced it and topped it with cheddar cheese and roasted jalapenos. I roasted the jalapenos in an aluminum foil bag on the grill while the steak was in the oven. I seared the steak on ciabatta with spicy brown mustard. As a side, I roasted some potatoes with onions and garlic.

so unhealthy...so good!

Pork 2 Ways with Brocolli

After spending half the day making the lasagna I wanted something simple to do for lunch each day.

So, on a trip to Sam's club for veggies to juice we picked up a massive pork loin for lunch this week.

The Carnivore cut the loin in to two inch medallions and we seasoned the loin cuts in freezer bags in 2 day portions.The bags contained 6 pieces of loin each-one portion a day for me and two a day for The Carnivore. Must be nice to have a male metabolism.

To avoid getting bored with pork each day I made two different rubs for the pork.

We both love broccoli so the side for this meal was an easy decision. I seasoned it with some garlic powder and salt. Not fancy but yummy all the same.

I did want to make some collard greens because I think they go well with pork but it takes some convincing to get the Carnivore to agree to collards. Maybe next week. Or the week after. I've thought about them and now I'm on a mission to bring collards to the table.

Savory Rub
1 tablespoon olive oil

I love those grill marks!

2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mustard Rub
 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
a few squeezes from my honey bear
Salt and pepper

We both liked the savory rub better. I'd never made pork with mustard before but I think we could like it paired with a sweet element like a grilled green apple chutney.

This meal was surprisingly filling and I actually looked forward to eating a piece of pork each day. Probably has something to do with childhood. I have very fond memories of my mom's Shake and Bake pork chops growing up. Man, I loved those things!

Honey Chipotle Salmon with Grilled Asparagus and Parmesan Rice with Cremini Mushrooms

Lunch #2: Honey Chipotle Salmon with Grilled Asparagus and Parmesan Rice with Cremini Mushrooms

The fish was bought frozen at Sam's Club a few weeks ago and was one of the ingredients I needed to use to get out of the house. We also thought it was a good idea to buy a 25lb bag of rice last year. Needless to say, we're going to be eating rice for a while more.


I made this meal in 35 minutes which was certainly a record for me. Normally when I have more than one dish that requires prep a time vortex somehow appears in my kitchen and in the blink of an eye its been an hour and nothing is done yet.

The Carnivore can attest that one Sunday I spent 3 hours in the kitchen and still ended up serving raw potatoes. Yes, wine was involved. But I still don't know how I managed to under cook a potato after 3 hours. Anyways...

The salmon went on a pan in the oven first because it takes 20 minutes to cook.

Then I chopped and sauteed the onions and garlic. I browned the rice in the same pan and then added a can of chicken stock and half a cup of water.

While that was cooking I cleaned and cut the asparagus. The asparagus was drizzled in olive oil, topped with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper and tossed on our counter top grill for about 3 minutes.

Then the mushrooms were cleaned and chopped and tossed in the nearly cooked rice with a healthy dose of Parmesan cheese. And voila, lunch was done!

Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Baby Carrots, Honeycrisp Apples, and Grapes

Lunch #1: Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Baby Carrots, Honeycrisp Apples*, and Grapes

There's nothing better than a creamy avocado and I make mean guacamole. So, to replace mayo in the chicken salad I basically made guac and used it with the chicken. And, to put more whole fruits and veggies I'm trying to replace not so great sides (chips, fries, pasta salad) with crunchy, whole alternatives.

 The first day I made the sandwiches I assembled them as normal:

However, eating was messy since the avocado mix squeezed out when we took a bite of the sandwich. Not fun.

The next day I learned from my error and made more of a deconstructed plate which I found more appetizing because I love food I get to assemble as I eat.

yeah, I don't know how this pic turned out so well either!

*Honeycrisp Apples
In my opinion, honeycrisp apples are the holy grail of apples.  I'd take them over a good chocolate bar any day. And for me, that's saying a lot. I got bags of them at Sam's Club last year for a good price but I haven't seen an abundance of them this year. I read somewhere that honeycrisp would be scarce this season due to freeze damage and other weather related reasons in Michigan but I'm not sure if that's why.

A Roux, A Bechamel, A Mornay-Oh My an Amazing Mac and Cheese Dish!

I try to make one dish on Sundays that I can freeze and use all week for dinner. The Carnivore works 2nd shift right now and it makes packing his dinner easier.

Since this is the first week of transitioning our diet I tried to use up some things we had on hand (chicken breasts, broccoli, boxed pasta, flour, butter) with some amazing, real Sharp Cheddar and Gouda I from the store.

The plan was to make a homemade mac and cheese casserole that included chicken and broccoli to take it from a side dish to an entree. I served it with a spinach salad that I dressed up with chopped prunes, orange baby bell peppers, rosemary flavored Marcona almonds and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

For those of you that need motivation to stick with this post and proof something good happened, here's  the final plate:

Marcona almonds are the BEST almonds in the world and it has taken all my will power this week not to demolish the entire bag. I bet I could do it in 3 minutes flat.

Proof that both are still in the pantry on Wednesday

And, yes, I put prunes in a salad. I'm really 80 on the inside. I eat them as snacks and put them in meals whenever I can. Judge if you want but prunes are where it's at.

I've never made a cheese sauce from scratch and had no idea what I was getting in to. I looked up a few recipes online and took ideas from different sources- which is how I pretty much figure out how to cook anything these days.

From start to finish the sauce took about 30 minutes and went from a roux (butter and flour) to a bechamel (add warm milk) to a mornay (plus cheese, salt, spices).

Let's just say my whisk got a good work out.

I ended up with an unbelievably rich and creamy cheddar sauce that was thick enough to stay on the back of a spoon. It tasted amazing. I could have eaten the entire pan of sauce with a spoon and been happy with life.

I looked the process up after the dish was complete because I couldn't believe a mac and cheese sauce really needed all that work. Somehow I went in to it thinking that I could dump shredded cheese in to milk and magic would happen.

I covered the other ingredients, including the diced gouda because I wanted the cheese flavors to stay separate, with the sauce, topped with panko bread crumbs, and baked it in the oven. The final result:

The Carnivore went back for seconds. And I'll never by boxed or frozen mac and cheese again.