dinner, pasta, supper, tacos, vegetarian

Farro Pasta with Chickpeas

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So tonight my kids ate reheated Farro pasta with Chickpeas that I threw together last night after they went to bed. Farro is an ancient grain, much like a wheatberry that has been around since the Etruscans where in Rome. It’s very nutritious and has a nutty flavor. I basically cooked half a bag of farro pasta in very well salted water and drained it. Then in the same pot I put smashed garlic cloves and olive oil and slowly heated it until the garlic was fragrant and just starting to brown. The night before I cooked half a bag of dry chickpeas that had been soaking until they were swollen and doubled in size, with some garlic, thyme and rosemary. l took half of those chickpeas and all of the liquid and poured it into the garlic. Added the pasta back into the mixture and cooked it together for a few more minutes and then finished if off with some Pecorino Romano cheese. The other half of chickpeas went into the mini chopper with garlic, lemon, lots of tahini, salt and water and became hummus for my kids’ lunch. Sorry about the lack of photos. I’m not home from work when they are eating dinner, and I feel like styling a plate of pasta just to take a photo defeats the spirit of what this blog is about.

For tomorrow,  I defrosted pork shoulder trimmings from the freezer. Tonight I tossed it with some leftover rub I had made for barbecue ribs over the summer, sliced granny smith apples and a splash of cider vinegar and placed it in the slow cooker bowl in the refrigerator. Tomorrow morning I’ll turn it on and at around 4 it should be all falling apart and shreddy. That will be dinner for the kids with some white rice leftover from Chinese takeout and frozen peas I defrosted tonight in the refrigerator. I plan on eating it when I get home in corn tortillas, with shredded cabbage, radishes, lime , avocado and hot sauce.

 

 

 

dinner, Leftovers

Leftover Turkey Pho

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After Thanksgiving we are always end up with so many leftovers. My friend Sue Vu developed a great recipe for the Food Network using leftover turkey to make Pho, a spiced Vietnamese meat and noodle soup. I always make soup from the leftover turkey carcass, so this one was a no brainer.  Instead of using pre made chicken broth,  I made a turkey stock from the bones and wings that were leftover and there was plenty of flavor. I made that on Sunday and we ate it both Sunday and Monday for dinner. You can find the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/leftover-roast-turkey-pho.html.  On Sunday I had also cooked half a bag of dried chickpeas, so when I got home from work on Monday I sautéed some garlic in olive oil, threw in half of those chickpeas and all of the cooking liquid, half a bag of cooked Farro penne, and some Pecorino Romano, and that is going to be Tuesday’s dinner. The other half of cooked chickpeas with no liquid went into the mini food processor and I added a clove of garlic, lots of tahini, lemon juice, salt and water, and became hummus that would be in my kids lunches on Tuesday. They are going to be eating chickpeas twice that day, but I suppose there are worse things they could be eating. I pulled some leftover pork shoulder scraps out of my freezer and those are going in the slow cooker Wednesday morning to become barbecue pork tacos. Unless I change my mind before then.

dinner, pasta, peas, supper

Pasta with Bacon, Peas and Cream

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Frozen peas are a staple in the Single Mom Supper pantry. They have come to my rescue many times whether they IMG_2336are boiled and served as a side dish, used in fried rice, or eaten straight out of the bag as a yummy icy treat. Yesterday was no exception, because my fridge was dead empty, so I knew it was a night for this pasta which is always a favorite in my house. It’s super easy, the only ingredients are pasta, bacon, peas, cream and salt and it comes together in the time it takes to boil the water.  You just put a large pot of water on high heat, covered. While that is coming to a boil, dice up a half a package of bacon and throw it in a medium sized saucepan with a teaspoon of oil. Cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring until it is brown and toasty. Then dump in a pint of heavy cream, give it a stir and continue to cook it. When the water is boiling add some salt until it is a little less salty then seawater. Cook your pasta according to the time on the package for “al dente”. When it is 3 minutes from being done, toss half a bag of peas right into the water. Then when time is up, drain it all in a colander and add it to the cream. Continue to cook it for 1 to 2 minutes more so that the pasta takes in the sauce, finishes cooking and the sauce becomes thick. Taste it and add salt if you need it and then serve!

breakfast

Protein Packed Breakfast Smoothie

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Whenever my bananas are getting over ripe I peel them, wrap them in plastic wrap and throw them in a bag in my freezer. Then in a pinch I always have a frozen banana for a smoothie which comes in handy for breakfasts on the fly. Monday mornings always move sluggish so I want to make them something that they will eat without complaint or hemming and hawing. My kids love chocolate, (what kid doesn’t!) so I made a smoothie with a frozen banana, a hefty spoon of raw cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, a heaping tablespoon of nonfat Greek yogurt, and a little milk. I’ve been known to also sneak a small scoop of Organic Green Superfood powder in chocolate flavor that I bought at the Vitamin Shoppe. Then I have all my bases covered, plenty of protein from the peanut butter and yogurt, probiotics, antioxidants and potassium. The super ripe frozen bananas add so much sweetness you don’t need to add anything else, and they also make the texture creamy and frothy. Zoe told me this was the “best smoothie I have ever had ever in the world.”

red meat, tacos

Steak Tacos with Corn Salsa

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IMG_2679I usually cook on Sunday or Monday for the week so my caretakers just have to reheat dinner for my kids and themselves. On Saturdays I clean out the fridge and get ready to do it again. As I rummaged around yesterday I found a cooked steak I brought home from my father’s house last weekend. No takers on that one I guess. I also had an ear of corn, cilantro, and a few cherry tomatoes left from the kids nibbling. Kids like to participate in the meal, so I decided to do make-your-own steak tacos with corn salsa and some different condiments. After a trip to the store for a pack of corn tortillas this meal took about 15 minutes to prepare. First I made a corn salsa where I cut the cooked kernels off the cob, added them to a bowl with diced onion and cherry tomatoes, chopped cilantro, salt and fresh lime juice. Then I cut the steak up into small cubes, and briefly sauteed them in a little olive oil until browned around the edges.  I warmed the tortillas in a cast iron pan and we were ready to go. The girls loved assembling their tacos, choosing carefully which filling to put in. Since I had no sour cream, I took a little nonfat greek yogurt and mixed in salt and enough milk to make it drizzly and it was a perfect substitute.