Recipes (Keep comments in a separate thread!)

Speaking of barley porridge, I just saw a killer recipe on Good Morning, America! 😁

Barley Porridge Medallions 😁

I’m planning to whip these up next week, though I’ll probably tweak the recipe a little bit. 😁

Fasting with pineapple, mmmm 🙂
Fresh, not that canned crap.
Just needs a little Stevia and some juice 🙏

hm, sounds too good to be true, honestly. but being a true American, I guess I have to stay skeptical and maintain my contrarian attitude toward anything new 🙂
this kissing thing is the best part, reminds me of reading a comic strip in The New York Post 😍
since I don't go crazy for sweets, I usually just grab a square of dark chocolate, and a few spoonfuls of sugar in my coffee won't kill me—not sure if I'll even bother. for $50, you could just buy a massive beef roast at Kroger 🙏
that stuff is more for you girls when you start craving sugar 😉

yeah.
got some inspiration yesterday, so I tossed a small can of red kidney beans (rinsed in situ, obviously) into some tuna and tomato juice, simmered it for 15 minutes, and threw in 4 little dried chili peppers. now I've got tuna chili style. 👍

pro tip: when you're reheating quinoa, splash a little water on it before you violate it in the microwave. looks like it loses all its moisture, which makes reheating a pain

What have you guys done to this thread?🤦 Looks like spring is finally in the air.😬

Here’s a recipe to help you all get a little more disciplined.😬

Couscous Salad

· 1½ cups couscous
· ¼ cup orange juice
· 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
· 1 tbsp fresh thyme (or a small tsp of dried)
· 1 tsp grated orange zest
· 2 cups boiling water
· A handful of chopped parsley
· ½ cup sliced green onions
· 1 orange, peeled and sliced
· 1 tbsp lemon juice
· Freshly ground pepper

In a large bowl, mix the couscous, orange juice, mustard, thyme, and orange zest. Pour in the boiling water, cover it, and just let it sit for about 5 minutes until it's soaked up all that liquid. Use a fork to fluff it up. Toss in the parsley, green onions, orange slices, and lemon juice. Give it a quick stir and add some pepper or chili if you're feeling it. This goes great alongside fish (especially if it's grilled😁).

Since Dana Miller2 is obsessed with couscous, I figured I’d share a little more... 😁

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

• 1 3/4 cups couscous
• 2 cups chicken broth (veggie broth works too)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• A pinch of black pepper

Pour the broth into a pot and stir in the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once it hits a boil, pull it off the heat and toss in the couscous. Give it a quick stir, cover it up, and just let it sit until all that liquid is absorbed.

• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced diagonally
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Just mix everything together with the couscous. It's killer alongside some grilled chicken, but honestly, it's pretty great on its own too. 😁

Greek-Style Couscous Salad

Check out the previous post to see how I prep the couscous itself.😁

•1/2 cup Feta cheese
•1 medium tomato, diced
•1 cup zucchini, sautéed in a bit of olive oil
•2 large tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped

Just toss all these ingredients into the couscous and give it a good mix. 🙂 This pairs perfectly with some roasted lamb. 🙏

I usually whip up some couscous as a side for chicken cooked in yogurt. 🙂
Basically, I just sauté some chicken thighs with red onions and keep adding broth until those onions get all soft and translucent.
Right before it's done, I stir in some yogurt or sour cream—whatever you're feeling that day.
If you're into mushrooms, throw them in there too... personally, they aren't really my thing.

I was scrolling through some stuff the other day and realized I should probably drop this link here.😁

Turkey Breast Salad with Blood Oranges

Forget those old-school garden tips—we’re officially the hottest topic on the board now! (nimblegull23. 🙂) 😁
Feel free to drop your recipe comments and anything else that keeps our little community buzzing right here in this brand new, updated thread.

😍

Red lentil veggie ragu, also from Ana U.'s site. Sounds absolutely delicious. 🙂

Loaded Baked Potato with Vegan Cream

Grab one big potato and roast it in the oven. (Give it about 45 minutes at 425°F.) Once it's done, hollow it out so it looks like a little boat, then fill it with a mix of vegan cream and mashed potato. Stir in some chopped chili, garlic, a pinch of Mediterranean herbs, and salt to taste.

Spinach and Vegan Cream Loaded Potato

Roast your potato, scoop out the middle, and mix that part with some sautéed spinach and vegan cream. Toss in some garlic, nutmeg, salt, and whatever other spices you're feeling, then pop it back in the oven for a quick bake.

Stuffed veggies with barley and ground meat

I’ve shared a few twists on this recipe before, but hey, you can never have too many options in your back pocket.😬

First, prep your veggies. Hollow out some zucchini, chop the tops off your bell peppers, and peel your onions. Pro tip: go for those big, chunky onions! Throw everything into a pot of boiling water to blanch them for a bit. Since onions have all those layers, toss them in first—they take the longest.🙂 Just keep an eye on the zucchini and peppers so they don't turn into mush. Once the tomatoes look decent and don't taste like dirt😁, throw them in toward the end since they tend to fall apart pretty fast.
After blanching, give the veggies a quick dip in cold water, drain them, and set them aside. For the onions, peel away most of the layers, leaving just the outer one or two intact.

Finely chop the onion centers you scooped out, along with 2-3 cloves of garlic, and sauté them until they're translucent. Be careful not to burn the garlic; if it goes dark, it'll totally wreck the flavor of the whole dish.😉
Next, toss in about 500g of ground meat (turkey or a beef blend works great, whatever you're feeling). Sauté the meat lightly, then stir in the chopped zucchini bits and some mushrooms, followed by the barley. You can pre-boil the barley to speed things up, but it's not strictly necessary. Pour in a little bit of that veggie cooking water to keep things moist.

Season everything with salt, pepper, basil, thyme, oregano, or whatever spices you have lying around. Once the filling is ready, stuff your hollowed-out veggies with the mixture, pour over some seasoned canned tomatoes (I like adding Mediterranean herbs, a pinch of pepper, salt, and a tiny bit of sugar to mine), sprinkle with some mozzarella if you're feeling fancy, and pop them in the oven to bake.

You can also make this using raw ingredients, much like a classic stuffed pepper dish.😉

Here’s how I prep stuffed peppers without any grease or carbs (counting veggies as freebies, obviously)

I finely chop a medium-to-large onion, then toss it together with one egg and 500g of ground turkey.
I throw in two small teaspoons of Lawry's, plus some chili, paprika, pepper, parsley, and basil.
Mix it all up well and stuff 3-5 peppers—green, yellow, red, or even the spicy ones. Whatever’s left over, I just roll into meatballs.
I dump the peppers and meatballs into a simmering sauce made from half a large tube of tomato paste (checking labels to make sure there’s zero added sugar), half a liter of water, two teaspoons of salt, and a dose of Stevia (just to kill that acidity).
Sometimes I’ll crush a couple of fresh tomatoes, peel them, chop them up, and toss them in for extra nutrition.
Simmer everything on low for about 45 minutes and 🙂

250 g lean protein
200 g spinach
2 eggs
100 g rye flour
salt and pepper

Preheat your baking sheet, then pour the mixture right in and bake it at 400°F until the top gets that perfect golden-brown color...

So, I finally took the plunge and tried my hand at baking something vegan for the first time.😬

Wild Berry Vegan Cake

6 eggs
Just one scoop of that vanilla whey (Dymatize).
About 3 to 4 big tablespoons of non-fat milk (Vindija).
Maybe two tablespoons of brown sugar? I’m thinking Stevia would probably work just fine too, but I haven't picked any up yet.😬)
A cup of forest berries.

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Then, just pop an oven-safe dish filled with water on the bottom rack. You really want that steam building up in there.

First, you gotta separate the yolks from the whites. Take those yolks and beat them with a spoonful of sugar until they get all light and frothy. Once that's looking good, fold in some low-fat cottage cheese. Give it a solid mix, then toss in a scoop of whey protein. When everything is smooth and combined, just stir in half a cup of mixed berries. Done.

Fold those egg whites in using a second spoonful of sugar. You want to gently fold that fluffy meringue into the first mixture so you don't deflate it. Pour the whole thing into your cake pan (I used a 9-inch one). Top it off with some fresh forest berries, then pop it in the oven at 325°F for about half an hour.

Once that cake comes out of the oven, just serve it up with some fresh berries. If you’re feeling fancy, you can even drizzle a little bit of the fruit juice over the top.



It might not be the most representative sample, but honestly? I’m cool with it.😳)

And yeah, you could probably cut back on the eggs too—I figure four would still work just fine.😁

Just wanted to share another shot of my latest "cake" made from plant-based ingredients and forest berries. I really went to town on whipping those egg whites this time—the meringue was super stiff. I also grated some orange zest into the batter and tossed in an extra handful of berries (plus a few more on top before it went into the oven).😁)

I don't think I've seen this specific chicken version around here before. I highly recommend giving it a shot because it is absolutely delicious.

Peanut Chicken

12 oz chicken breast
1 tsp ground paprika
1.75 oz peanuts
1 small chili pepper
2 small leeks
2 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup white wine
The recipe also calls for a little grated ginger (personally, I skip it since I'm not a fan of ginger), but if you love it, go right ahead!

Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces—about 1.5 inches—then toss them with the paprika and one teaspoon of the cornstarch until coated. For the leeks, slice the white parts into rounds and chop the green stems into smaller pieces.
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a skillet (a wok would be ideal, but a regular pan works just fine) and briefly toast the peanuts. You have to be careful not to let them burn, otherwise they get bitter! Set the peanuts aside, then add the chicken to the hot oil. Once the pieces turn white, toss in the leeks and the crushed chili pepper. Sauté everything together for a few minutes, then stir the peanuts back into the mix.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, soy sauce, minced garlic, and white wine (plus the ginger, if you're using it), then pour this mixture over the chicken. Let it simmer on the heat for a few minutes until the sauce thickens up beautifully. You might want to add a pinch of salt at the end, though I found the soy sauce provided plenty of flavor for me.

Serve this alongside some steamed rice and a fresh green or mixed salad.

Here is how mine turned out!

Spinach Roll with Low-Fat Cream Cheese

5 eggs
5 tbsp graham flour (all-purpose works too)
1 packet baking powder
500 g spinach
salt
your favorite spices

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Sauté the spinach, season it (salt, a little pepper, nutmeg, etc.), and chop it up if you need to.
Mix the yolks, flour, and salt together, then whip the egg whites separately until they reach stiff peaks. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture first, then stir in the cooled spinach. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the batter in. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350°F. Once it's done, roll the sponge up using the parchment paper to keep the shape and let it cool down.

Filling:
300g low-fat cream cheese (like Philadelphia)
2 tbsp sour cream (I can eat it, so I throw it in, but it’s not essential if your cream cheese is creamy enough)
200g turkey ham, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
chives

(You could also toss in some diced fresh red bell pepper, but I couldn't find any at the store today.😁)

Mix everything together except for the ham. Unroll the sponge and spread the mixture over almost the entire surface. Layer the turkey ham slices over the cheese, then spread a little more cheese on top. Roll it up tightly, wrap it in Aluminum foil, and let it chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours.😁



(I'll try to snap a better photo later.😬)

Someone might question if this sauce is actually "authentic," but honestly? It’s my own little masterpiece! 😬 I even came up with a fancy name for it!

Mediterranean Red Sauce (TM)
here is what you'll need:
- 2-3 peeled tomatoes
- tomato puree (the canned kind)
- a small onion
- about 10 black olives
- oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic

First, sauté the onion in a bit of olive oil, then pour in the tomato puree along with a splash of water to thin it out. After that, toss in those fresh tomato chunks. I threw in some standard salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic too. Once everything has been simmering nicely for about 7 minutes, I stirred in the chopped olives and finished it off with a handful of herbs. Oh man, the smell was incredible. 😁

I love playing around with red sauces in different ways. For instance, I also make a spicy, tangy version using roasted peppers (the kind you find in a jar, the red ones). You don't need olives for this one, and you can skip the extra tomatoes if you want, but since I always use the puree, I mix in chopped peppers and a tiny pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (ground works too). Just a little bit, though—otherwise, it kicks like a mule!
That zesty, spicy combo is absolutely killer when paired with chicken. You can even simmer the chicken pieces right in the sauce.

Oh! And one more thing. Mushroom and zucchini sauté. 🙂
Slice up 250g of oyster mushrooms into thick strips and sauté them with the onions under a lid for about 15-20 minutes (they definitely need more time than regular button mushrooms do!). Then, add a large zucchini that’s been diced up—make sure to salt the zucchini first so it releases its water, then rinse it before adding it to the pan. Season the whole thing with salt and pepper. In about 7 minutes, you're done. It makes an amazing side dish!

These portions are roughly enough for two people, assuming you have meat and other sides on the table. And honestly, nothing here takes longer than thirty minutes. 🙏

I’m not sure if anyone else has posted this yet, but if you have... who’s actually looking at it? 😁

Lately, I’ve started combining these two recipes for breakfast...

60-70g Quaker oats
crushed Nestle dark chocolate, ground with a manual grinder
milk...
honey...

I toss the oats into a bowl and pour in enough milk to let them soak thoroughly; I prefer a bit more liquid.
I shove the bowl into the microwave for about ninety seconds, pull it out to give it a quick stir, and then pop it back in for another minute or so—depending on how much milk I used. Once it's done, I take it out, stir it again, and gently fold in 3 or 4 teaspoons of the chocolate powder. To finish, I add a teaspoon or a teaspoon and a half of honey, and my homemade chocolate porridge is ready.

To be honest, I found oatmeal pretty revolting prepared any other way, but this makes it a total breeze to fuel up in the morning.

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The second recipe goes like this:
1.5 bananas (about 130-140g)
1 cup of 1.6% milk
250-300g low-fat cottage cheese from Kroger

I throw everything into a blender, whip it up, and it's done in a flash. 😁

So far, this works perfectly for my mornings... I've finally ditched the bread and all that other nonsense.
👍 Before this, I used to play around with low-fat cottage cheese from Vindija flavored with vanilla, mixing in frozen cherries, blackberries, and blueberries... and that turned out heavenly as well.

Dairy-Free Fruit Cheesecake

The Crust:
250g oats (I actually ran out of 🤦 so I just ground up about 180g of oats and tossed in some McVities cookies)
liquid sweetener (enough to replace about 70-100g of sugar)
cinnamon
100g butter (look, you can't skip this, and hey, I’m allowed to have it, so... 😬)

The Filling:
500g dairy-free cream cheese (Vindija BBL)
juice from 1 lemon
a bit of vanilla extract or real vanilla bean if you're feeling fancy (just a heads up, the inside of the pod will leave little black specks in the cake😉)
liquid sweetener like Stevia (enough to replace 100g of sugar)
4 eggs

Mix the crushed oats/cookies with the cinnamon and butter. Press it into a pan and bake for 7-10 mins at 350°F. Take the pan out and let it cool down a bit while you whip up the filling.

Whisk the filling until the dairy-free cheese and sweetener are nice and smooth, then add the lemon juice, followed by the eggs one by one. Pour the mixture over your crust and bake for 15 mins at 350°F, then drop the oven temp to 320°F and bake for about another 10 minutes.

Once it's cooled off, just top it with fresh strawberries.



For those who aren't being quite so strict with their diet, you can add a white layer on top of the yellow part, just like a classic cheesecake.
If you go that route, once the cake is baked, pour a mix of two types of sour cream (the red and blue ones) whisked with sugar over the top and bake for another 5 minutes.😉