Recipes (Keep comments in a separate thread!)

tuna salad with cannellini beans

1 small can of cannellini beans
1 small can of corn
2 cans of tuna
a few pickled peppers, sliced into strips
1 medium onion

just toss everything together and drizzle it with lemon juice, olive oil, and parsley

I think I got everything in there somewhere... my mom and I totally stuffed ourselves on this 🙂

2. Tuna Salad

Just grab some tuna 🙂
tomatoes
peppers
cucumber

Chop everything up, drizzle on some lemon juice and olive oil... I actually threw in some Greek yogurt too, and topped the whole thing off with a bit of crumbled feta

Man, with this heatwave hitting us... 😉

Creamy Hokkaido Pumpkin Soup

Honestly? This pumpkin is pure heaven. 🙏

500g pumpkin, cubed up
a few sliced carrots
a small onion, garlic, parsley, seasonings (or just use a veggie bouillon cube if you're feeling lazy) + curry powder

If you’ve got an Instant Pot and a kettle handy (shoutout to crimsonscout362 😍!), you can whip this up in a heartbeat.

Just toss the pumpkin and carrots into the pot and add enough water to cover them. Once it hits a boil, throw in your spices (or that bouillon cube) and let it cook until the veggies are nice and soft. I actually used boiling water from my kettle to speed things up, sealed the Instant Pot, and was pulling it off the heat in about 10 minutes! While that's happening, sauté your finely chopped onion and garlic in some oil, stir in the curry, then take everything from the pot and blend it all together with an immersion blender or a regular blender. Finish it off with some fresh parsley and, if you're feeling indulgent, a dollop of sour cream or heavy cream.

It is seriously delicious. 🙂
And the calorie count? Basically negligible for anyone watching their weight. Pumpkin is only about 30 calories per 100g. 🙏

Hokkaido Pumpkin Pudding

Gven posted this recipe on Food Network 😍

First, peel and dice about 10 ounces of Hokkaido pumpkin, then simmer it in a little water until it’s nice and soft.
Once it's totally tender, just blitz it with an immersion blender. Let it cool down a bit, then stir in sugar (to taste—I personally went with 3 big tablespoons) mixed with about five level tablespoons of cornstarch until everything is smooth.
Take a few splashes from 1 cup of cold milk and whisk them into the pumpkin puree to thin it out a bit; you want the texture to be perfectly silky.
Boil the rest of the milk on the stove with some vanilla bean seeds (if you don't have those, vanilla sugar works fine). Once it hits a boil, pull it off the heat, slowly whisk in the pumpkin mixture, and put it back on the burner. Keep stirring constantly until it comes to a boil again. Just cook it long enough until it thickens up, kind of like those instant pudding mixes.
While it's still warm, pour it into small bowls that you've pre-rinsed with cold water.

Here's how I decided to tweak it.😁

I used less liquid—only about 2.5 cups total—and swapped regular milk for almond milk. I also ditched the sugar entirely and used stevia instead.🙂 Plus, I added a pinch of nutmeg alongside the cinnamon.🙂

Banana Bread

One cup of rolled oats
One cup of whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons of flaxseeds (it’s actually better if they’re ground)
Half a packet of baking powder
2 eggs
2 bananas
1 tablespoon of honey
4 tablespoons of oil
A handful of raisins
Sunflower seeds
Mix all your dry ingredients together first. Then, whisk those egg yolks with the honey and mashed bananas until it's smooth.
Beat those egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Fold everything together gently, then pour the batter into a small loaf pan.
Pop it in the oven for about thirty minutes.

Creamy Split Pea and Kale Soup with Barley

1/2 cup barley
9 oz bag of frozen peas
one bunch of kale
flaxseeds

First, get that barley boiling in its own separate pot. While that's going, toss the peas and the kale into another pot to cook together. Once they're soft, throw them straight into a blender and whiz them up until smooth. Pour that mixture back into the pot with the cooking liquid, stir in your cooked barley, and hit it with some salt and pepper. Let everything simmer for a few more minutes so those flavors really start to dance together.
To finish it off, sprinkle in some flaxseeds for a little extra texture.🙂

Stuffed Potatoes with Fresh Cheese

Potatoes
Eggs
Fresh cheese
A sprinkle of shredded cheddar, gouda, or parmesan

Bake the potatoes whole for about 45 minutes—though timing depends on their size—and let them cool slightly before slicing them open to scoop out the center.
Fill the halves with a mixture of eggs and fresh cheese—add salt, pepper, or even some chives if you're feeling fancy—then top with a bit of shredded cheese and bake at 400°F for roughly 20 minutes.

Cannellini Beans

bell peppers, carrots
tomato sauce
cannellini beans

Sauté the peppers and carrots. Pour in some tomato sauce, then toss in the beans after about ten minutes. Season however you want. Personally, I went heavy on the salt, tons of pepper, a teaspoon of hot sauce—made it killer spicy—and a little spoonful of mustard.
I can't tell if this was actually thaaaaat good or if I was just starving when I made it... but it hit the spot and was super fast... 😁

BUCKWHEAT WITH SAUERKRAUT

http://kuhari.com/recepti/heljdja-s-kiselim-kupusom/

The ultimate recipe for all you buckwheat fanatics 🙂 I whipped this up today and honestly... it was perfection.

BUCKWHEAT WITH BEANS AND CORN

just a recipe I remembered... my mom used to make this one

- sauté some onion and carrots. once the onion gets soft, toss in the buckwheat and fry it for a bit.
- after that, pour in some warm water and throw in half a bouillon cube
- add more water if you think it needs it
- once the buckwheat is tender, stir in the beans and corn and let it all simmer together for a bit
- she used to take half a can of Campbell's tomato soup, mix it up, and dump that in too

I know, I know, I'm being annoying with all these "recipes," but I just love this stuff 🙂 buckwheat is everything 🙂 so hopefully this helps someone out... 😉

Turkey Bolognese with Whole Wheat Pasta
Start by sautéing some onions, then toss in the ground turkey along with plenty of garlic. Let all those flavors sizzle together in the pan.
To finish it off, stir in some tomato juice, a splash of water, fresh basil, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Let it simmer for about ten minutes so all those rich flavors can really meld. Serve it up over a bed of whole wheat pasta.

Homemade Granola Bars 🙂

I basically just winged the whole thing, honestly! 😳

I didn't hold back on the ingredients either—I just threw everything in:
- A mix of rolled and quick oats (about 3/4 cup rolled and 1.5 cups quick)
- Ground flaxseed and sesame seeds
- A few tablespoons of poppy seeds (you could use carob instead, or even both!)
- A spoonful of cocoa powder
- A handful of dried cranberries and a handful of raisins
- Two handfuls of walnuts, roughly broken up
- Stevia powder (roughly equivalent to 1/2 cup of sugar)
- Spices: cinnamon, vanilla bean, and a tiny pinch of pepper just to give it a little kick
- Juice from 5 tangerines and a splash of rum (I soaked the vanilla and the dried fruit in this first so they’d soak up the flavor and soften up a bit)
- 3 eggs, with the whites separated to make meringue

The process is pretty simple—mix all the dry stuff together first, then stir in the juice, fruit, and egg yolks. Finally, gently fold in that fluffy egg white mixture.
Press everything into a baking pan—just pick a size based on how thick you want your bars to be. I used a knife to score the pieces beforehand so they’re easier to break apart once they're done.

Pop them in the oven for about 15–20 minutes at 350°F. Just keep an eye on them while they bake! If you start smelling something burnt—like what happened to me the first time I tried this—it means they've been in too long. 😬

They turned out so delicious! It's such a great snack, and since I'm going to be traveling over the weekend, these will actually work as a quick breakfast for me.

CHICKEN COUSCOUS

Quick and easy (at least if you ask me)

- Prep the couscous (use a 2:1 water to couscous ratio)

- Cover the pot, let it soften, then toss in some canned tomatoes. Once it starts bubbling, throw in a bag of frozen mixed veggies. When everything’s soft, stir in whatever spices you're feeling and mix in the couscous

- Pan-sear the chicken and dig in 😁

Too bad I didn't snap a photo, it actually looked pretty decent... 🙂

Been hunting for a solid coffee alternative for a while now—tea's more of an evening thing for me—and lately, I've been sticking to healthy cocoa .

The routine is simple: melt a spoonful of dark cocoa powder in a few drops of hot water, toss in a serving of stevia, then pour in some warm milk.
It hits that same "pick-me-up" spot as a cup of Starbucks 😁

Here’s why I’m leaning this way:

The stats:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5471/2

BUCKWHEAT WITH EGGS

just another quick one for my fellow buckwheat fanatics 😁

- prepping the buckwheat -

- toss about 2 oz of buckwheat in a pan to toast it slightly, then add some warm water. throw in a third of a bouillon cube and let it simmer for 10-15 mins. (honestly, mine was soft enough by the 10-minute mark)

- sauté some onions and mushrooms. once the veggies are done, stir in the eggs (I usually go with 2 eggs per person) and dump that cooked buckwheat right in with them
- I threw a little parmesan on top at the very end

- this would be killer with some sautéed beet greens... at least for me

This looks quite appetizing to me

Buckwheat and Lentil Side Dish

The Prep Work

1 Boil some buckwheat (takes about 10-15 mins, just use twice as much water as you have buckwheat)
2 Sauté some onion and carrots. Once they soften up, toss in some canned tomatoes and let it simmer for a bit
3 Stir in that cooked buckwheat and the lentils (I just used the canned kind, honestly... easier)
4 Let it all cook together for another minute or two. Season it however you want... if you even care

CHICKPEA MASH

- soak the chickpeas overnight
- drain them, cover with fresh water (about 3-4 cm above the beans), add salt, toss in some diced carrots and celery, then let it all boil
- once the chickpeas soften up, throw in some cubed potatoes
- mash everything together once the potatoes are tender
- mix in a bit of canned cream, some red peppers, and whatever spices you feel like

Tried this for the first time today just to see if it was worth it. It actually turned out okay... Found one recipe online saying you could add some quinoa about 15 minutes before you finish cooking. (Don't have any on hand right now, so I just went with the potato)

Supposedly you're meant to top it with some crispy bacon, but I skipped it. Takes a little longer to cook this way, but honestly... it's fine without it.

Here’s one from yesterday:

A SLIGHTLY HEALTHIER PIZZA 😁

The Dough:

300g whole wheat flour
200g cornmeal
2 tsp salt
A pinch of brown sugar
1 packet of active dry yeast
1 tsp
3 tbsp water

If you're into that, feel free to toss in some oat bran!

First, get the yeast blooming for about 10-15 minutes (one packet of yeast + a pinch of sugar + roughly 3 tbsp of warm water). I usually just set mine near a radiator to keep it warm.
Once that's ready, mix the yeast mixture with the rest of the ingredients.

Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes (though it could be more or less depending on how you like it).

Grease a baking sheet with a bit of oil—or butter, whatever you have on hand—and flour it well because this dough is pretty sticky.

Then top it with:
- Tomatoes (canned crushed, fresh, tomato sauce—whatever works for you)
- 15 oz cheese (I used Gouda in the photo because others wanted it, but if it were up to me, I’d go with Mozzarella)
- 15 oz low-fat cottage cheese
- Tuna in brine
- Button mushrooms

Bake at 450°F for about 13-15 minutes. I actually pulled mine out after 8 or 9 minutes just to drain the liquid from the mushrooms before finishing.

Obviously, you can swap things out or adjust the amounts; I’ve been tweaking these lately to fit my own tastes and everyone else's. I didn't track the exact amount of tuna since I grabbed a large restaurant-sized can, but let's just say there was plenty of tuna. 🙂
This makes enough for one sheet pan, which yields about 6 decent slices (and by the way, they're delicious).

Photo:

Found this recipe on a cooking blog. I wasn't sure if anyone here had posted it yet, but since we're talking about tuna, figured I'd drop it here:

HEALTHY TUNA PATTIES

1 egg
5 oz canned tuna
5 oz lean ground turkey
3-4 tablespoons oat bran
Salt, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, or parsley to taste

Beat the egg, then stir in the tuna, turkey, and oat bran. Keep mixing everything together until you get a uniform consistency. Toss in some salt, seasoning, or parsley if you want.

Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes.

Wet your hands to shape them into patties, then lay them out on parchment paper in a preheated oven. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or just until they look golden brown.

I served mine with mashed potatoes and cauliflower. This makes enough for maybe 6 or 7 decent-sized patties. 😁