"Italian" Ragout

Craving the flavors of a good ragu, but pasta is a big no. Instead, I improvised an "Italian-style" Ragout.

Potion Ingredients: 

• 1lbs Ground Beef (I use 85% lean, the fat make my ketosis happy.)
• 1.5lbs Italian Sausage (My goto is Falls Brand Old Fashioned Recipe - Hot.) 
• 10 Mushrooms
• 2 Small Zucchini
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 8 Cloves Garlic
• 2 - 28oz cans Italian Recipe Diced Tomatoes (I used S&W brand, because they were the lowest carb version I could find at the supermarket. A lot of the brands sneak in sugar.)
• Crushed Red Pepper 
• Italian Seasoning 
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper

Brown the meat while you coarsely chop all the vegetables. Then saute the veggies with the meat. I didn't drain the meat, because with my keto diet I'm not avoiding fat in any way. It also made it so I didn't need olive oil to help the veggies become awesome. This is the stage I also add my dry seasonings since the oil and heat can help draw out their flavors. I just did it to taste, but remember that lesss is more. You can always slowly add more as the meal simmers but you can never add less. Once the veggies are tender add the tomatoes. I then let the whole thing simmer for about 30 minutes. Portioned it out and then ate with a dusting of shredded parmesan cheese.

 

Nom-Nom Nutritions:

Makes six servings. 

• 569 Calories
• 40g Fat
• 21g Carbs
• 5g Fiber
• 31g Protein

Nutrition info is based on MyFitnessPal suggested values. I do my best to make sure everything is accurate, but your mileage may vary.

 

Less Flair, Same Stare. 

Lentil & Sausage Stew

Well, I'm pretty much broke at the moment.   Which is not uncommon considering my cavalier spending habits.  One of the quickest ways to save myself a ton of money is my food budget.  Fortunately, one of my favorite food blogs happens to be the aptly named, Budget Bytes.  I've tried a handful of Beth's recipes over the months since I found her site and, in general, they've turned out quite nice.

We're starting to have cold nights here so I figured that it was time to break out some soup.   Soup tends to be super cheap and is one of my favorite categories of food anyway so I'm always eager to add an additional recipe to my repertoire.

I tried out her recipe for, Lentil & Sausage Stew and it turned out quite tasty.   For the most part I followed the recipe exactly, with my only change being that I used ground turkey instead of turkey Italian sausage.   The plain turkey was on sale and it was easy enough for me to season it to taste like the Italian sausage version.  I also added two extra cups of water about 2/3 of the way through since it was getting a bit dry as the lentils softened.

Like most soups it was super easy and made a ton.   Should save me a penny of two over buying lunch every day.  Yay, team.

One Mean Green Bean

I'll admit this recipe is anything but revelatory.  Roasting pretty much makes every vegetable not just edible but damned tasty.  Turns out as soon as you decide to caramelize sugar your taste buds are happy regardless of the source.   Not only are roasted veges appetizing but making them is stupid easy.   If you're a guy like me running two jobs while simultaneously trying to eat a little better these become a staple really fast.

Most of the time I just do the standard roast.   I grab my vege of choice which typically is carrots but anything seasonal is great -- broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, onions, etc.   I then spritz it with my rockin' olive oil spritzer.  Sprinkle some kosher salt on it along with various other savory herbs and spices.   My standbys are a saltless "love" mix I made that has onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper in it and/or dill.  Dill is 100% sex to roasted veges.  Serious, they love that shit and will love you back for giving it to them.  After the sensuous seasoning throw them in the oven at 400 - 450 until they have reached your preferred ratio of softness:browned typically 20-30 minutes.  Naturally stick to the 400 degree end if you want softer before browner and vice-versa.

Sometimes I have a little more time and want a little more variety in taste than just swapping veges.  Which is where today's recipe for Balsamic Roasted Green Beans and Walnuts comes in.  For the most part I got this idea from Simply Recipes which has a link at the side.  They can't particularly claim this guy though as I've seen variations of it all over the mighty intertron.  Here's how I made it.

No Mere Cookbook

Stumbling home from work today I was greeted by a friend who stops by from time to time, the Amazon box.  Amazon and I are fast friends.  Her one click purchasing allows me to be relieved of the heavy burden of my money.   Since we are, in fact, best friends I help dear Amazon along with a yearly donation so that she will visit in a mere two days -- for free.

The irony of me paying in order to receive something free aside.   Two day shipping is convenient not only for its immediacy, but also that it typically allows my chipmunk memory to recall what it is that I impulsively purchased.   This box, then, was a complete mystery.   Nonetheless, I am always happy to receive a visit from Amazon and eagerly tore back the convenient zipper seal to discover,  The Pot and How To Use It:  The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker by Roger Ebert.   Hell, fucking, ya!

Mmmm Tofu ....

Evil Tofu by YJSOON

What better way to start my blog than with a recipe?

When I lived in Moscow (miss) one of my favorite things to get at the Food Co-op Deli was their marinated tofu. Specifically the tamari-garlic variety. Not only was the marinade awesome, as all things with garlic are wont to be, but they prepared it in such a way that most of the moisture had evaporated. This left the tofu with a firm meaty texture that frankly was badass awesome. I tried replicating their method many times with pressing, frying, etc. Sadly I was never able to achieve my desired result -- until now!