Hello to all you gentle readers. Silver Blue, Jonathan Everyday, The Wannabe Gourmet…all in one wrapper, John Barker. After a far-too-long sabbatical, I have returned…hoping to share lower fat, taste enhanced recipes with you.
Read the full story »Easy to make meals using regular ingredients. Stress free dishes!
Lots of tasty treats, the perfect end to a meal! (Some even low-fat!)
Bounty from the sea to your plate!
What’s on Jonathan’s mind.
Those items in my kitchen that I simply cannot live without!
Polpettone del Tacchino (Turkey Meatloaf)
3 lbs ground turkey breast
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups medium salsa
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup steak sauce (A1 or equivalent)
4 ounces egg substitute (or 2 …
It’s a day where kids get trucked into neighbourhoods where they don’t belong, to obtain sugared treats that mom and pop are going to toss in the trash and give a “safe” bag of candy …
Braised Onions, Potatoes & Spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
4 medium onions, sliced thinly
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp minced, peeled ginger
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 …
After having a year with basically no winter to speak of, Mother Nature has decided that it is well beyond time for those in my part of the world to “chill out”, as it were, …
Cinnamon Raisin Bread
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
2 cups raisins
8 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp …
I had such great plans for my kitchen time this weekend — and I’m not going to let some rain keep me from making a dish that I’ve really been craving — a simple thing, …
Double Chocolate Apricot Muffins
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa (sifted)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped …
Savory Mushroom Risotto
6 cps low sodium, fat free chicken broth (may be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp rosemary, finely minced (or 1/2 tsp powdered rosemary)
2 …
Summer ended today, with one final hurrah, warm temps, bright sun, crystal blue skies…all to give way to chillier temperatures, and the true onset of autumn. Sure, we’ll have days in the upper 60s (F), …
Guilt Free Soup
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 large carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. butter
2 c. vegetable broth
1 lb russet potatoes, diced
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 …
24 ounces ground sirlon or turkey or chicken, divided
4 seeded rolls
shredded lettuce
sliced tomatoes
8 strips of turkey bacon, cooked, drained
4 slices of cheese (American or Cheddar)
pickle relish (dill or sweet)
mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise
Divide ground meat into four …
In what seems like a completely different lifetime, I used to sing… not for money, but in front of an audience. One of my favourite tunes was called “A Season In Your Path.”
I was touched …
A cold, damp, miserable day around the house. Still, It is beyond the middle of October, so it’s only fitting that Autumn starts to show its true colours.
Time to break out the soup recipes. Time …
Apple Bundles
The Pastry
4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chilled solid shortening, cut into chunks
1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup ice water (more, as needed)
The Apple Filling
8 small, tart apples (2 1/2 inches in …
Tangy Breaded Pork Cutlet
1 lb boneless pork cutlets (4 oz each), pounded to 1/4 inch thick
2 large eggs
2 tbsp water
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tsp Italian seasoning
dash …
Mini Carrot Cakelettes
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or real vanilla extract)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups self rising flour
3 cups finely grated carrots
Preheat …
Backups say so much. Okay, Elton John, I am not.
But I did lose everything on the hard drive. According to the company:
We are sorry to inform you that no data was able to be recovered …
Cranberry Sage Stuffing
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
5 large celery stalks, chopped (if you have the leaves, chop them too)
2 cups dried cranberries
4 cups white bread, toasted and cut into …
Shrimp Sofrito
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb 26-30 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 medium red onion, cut into wedges, about 1/4 inch wide
1/2 red bell pepper, green bell pepper, orange bell …
Tomorrow is the first of two Thanksgiving “holidays” that I celebrate (the other being American Thanksgiving), but as I hope you’ve been able to discern from my posts, Thanksgiving shouldn’t be just something that you …
Gingerbread (sauce recipe below)
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup boiling water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp ground ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cloves
Cream the …
Weekend French Toast
12 pieces sliced white bread
8 oz egg substitute
1/2 cup non-fat skim milk
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
For best results, if possible, place bread …
Finally! A return to cooking and new recipes! – Jonathan (The Wannabe Gourmet)
1 1/2 cups of dried cranberries (divided)
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
4 slices naval orange (including rind)
4 slices lemon (deseeded but including rind)
4 tbsp …
Sorry for the lateness of this recipe — we celebrated the Christmas Holiday with it, along with stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry congeal, and of course, horseradish.
(Must remember to NOT use the small plates …
Seared Tuna Spinach Salad
16 oz fresh tuna steaks
1 tbsp olive oil
12 oz baby spinach, rinsed and drained
1 medium red onion, sliced into rings
12 oz white mushrooms, sliced
3 medium carrots, sliced into coins
2 ribs celery, sliced …
You can use fat-free half and half, and reduced fat Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses. Serve with a green salad and/or garlic bread. – Wannabe Gourmet Jonathan
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 pounds fresh shrimp without shells or tails, …
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 pounds broccoli florets
2 quarts reduced fat, low sodium/organic chicken broth (can be made with vegetable stock as well)
1/2 cup all …
An All-In-One dish, perfect served with fresh baked bread and a mandarin orange spinach salad .
4 six ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb lightly steamed asparagus
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 medium onion, minced
dried spices of …
