The Everyday Dietitian: I get by with a little help from my thesaurus

Remember when it was cool and fresh and fun to use the term EPIC FAIL? Then like most things, once the moms start saying it, it is super lame and old news.

Wait, I'm a mom now.

EPIC FA- I’ll cut myself off.

That’s how one could describe my latest new recipes though. I was super jazzed to try some new things this week, you know, to deliver on promises of tasty/easy/nutritious enough things that you no doubt have come to expect.

Right?

(Chirp, chirp)

RIGHT??

First up, I tried making a chicken & jalapeno slow cooker lasagna.

Like I told my husband before I served him up a plate: “well, it’s food.”

The problem ended up being all the veggies I used- the slow cooker concept works for lasagna, but the high water content of the fresh tomatoes and zucchini I added made the middle noodles totally soggy and mush, while the cheesy top later got totally overdone. The flavor was great though, and when I make it again I’ll just use the oven.

ASTRONOMIC FLOUNDER.

The next recipe bomb was a one-pot chicken spaghetti bake that I found over on BevCooks.com. Except as I was prepping I realized I didn’t have any chicken. Or mozzarella cheese.

I found some ice-crusted meatballs in the freezer, chopped those up to sub in for the chicken, and topped it with Monterey Jack.

“Honey, here’s another meal of…food.” Again, I’ll have to make this again but actually have the ingredients on hand.

I didn't even bother taking a picture of this one.

HUMONGOUS FIZZLE.

Then there was the slow cooker honey glazed chicken. Here is my beef with the current American work day- allllllll of the slow cooker recipes I find are meant to be cooked for 7 hours. So by the time I finally get home, it’s all burnt and crusty and mushy at the same time. Even though I have a programmable slow cooker and it turns itself to “warm” after the 7 hours, the residual heat continues to cook it a bit.

“Dearest honeybuns, here’s another plate of…food.”

SIZABLE BLUNDER.

All is not lost though, as I did make a winner of a dinner last Friday night. It’s kind of a weird meal though. Not gonna be for everyone, though everyone should consider trying it.

Pasta-less Pad Thai

1 container extra firm tofu, rinsed and excess moisture patted out
2 teaspoons sesame oil (or other oil)
5 medium zucchini
1 Daikon radish
1 bottle of spicy peanut sauce
Bean sprouts (optional)
Chopped peanuts (optional)

1. Cut up your tofu in half inch cubes. Heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Saute tofu until golden brown, stirring often. It’s ok if it crumbles apart a bit.

2. Remove from heat. I added a blob of sriracha 'cause I like it extra spicy. Using a vegetable peeler (or your super cool VEGGETTI), make “pasta” out of the zucchini and the radish. If it’s any consolation, I had no idea what a Daikon radish was before making this recipe.

3. Add your veggie “pasta” back to the pan, cover, and heat on low for a few minutes. You don’t want the veggies to actually cook, but more just to heat up. Top with peanut sauce, sprouts, and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.

If you’re going to have leftovers, I’d recommend *not* adding the peanut sauce to the veggie/tofu mix- store them separately, then combine when you’re ready to reheat. Otherwise things may get mushy.

This tasted really really good- clearly I took the lazy way out by buying premade peanut sauce. I’ve made homemade in the past, and you’re certainly welcome to mix up your own (a little PB, a little sriracha, a little broth). The veggies really do make it seem like you’re eating pasta.