Lori, Author at Fake Food Free

Ground Pork Banh Mi Sandwich

November 5, 2018

These ground pork Banh Mi sandwiches are easy to cook for a quick weeknight meal. Make them all your own by adding any of your favorite toppings.

Not unlike my efforts with the pantry, I’ve been in the mode of cleaning out the freezer the past week. It’s amazing how things begin to pile up before you even realize it. I tend to buy meat in larger amounts when I make the trip to Whole Foods and I realized I had some of my favorite ground pork that needed to be used up.

Dinners have been a little boring around here lately so I decided to brighten things up with a simple twist on a Banh Mi.

Bacon Pumpkin Black Eyed Peas with Sage

October 31, 2018

These Instant Pot black eyed peas are made with a savory blend of bacon, pumpkin, and fresh sage. They are simple enough for an everyday lunch, but also have just the right amount of flair to be a delicious side for a holiday dinner.

I feel like I’m always in clean-out-the-pantry mode. Maybe that is because I’m always overstocking the pantry.

It’s a problem I can’t seem to overcome, the overbuying of dry goods. I eventually use everything up, but not before beans and lentils have had a long stay on the shelf.

Black-eyed peas were the next to use up. They aren’t in my usual legume rotation, but I bought some for a recipe a while back and they are starting to grow on me.

Mushroom Stew with Red Wine and Root Vegetables

October 24, 2018

Simple mushroom stew recipe made with root vegetables, red wine and beef stock. #mushroomrecipes #stewrecipes #comfortfood #fallfood #fallrecipes #winterfood #winterrecipes #easyrecipes

Beef stew has never been much of a go-to comfort food for me. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I’m not a huge beef eater. The other components I’m all for – root veggies, a rich sauce, preferably made with red wine. Yes, those things I like.

And mushrooms. I love mushrooms. So I decided to make a mushroom stew. Essentially a beef stew without the meat.

I also cut out the all-day simmering in the oven.

Planning a Trip to St. Lucia

October 18, 2018

Planning a trip to St. Lucia? These tips, ideas, suggestions, and pictures for hikes, attractions and food from our recent return visit will help!

I realized recently that I’ve reached that point in life where I say things like, “Ten years ago, we were…,” and I’m still talking about my adulthood. Not my youth, or high school, or even college. It’s been happening all the time lately. Ten years ago we moved back from Brazil, were traveling in South East Asia, bought our last house in Kentucky, and…

…visited St. Lucia.

I can still remember the first time we went to a resort in the Caribbean.

We were on our honeymoon and I overheard conversations of couples that were celebrating their 4th anniversary and of those that were on their 12th visit to the island. My thoughts, then were – wow, that seems like forever away. Now my thoughts are – wow, we blew right past all that.

Back then, we designated our resort trips to the Caribbean as our true vacation. We see a bit of the islands we visit, but spend a significant time reading and drinking rum. All other trips are travel – we go, go and see, see. But these trips are reserved for no pressure, just peace.

Double Ginger Winter Squash Muffins

October 1, 2018

Happy October! My favorite month of the year has arrived once again.

I’m slowly beginning to build my collection of winter squash. I have a long way to go to reach the standards of previous years, but there is still plenty of time.

I decided to break into the season with a batch of muffins. Not just your ordinary winter squash muffins, but double ginger winter squash muffins.

Extra ginger makes all the difference, in my opinion.

Smoky Instant Pot Potato Soup [without the cream]

September 14, 2018

Smoky Instant Pot Potato Soup Recipe without cream | FakeFoodFree.com #instantpotrecipes #souprecipes #potatosoup #comfortfood

I wasn’t lying when I said I was in a soup mood. This particular soup resulted from an experiment. I had four fairly large red potatoes on the counter for a few days and I kept thinking – I bet I could make that into a soup in the Instant Pot.

I finally jumped in and took a chance. With great results, I might add. I wanted a creamy soup, pureed. But I didn’t want to add any cream or milk to it. Immersion blender to the rescue.

Instant Pot Black Bean Bison Chili

September 11, 2018

This black bean bison chili is made in the Instant Pot with layers of several seasonings for a rich flavor. It’s served with a garnish of crumbled aged white cheddar.

It wasn’t my intention to post three soups in a row, but it looks like that is how it’s going to turn out. I don’t know why this soup mood has suddenly come over me.

But I do know that every first pot of chili for the season is a bit of a celebration around here. At least in my kitchen, and well, in my head.

I present this year’s, compiled of black beans that had been sitting in the pantry and needed to be used up, and ground bison that I had in the freezer, leftover from a client shoot a few months ago.

Curry Peanut Heirloom Winter Squash Soup

September 5, 2018

Fall starts on September 1 for me. I’m not at all concerned about what a calendar developed years ago tells me. I’m not waiting several more weeks to embrace the season.

I know you are saying – I’m not ready, I love summer, it’s still hot. Believe me, it’s not lost on me. It’s 99 here.

Fall is a state of mind. And if you are a fall baby, like I am, you are enjoying fall in your head weeks before everyone else catches up.

Another factor is that all the delicious fall things have started to show up around here. Namely, winter squash.

Fresh Fig Recipes

August 21, 2018

Looking for fresh fig recipes? You’ve come to the right place! These are my favorites for using this unique fruit during its short season.

Fig season always goes way too fast for me. One minute, I’m thinking about all the things I could make with them, and the next I can no longer find them at the farmers market.

The point? You have to grab them when you can and be prepared to use them up!

Over the past few years, and I know I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but really since we moved to California, I’ve gotten much more acquainted with the fig. I’ve had the opportunity to use fresh figs in a lot of different recipes.

If you have fig fever, too, these fresh fig recipes may be just what you are looking for. Or maybe they can at least inspire some new ideas of your own.

They are just a few of the ways I’ve managed to use figs in meals and desserts.

Tropical Honeydew Melon Smoothie

August 19, 2018

I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.

I hope to see you there.

My plan was to get figs and peaches at the farmstand last week. I found them and filled my bag, but as I was turning towards the checkout stand, something else caught my eye.

I have an on-again, off-again relationship with melons. It’s not unlike my relationship with shakes and smoothies, now that I think about it.

Watermelon is in last place. I can have a few bites of it for the summer, or not, and I’m good.

A super ripe cantaloupe is second. I buy at least a couple each summer.

I’ve narrowed down my favorite to honeydew melon. That being said, I’m not sure if you’ve had a tasteless honeydew from a salad bar like I have, but if so, then you know that a good one is hard to find.

But this time, I didn’t find it. It found me. More accurately, I smelled it.