formerchef

08/03/2025

I made a reel on Instagram to show how to peel, seed, and dice about 10 pounds of homegrown San Marzano style tomatoes. Check it out!

04/13/2025

Baked eggs with beans, chicken sausage, and spinach. Delicious high protein breakfast.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup cooked beans
1 4oz chicken sausage sliced
1 cup fresh spinach
Kosher salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 Tablespoon Greek nonfat yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 Farenheit. Slice onion and mince garlic.
On the stovetop, a large saute pan that can go in the oven, heat 1 tsp of olive oil. Add the sliced onion and cook until soft. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Next, add the sausage and the beans, simmer another 5 minutes. Add the salt, ancho chili powder, and spinach and stir to combine.
Turn off the heat. One by one, crack the egg into a little cup, taking care not to break the yolk, and slide it into a well created in the sauce using the back of a spoon.
Put the pan in the oven and bake until the egg whites are set and yolk still soft, about fifteen minutes.
Garnish with fresh chopped oregano and a dollar of plain Greek yogurt.
Serves 2

Per portion, 44g protein, 49g carbs, 17g fat, 9g fiber, 492 cal, 3 Weight Watchers points

02/09/2025

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade concentrate! It may be winter, but my meyer lemon tree is bursting with lemons.
Making the concentrate is so easy! Combine equal parts simple syrup (sugar melted with water 1:1) and fresh lemon juice. Mix this combo with 4 parts water (less if you want it stronger) for delicious lemonade!
This mix can be kept in the refrigerator or the freezer for a burst of sweet sunshine any time you need it.

12/24/2024

Happy Holidays! I'm making this Panettone Bread Pudding for Christmas Eve dinner tonight. What are you cooking?
https://www.formerchef.com/2020/12/18/panettone-bread-pudding-with-apples/

01/21/2024

Making a big pot of marinara today. What are you cooking?

Simple recipe for making homemade marinara sauce from scratch using fresh tomatoes.

10/28/2023

I picked my first potatoes today! Also, the last of the summer eggplant, cucumbers, lots of basil and parsley, and shockingly, more zucchini!
What should I cook first?

07/23/2023

First pickles of the summer! Cucumbers from my garden.
Get the recipe: https://www.formerchef.com/2014/06/23/my-first-refrigerator-pickles/

07/23/2023

Fresh grilled zucchini, tomatoes, and basil from my garden. I made two of these today for two different potluck parties.

06/23/2023

This looks like something I need to make with the zucchini growing in my garden. 💚💚💚

This is a favorite simple summer pasta, just a heap of zucchini cooked until it has melted into a puddle of butter and garlic, laced with a little heat, then tossed with basil, parmesan, and spaghe…

08/14/2022

Impromptu dinner on the deck last night to celebrate a friend's birthday.
Grilled eggplant with coriander yogurt and chili crisp
Grilled zucchini with balsamic glaze
Potato salad with mustard vinaigrette
Grilled andouille sausage
Jungle Bird cocktail.

04/24/2022

I haven't had this for a while and just made some for my lunch. Changed it up by using green Castelvetrano olives instead of black olives and adding fresh dill and a half of a diced dill pickle to it. Ate it as an open-faced sandwich on toasted bread. Yum!

Low Carb Chicken Salad with Olives and Dijon Yogurt Dressing