February Cooking for 2: Tuna & Cheese Melt and Broccoli Soup

 

It snowed yet again last night.  That makes it a good day to make soup.  Before doing that, I will start with the sandwich.  Making a grilled tuna melt is very easy.  First, you mix mayonnaise with the tuna.  I won't specify how much, since different people like different amounts.  I also added some dill, since I like dill with it.  Add some salt and pepper as well.  Then get two pieces of bread and spread some of the tuna/mayo mixture onto one piece.  Add a slice of cheese and top it off with the other slide of bread.  Then, spread some softened butter or some oil onto both sides of the bread.  Any easy way to do this is to put some oil or butter in the frying pan you plan to cook it in, spread it on one side and then flip it over to the other side.  Cook it on a medium heat until the first sides gets a golden brown and then flip it over and do the same for the other side.  I usually cover it while it cooks to make sure the cheese will melt.  It is a nice change from grilled cheese alone.  

As for the soup, well, I made a little bit of white sauce, added thyme, pepper, salt, and garlic powder to it.  Then I added between 1/4 to 1/3 cup of cheese and let it melt.  In a different small saucepan, I cooked about 2 cups of broccoli and 2 Tablespoons of chopped onions in 1 cup chicken broth until they were done.  I cut any big pieces of broccoli and mixed the white sauce with the veggies and broth and ended up with what you see in the picture.  In the past, I have used a lot of white sauce, but I tried to make this healthier by using the broth that I cooked the veggies in for part of the soup base.   The little bit of white sauce was made with 1 Tablespoon of butter and 1 Tablespoon of flour and enough milk (around 1/2 cup) to make it in to a sauce.  It turned out well.  Because of the thyme, it made it taste better and I could use less white sauce and cheese in it compared to what I have done in the past.  

February Cooking for 2: Banana Pancakes

 

Some of you may remember Jack Johnson's song, "Banana Pancakes".    Well, yesterday's recipe for 2 was banana pancakes.  I forgot to post it yesterday, but here it is.  I put some peanut butter on top and some fruit instead of sugary syrup or jam.  It is a little healthier.  

One of the problems with making small recipes is eggs.  Well, I bought some powdered eggs, and they seem to be the easiest to measure when you need a half or a fourth of an egg.  If you want to use fresh eggs, whisk the egg a little with a fork and then measure how much egg there is.  For example, if there are 2 Tablespoons of egg, then you measure 1 tablespoon if you need a half of an egg.  Anyway, the powdered eggs are so much easier.

It is amazing how you can take a very ripe banana and make something good with it!

Banana Pancakes:  Makes 4 pancakes

1/2 whole wheat flour. (can substitute white flour)

1/2 Tablespoon brown sugar. (can substitute white sugar)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 very ripe banana, mashed

1 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

1/2 egg

1/4 cup buttermilk  (can substitute with milk that has a teaspoon of vinegar added to it)

Mix together and cook on medium heat in a frying pan that has just a little oil or butter to keep the batter from sticking.  Brown on both sides and enjoy with your favorite toppings.