Need Nutrient and Calorie Dense Recipes..

[Rose White]

a very lazy spaghetti cacio e Pepe (basically pasta, reserved salted pasta water, Parmesan, pepper corn and I add peas)

I made this for the first time last week and found out that you can’t be so lazy as to substitute 4-cheese blend (which includes provolone) for the Parmesan! Ended up with a single wad of cheese. I sort of fixed it by adding leftover mushroom bisque, extra pasta water, and stirring the heck out of it while cooking that down, so I had cheese curds instead of a wad. Fortunately was using thick pasta (bucatini) which stood up to the treatment! Curious to try it again the right way!

 

[ViolettaMcGillicuddy]

I am looking for recipes that are nutritious, but also high calorie. Need to gain 25 lbs in 8 weeks, and am battling no appetite. Not a fan of sweets, but love pasta, bread and fruit!

Suggestions?

Fresh stone fruit (plum/cherry/peach/nectarine/apricot) with heavy cream.

 

[Friday]

Duck Fat French Fries are my new sin.

<swoon>

Dipped in vegan ranch.

<drool>

(Vegan Ranch = Vegan Mayo + a dash of water added to a salt/pepper blend, & freeze dried herbs -parsely, dill, chives, etc.- & stir… OR …vegan Mayo + vegan cream cheese + herbs & seasoning).

I keep considering making Irish Nachos but also keep backing away as the calorie content is waaaaay too high for me right now.

Neither of these is super nutrient dense, but the calories are waaaay up there! Of course, the nachos can be, with pico/salsa, chili, avocado, meats, etc.


* Duck Fat from France? Is BIZARRELY less expensive than domestically made veggie oil??? That might just be a regional thing, As I live in one of the most expensive areas in the country for food costs, it’s 8x more expensive here than my brother pays in New York, but on par with Boston & Hawaii. Domestic duck fat is waaaay more expensive than domestic veggie oil, unless you know a hunter with a heart of gold (and limited fridge space!). So, at least that tracks. But I am seriously scratching my head on how effing cheap it is to order super-posh from overseas.

 

[Rose White]

Bilberries, something I was working with today, are also stupid expensive in US compared to Europe. I think part of the reason duck fat and bilberries are way expensive here is there’s less demand so whatever comes in is small scale and then has to be distributed across this big land.

ETA: looked up Irish Nachos—Yum!!

 

[Lionheart]

When I was going thru cancer treatment and had no appetite, I was losing weight too fast and it was the drug, "Marinol" that returned my appetite. I just thought I would throw that out there in case maybe you haven't tried it.

 

[Friday]

Just made something for my niece on the fly; fruit smoothie (which she hates) boiled/reduced down to syrup/berry sauce, for her meatballs. They taste almost exactly like grape jelly meatballs… but infinitely more vitamins/minerals. I’m betting I can do a mango/pineapple/orange/POG/apple sauce based version for her chicken nuggets tomorrow.

Heck. I very well May start bottling this stuff. It’s wicked good. For all the times when salsa isn’t the quick & easy add? I’d love to just nip a jar out for saucy meats.

 

[Friday]

Speaking of salsa?

I’m winging together some chicken burrito/fajita style-ish stuffed peppers. As I have waaaaaaay too many bell peppers right now.

- Ground Chicken
- Chicken Thighs (raw, chopped/minced).
- Grilled onions/bell peppers, minced
- Salsa Verde + an extra garlic clove or 3
- Shredded Onion
- Rice (Arroz Verde) (parboiled in stock & Veg -cilantro, chard/spinach, lime- & set aside to cool)

^^^ (above) Take all of those and stir together & stuff into (below) vvv

- Green &/or Muilticolor Bell Peppers

Bake @350-400 or BBQ in covered tinfoil box thing… until meat thermometer temps at 180F

Cut in half lengthwise
Smother with

- Pico de gaillo
- Guacamole
- Cilantro
- Dairy Galore (poison! LOL, or for those not allergic? cheese, sour cream, etc.)

Pineapple & Kalbi Chicken -or Pork- Stuffed Peppers w/ Mango Salsa

I usually use yellow/orange/rainbow peppers, use white or red rice, and mix chicken/ground chicken, or pork/ground pork, a tin of drained pineapple, shredded onion/peppers, Kalbi/Teriyaki sauce. Same concept, stir it all together, stuff, bake off, cut in half, top with salsa, skip the guacamole, but pickled or fresh ginger is lovely.

Both of these Mexi or Hawaiian stuffed peppers freeze “raw”, to be baked later, just fine IF AND ONLY IF I blanch the peppers first, so I can make 1 for me now, and a bunch for later, in advance.

 

[Freddyt]

Duck Fat French Fries are my new sin.

<swoon>

An essential part of good poutine......which is calorie rich....(sorry for mentioning a dish with cows milk made more evil @Friday....)

Biscuits and Gravy is a great calorie rich recipe. Hard to find on a menu where I'm from. (and hard to order in a restaurant now they have calorie numbers on the menu) Lots of online recipe's for them everywhere.

 

[Friday]

Mac’n’cheese Croquettes

OMFG… I had forgotten all about these! (It’s been a long time since I could eat cheese).

Made mac’n’cheeae (shells & cheese, technically) for the nieces yesterday (1/2 & 1/2, shredded cheese, cooked noodles. Sauté until melty creamy, about 2 minutes.

This morning? Sort of on autopilot, pre-coffee, I took the leftovers, smashed them into a ring mold, topped with Panko, and fried on high in browned butter. <swoon>

Xtra?

1. Add a dollup of stone ground mustard & some malty dark beer to the half & half, cook down a minute or three, then add cheese & noodles -or- stir directly into leftover Mac & let sit for about half an hour so absorb, before smooshing into ring mold. Especially good with bratwurst!

2. Instead of Panko, use crab cake mix or salmon cake mix.

3. Mix pretty much anything into the Mac before squishing it into the mold, as long as it’s 2/3s more cheesy noodles to stick it all together with.

Toooootally forgot about croquettes. (Taaaaank You AutoPilot, reaching into the recesses of my brain, and doing without thinking!!)

Imma try the same thing using Chao Shreds & cashew cream, for the Mac, and see if it fries up all lovely, or is just one of those things that doesn’t translate. I used to loooooove bacon/jalapeño/green onion M’n’C croquettes. Maybe I’ll get another shot at them!

 

[Tinyflame]

The people here are excellent, creative cooks.

I guess the obvious is, wherever you'd cut calories try to do the opposite. As nutrient and calorie dense as possible.