Recipe Review from 9/16/2018

So when I did my meal planning, it was in the 60's, as it's supposed to be for September in Northern MN.  When I COOKED my meals (specifically on Sunday) it was 80*.  80!!  Yeah.  House got a bit toasty and I had to shift some things to the grill.  Not complaining, mind!  I love these warm temps, but kinda does mess with cooking.

The Meal Plan
Sat (L)  out     (S)  Vegetarian Club Sandwiches
Sun (L) leftover sandwiches   (S) Mushroom Meatloaf
Mon (yoga/bkgrp)  leftover
Tues - leftovers
Wed - Bacon and Avocado with Quinoa
Thurs (yoga) leftovers
Fri - take n bake pizza (it's been a long week...)

My Lunches - Curried Chicken with Basmati rice and green beans
Husband lunches - hummus sandwiches and veggies

Mushroom Meatloaf (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018)
Name is a bit of a misnomer - there is mushroom IN the meatloaf, not a "mushroom" meatloaf.
This came together fairly quickly, though I admit to rushing a tich and nearly burned my hand when going to mix the hot onion/mushroom mix with the meat.  Thank heaven's for wearing latex gloves.

I also grilled this because it was 80* in my house (I don't have AC) and even hotter outside.  This still turned out super moist, almost too much so.  Husband was happy with the end result so that's all that matters.  Recommended.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cremini mushrooms, minced

photo from cookinglight.com

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 1/2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
1/2 cup whole-wheat panko
2 large eggs
1/4 cup unsalted ketchup
1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a pan of water on bottom rack.   I preheated my grill to 350* and skipped the pan of water.  When all was said and cooked - meatloaf was almost too moist.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté 3 minutes. Add Worcestershire, thyme, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 1 minute.

Gently combine beef, panko, eggs, mushroom mixture, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. For easy cleanup, line an 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with foil; let foil overhang edges. Add meat mixture; lightly press into edges. Bake at 350°F on middle rack until loaf center is 160°F, about 1 hour.

Combine ketchup, sugar, and vinegar; brush over loaf top. Increase heat to broil. Broil loaf 10 minutes or until glaze bubbles. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes. Lift or remove loaf from pan. Cut into 6 slices.

Coriander Chicken and Rice (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018)  gluten free
Homemade lunchables for an adult!  The Greek Chickpea Salad I reviewed last week was from the same article - prep on Sunday, grab and go lunches for four days.

I was happily surprised when this came together in about 30 minutes total, and that included cooking the basmati rice.  I used regular basmati because that was what I had in my cupboard.  I did allow everything a good 20 minutes to cool down (I prepped the meatloaf above) before packaging up each container.   This looked and smelled so good!  I'm ridiculously excited about this week's lunches - everything is stacked and ready to go.

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice
3/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

photo from cookinglight.com

2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, grated
Lemon wedges, for serving

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add rice and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add stock and 3/8 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes.  (My notes, using regular basmati, this took about 15 minutes, then I removed from heat and let stand for 15 minutes)

Toss together chicken, coriander, garlic powder, cayenne, and 3/8 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 12 minutes. Remove chicken. (Do not wipe skillet clean.)

Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to skillet. Add beans; cook, turning every 2 minutes, until lightly charred. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Combine yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic. Serve sauce and lemon wedges with chicken, rice, and green beans.

Bacon and Avocado Quinoa with Buttermilk Drizzle (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018) vegetarian option**
Without looking back at the magazine article, I think this was touted as a "breakfast" recipe.  I made this for suppers - it seemed more supper-ish.  I wasn't wild about the buttermilk dressing, much too runny for my tastes and I should have added more greek yogurt to thicken it out.  My tomatoes went moldy on my (wtheck?!)  so I subbed red pepper and zucchini.  Avocado added a nice flavor to the entire dish, but then I'm nuts about avocado.

For the leftovers, I didn't have avocado so I subbed a poached egg.  Now that was very tasty!

I recommend the dish, it has some versatility which is nice.

Serves 4

8 center-cut bacon slices, chopped **skip if vegetarian

photo from cookinglight.com

1/2 cup whole buttermilk
1 tablespoon plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 2/3 cups Perfect Quinoa  (below)
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 ripe avocado, sliced

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Place bacon on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Whisk together buttermilk, yogurt, chives, salt, and pepper in a bowl or glass measuring cup.

Divide quinoa evenly among 4 bowls. Sprinkle bacon evenly over each serving; top each with 1/2 cup tomatoes and one-fourth sliced avocado. Drizzle with 2 1/2 tablespoons buttermilk-chive dressing.

Perfect Quinoa  (Ckng Lght, Sept 2018)

1 cup uncooked red quinoa
1 3/4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Place quinoa in a fine wire-mesh strainer; rinse under running water 1 minute. Drain. Bring quinoa, 1 3/4 cups water, and salt to a boil in a saucepan over high. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook until liquid is mostly absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and let steam, covered, 10 minutes. Drain any excess cooking liquid.