The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) leftover broccoli salad (S) Skillet Chili Mac
Sun (L) chef salads (S) Out
Mon (Yoga/book group/legion)
Tues - leftover chili mac
Wed - Creamed corn and fish
Thurs (yoga) leftovers
Fri - leftovers
Lunches - cauliflower tikka masala
Cauliflower Tikka Masala (Eating Well, Sept 2019) vegetarian
This was my lunches for the week. This was also one of those rare occasions when a recipes says "20 minutes" and it actually took 20 minutes. Seriously easy! I'm usually not a fan of "jarred" or prepared products, and after careful scrutiny of the label, I decided this was worth a try. A winner in my book! A snap to assemble, tastes great, I served it over basmati rice and wah-la!I had lunches packed in grab-'n-go containers for the week!Recommended!
Serves 4 (5-6, if you add rice)
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| photo from eating well.com |
4 cups cauliflower florets
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1½ cups tikka masala sauce (I used Patak's)
2 tablespoons butter
Fresh cilantro for garnish
Optional - basmati rice
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add water; cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chickpeas and sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Serve topped with cilantro, if desired. And basmati rice!
Recipe Tip: Keep Indian simmer sauces—such as tikka masala and Madras curry—in your pantry for a meal that's ready faster than you can order takeout. You can turn just about any vegetable or protein into a saucy dish like this one, or brush the sauce on chicken or steak before it hits the grill.
Skillet Chili Mac (Eating Well, Sept 2019)
Fairly easy to assemble, no broiling required, use a LARGE pan. Recipe said 35 minutes...it was an hour from opening the fridge to putting on the table. But I did have time to clean up during final simmer, which is always a bonus.
A couple of minor modifications: I used ground pork sausage, I cut back from 3 tbsp chili powder to 2 tbsp (I used Penzeys, which can be potent), I skipped the beef broth and used some of the pasta water and I used pinto beans instead of kidney beans (blech). This was tasty, it makes a lot, and don't skimp on the garnish! I loved the pickled jalapenos.
Oh, fyi - watch the 12 oz pasta.I didn't and yeah, 16 oz was way too much so I didn't add all of it.
Recommended! Serves 6+
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| photo from eating well.com |
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 medium poblano peppers and/or green bell peppers
1 medium stalk celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
3 tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can
½ cup sour cream
¾ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Sliced scallions and/or pickled jalapeños for garnish
Cook pasta 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, peppers and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add beef, chili powder and salt; cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until the beef is no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice and broth; bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 2 minutes.
> Add beans and the pasta, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Fold in sour cream. Serve topped with Cheddar and scallions and/or pickled jalapeños, if desired.
Pan-Seared Fish with Creamed Corn and Tomatoes (Eating Well, Sept 2019) gluten free option
Recipe noted this was ready in about 40 minutes. I timed it at an hour from pulling stuff out of the fridge to plates on the table.
Recipe is well laid out until the fish. You start the corn cobs and while the cobs are doing their thing, prep the tomatoes. Tomatoes finished, it's time to assemble the creamed corn. Where things didn't work so well, was the corn is done, everything is ready, and now you start the fish.
I had a couple of modifications - I used cod for halibut (a heck of a lot cheaper), and I grilled it. Now cod tends to be very flaky, so I did grill it on a prepared pan. I didn't stink up the house with fish and easier clean-up.
Couple observations - I had to add an extra 1/2 cup (approximate) of milk to my creamed corn mixture to make it creamy. I lost about 1/4 cup during the soaking the cob process, and with 2 tbsp of flour - I had glumpy, not creamy. Second observation - The Husband and I both thought this was better the second day. The corn and tomatoes made a lot for two of us, and I had leftovers for a side on a third meal.
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| photo from eatingwell.com |
4 ears corn, husked
1½ cups whole milk
3 cloves garlic, divided
1 sprig fresh thyme
3 cups chopped [cherry] tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup chopped shallot
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour**
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
1¼ pounds halibut, cut into 4 portions
Cut kernels from cobs and set aside. Cut or break the cobs in half and place in a large saucepan. Add milk, 2 garlic cloves and thyme. Cook over medium heat until starting to simmer around the edges. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain into a glass measuring cup or small bowl; discard the solids.
Meanwhile, grate the remaining garlic clove into a medium bowl. Stir in tomatoes, basil, 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
Melt butter in the pan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 1 minute. Add the reserved corn kernels and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook for 30 seconds. While stirring, slowly add the milk. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
Sprinkle halibut with the remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the halibut and cook, turning once, until lightly browned and just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes total.
Serve the halibut with the reserved creamed corn and tomatoes.
Classic Banana Bread (Cooking Light Sept 2003)
In a departure from my usual chocolate-oatmeal cake or chocolate chip cookies, I made a couple loaves of banana bread for a meeting. According to my notes in my 2003 Cooking Light Annual, I made four variations on the Classic Bread recipe, but not the Classic version itself. Wanting some leftovers for the Husband and I, I made the Classic and the Marble version noted below. Apparently I did make the Marble version previously, and it's probably reviewed somewhere on this blog.
A couple of modifications to the recipe below. I added 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmag, 1/8 cloves and sprinkled broken walnuts on top. I like my banana bread with some warm spices. Mom's Banana bread by Cooking Light has been my go-to for a while now, but this might have just moved into first place. .
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| photo from cookinglight.com and myrecipes.com |
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
Recipe Tip: Marble it. Stir 1 cup batter and 1/2 cup melted semisweet chocolate chips together in a small bowl. Spoon plain batter into pan, alternating with dollops of chocolate-chip batter. Drag a knife through batter to swirl. Bake as directed.
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