Recipe Review from 1/11/2021

The initial meal plan rather went out the window last week and it was an exercise in "shuffling" and pantry diving. The beautiful hoarfrost went away as temps crept up above freezing mid to end of the week.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) squash with qunioa leftovers (S) leftovers
Sun (L) Scrounged (S) Fish cakes
Mon (yoga) Fish fillets
Tues - Cobb Salad  Rice bowls
Wed (yoga) Fish  Hot chicken sandwiches
Thurs - Cobb Salad take-n-bake pizza
Fri - Cobb Salad

Lunches - Caprese Pasta Salad Bowls

Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad Bowls (Eating Well, June 2019)

photo from eatingwell.com

This was so easy to assemble, especially if you are using leftover or rotisserie chicken (which I highly recommend for this recipe. The dressing really makes this dish - it's excellent. No, awesome. No, fantastic! Seriously good. This dish combined with a small dinner roll or baguette, really does make for the perfect, pre-packed lunch. Recommended!

Made about 5-6 tubs (I think I used more spinach.

8 ounces whole-grain rotini
1 (5 ounce) package baby spinach (about 6 cups)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 cup pearl-size or mini mozzarella balls (about 4 ounces)

Vinaigrette
1 small shallot, peeled and quartered
½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey or agave syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook rotini according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold running water, then drain again and set aside.

Divide spinach among 4 single-serving lidded containers. Top each with 1 cup of the cooked pasta, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/2 cup chicken and one-fourth of the mozzarella balls.

Vinaigrette: Combine shallot, basil, oil, vinegar, honey (or agave), mustard, pepper and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth.

Divide vinaigrette among 4 small lidded containers and refrigerate.

Seal the salad containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Dress with the vinaigrette just before serving.


Winter Cobb Salad (Eating Well, Jan/Feb 2021) vegetarian/vegan option
This ended up being one of the dishes that got shuffled due to time restraints with baking the squash. I should have just baked it ahead of time and assembled later. For a salad, this was...putzy and time consuming to assemble - and I say this after I either skipped or forgot some of the ingredients. I omitted the bacon and red onion and forgot the blue cheese. So you would think this could be fairly quick to pull together. Nope. Had to prep and bake the squash (45 minutes), prep apples, prep dressing, prep avocado, prep kale, wait for squash to cool, assemble, eat.

My suggestions: buy a clamshell of mixed spinach and kale greens and skip the squash. I didn't care for cold (room temp) squash on my salad. This can easily be converted to vegetarian or vegan without loosing any flavor. Omit bacon and/or cheese.

The other modification I did was to use the dressing from the Winter Cobb Salad.

Serves 4(ish)

photo from eatingwell.com

4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced shallot
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
10 cups coarsely chopped stemmed kale
1 large crisp apple, sliced or chopped
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 slices cooked bacon, chopped skipped
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1 ripe avocado, sliced
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese


Preheat oven to 400°F.

Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil, coriander, cumin and cinnamon in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once halfway, until tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Whisk vinegar, mustard, shallot, oregano, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Add kale and toss well to combine. Divide the kale among 4 plates and top with apple, onion, bacon, egg, avocado, cheese and the squash.


Crispy Fried Rice Bowls (Eating Well (Jan/Feb 2021)
This dish, while simple, does require planning ahead so the rice is ready to go. I did a couple of modifications - I poached the eggs (I like the "clean" taste of a poached egg more so than a fried egg) and I skipped the carrot and scallions.

Unfortunately, I only got one meal out of this as I didn't realized I was nearly out of brown rice. I had just enough to make one meal for two of us. Which was a bummer as this came together quickly, was perfect for a later week-night meal, and was quite good. I would make this again. Recommended!

Serves 4

photo from eatingwell.com

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
2 ½ cups cooked brown rice
½ teaspoon salt plus a pinch, divided
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil, divided
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 11-ounce package baby spinach
1 tablespoon lime juice
4 large eggs
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 cup julienned carrot
4 radishes, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 teaspoons Sriracha

Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add rice and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 10 minutes. Divide among 4 shallow bowls.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon grapeseed (or canola) oil and ginger to the pan. Add spinach, in batches, and cook, tossing, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Divide among the rice bowls.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon grapeseed (or canola) oil in the pan. Crack eggs into it and cook until the whites are set and the edges are crispy, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining pinch of salt. Place an egg on each rice bowl. Top with avocado, carrot, radishes, scallions and Sriracha.

Pan Seared Snapper with Red Pepper Relish (Eating Well, Jan/Feb 2021)
I had some Lake Superior whitefish cakes and fillets in the freezer from a trip to the Bayfield peninsula last fall, and this recipe fit perfectly. It was super easy to assemble, it tastes great and would work with a variety of neutral white fish (red snapper, tilapia, halibut if you want to go a bit fancy, your local favorite fish...). Serve with some crusty artisanal bread to sop up the relish. Recommended!

Serves 4

1 15-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
3 jarred roasted red bell peppers (about 8 ounces), chopped
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons chopped garlic plus 1 teaspoon, divided
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1 ½ teaspoons sherry vinegar, divided
⅛ teaspoon salt plus ¼ teaspoon, divided
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 ¼ pounds skin-on snapper fillets

Combine tomatoes and peppers in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 3 times. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add 3 tablespoons garlic and cook until fragrant and softened, about 3 minutes. Add coriander and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato mixture, sugar and crushed red pepper; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is dry, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon oil, parsley, 1 teaspoon vinegar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise, paprika and the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar in a small bowl; set aside.

Cut 2 slits in the skin side of each fillet. Pat dry with paper towels. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish, skin-side down, and gently press with a spatula until it stays flat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the skin is browned and crisp, 6 to 7 minutes. Flip the fish and cook until it flakes easily with a fork, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Divide the reserved red pepper relish among 4 plates. Top with a fish fillet and some of the reserved garlicky mayo.