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| Waterfall at Sam A Baker State Park, MO |
The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) leftover soup (S) leftover Texas Roadhouse
Sun (L) BLT and A sandwiches (S) Beef and Potato Soup
Mon (yoga) leftover soup
Tues - Gnocchi
Wed (yoga) Gnocchi
Thurs - Chicken and artichoke hearts
Fri - leftover chicken
Lunches - Me: (Farro), Chickpea and Feta salad
Husband: co-op burritos
(Farro), Chickpea and Feta Salad (Eating Well, March 2021) vegetarian, vegan option
I neglected to make sure I had enough wheat berries for this dish, so a last minute swap for farro. I figured out the equivalent amount needed, cooked in the instant pot, and followed the assembly directions below after that.
This. Is my new favorite dish. O.M.G. I LOVED the farro with the vinaigrette, celery and feta - it was the perfect balance of sweet, nutty, tangy, and creamy. I did add the walnuts on top for a delightful little crunch. I made this for lunches for the week (5), had enough for lunch for two on the weekend (2), with one bowl left (1) so *I* got 8 servings out of this. This would be great for a potluck, a picnic, or as side with protein of choice. Very versatile.
Recommended!
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| Photo from eatingwell.com |
8 main servings (with farro)
3 cups wheat berries (I used an equivalent amount farro)
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallot
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 15-ounce can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed
½ cup sliced celery
½ cup crumbled feta cheese** (Skip if vegan)
⅓ cup golden raisins
⅓ cup toasted chopped walnuts
Fill a large pot with water and add wheat berries. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer; cover and cook until tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Drain. Spread the wheat berries on a rimmed baking sheet to cool, about 30 minutes.
Whisk oil, vinegar, shallot, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add 3 cups cooled wheat berries (reserve remaining 4 cups for another use), chickpeas, celery, feta, raisins, scallions and walnuts. Toss to combine.
To make ahead: Refrigerate cooked wheat berries (Step 1) for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Refrigerate salad for up to 3 days.
Beef and Mushroom Stew with Mashed Potatoes (Eating Well, March 2021)
A couple of modifications for this one: I subbed mutton for the beef as I had some in the freezer and well, it seemed like a good substitute, I made the potatoes in the instant pot because it's a heck of a lot faster and uses less water, and I subbed 2 cups chicken broth for the stout because we didn't have the right kind of beer on hand.
The Husband really liked this, me, less so, but that's because *I'm* not a big fan of ground beef/meat. This is easy comfort food. I did simplify by cooking the potatoes in the instant pot, but you could also easily do instant potatoes in a pinch.
Recommended.
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| Photo from eatingwell.com |
Serves 4
1 ½ pounds yellow potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 2-inch pieces
½ cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons butter
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
16 ounces stout (see Tip)
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Place potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil. Adjust heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and return to the pan. Add milk, butter, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mash to desired consistency. Cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, breaking into large chunks and flipping occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Transfer to a clean plate.
Add mushrooms, onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Return the beef to the pan and stir in beer, broth and Worcestershire, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the beef and vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Add peas and carrots, increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the stew is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve with the mashed potatoes, sprinkled with parsley, if desired.
Pea Pesto Gnocchi with Burrata (Eating Well, March 2021) vegetarian
When I went to make this, I found that I had a bum container of basil and instead of a cup, I had a small handful of leaves. After making and eating this, I was glad for the misfortune because a full cup would have been WAAAYYYY to much basil for me. It was almost too pungent with what I was able to salvage. Husband quite liked it, however.
You do need a food processor for this, no way to get around it. It does come together very quickly and it made a refreshing mid-week meal. Two observations/complaints - if going to serve 4, it needs to be as a side (chicken would be perfect) or double the gnocchi. This made two servings with about 1/2 cup leftover as a main. Second observation - warm up the burratta before plopping on top of the warm gnocchi. It was very disconcerting to have this lovely, bright, warm potato dumplings, and get a mouthful of cold cheese.
So, recommended, with some reservations.
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| Photo from eatingwell.com |
Serves 2-4
½ cup cooked peas
¼ cup cashews, toasted
Zest and juice of 1 small lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil
1 cup baby spinach
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon, divided
3 tablespoons water
1 16-ounce package whole-wheat gnocchi
8 ounces burrata cheese
Pea shoots (optional)
Combine peas, cashews, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add basil and spinach; pulse until finely chopped, pausing to scrape down the sides. With the motor running, drizzle in ¼ cup oil and water; process until smooth.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook until starting to crisp and lightly brown, about 3 minutes. Stir and continue cooking until the gnocchi are golden on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes more. Add the pesto and cook, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute. Serve the gnocchi with burrata and pea shoots, if desired.
Spinach and Artichoke Chicken (Eating Well, March 2021)
This was reminiscent of the spinach and artichoke dip served over crusty french bread, only simplified and used as a topping for chicken. This was easy, very tasty, and I confess to totally deviating from the recipe assembly directions.
I've left the recipe as originally written below. My changes: 10oz fresh spinach, wilted and strained of extra liquid and set aside. 14.5 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed, lightly dried and briefly sauted after after the spinach comes out of the pan. Combine with spinach and let cool while chicken cooks. Combine spinach mixture with cheese mixture. Put over chicken in pan and broil as directed below.
Simply - yum. I served over cauliflower "rice".
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| Photo from eatingwell.com |
Serves 4 (recommend adding a side)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed
½ cup chopped canned artichoke hearts, rinsed
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 pound chicken cutlets
½ teaspoon ground pepper
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat broiler to high.
Squeeze as much water from spinach as possible. Place in a medium bowl and add artichoke hearts, Monterey Jack, cream cheese and mayonnaise. Stir to combine.
Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Heat oil in a large cast-iron or other oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more.
Top the chicken with the spinach mixture. Place the pan under the broiler and broil until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a cutlet registers 165°F and the topping is bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes.
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