Recipe Review from 7/5/2021

This week was a meal plan emphasizing simplicity while we adjust to having a puppy and the puppy adjusts to us. The taco salad was a recipe I've had around for years, origin long forgotten. I suspect it was either a Wishbone or Hidden Valley Ranch promotional recipe. Maybe. I had recipe for tortellini with grilled vegetables on (from Garden of Earthly Delights) but the taco salad and fish dish had more leftovers than anticipated so the tortellini dish was pushed to the weekend. Lunches were sub sandwiches, something I could assemble in the morning while there were two of us watching the dogs.

And, unlike parts of the West Coast, we dropped down into the 40's over night (I did hear the outskirts of Superior, WI had 37*, and Brimson, MN, just north of Duluth had 30*), and 60's during the day. A bit unusual for July but we needn't have worried - we were back to 80* by the weekend.

Boston, 2008.  Being quirky.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Leftover corn soup (S) taco salad
Sun (L) lefotver soup (S) taco salad
Mon (off)L sub sandwiches (S) taco salad
Tue - Aqua Pazza (fish in tomatos)
Wed (yoga) leftover fish
Thurs leftover fish
Fri - take n bake pizza

Lunches - "Fancy" sub sandwiches


Taco Salad (origin - ??)
This is your basic 1980's potluck salad. It can be made ahead, just don't add the chips until just before serving or keep on the side and let folks add separately.   Over time I've come to prefer kale and or Swiss Chard for my greens, cherry tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes because they aren't as runny, regular corn ships over Doritos, and I cut back on the Hidden Valley Ranch mixture.

1 head of lettuce (I used kale and Swiss Chard)
1 pound ground beef (can use ground pork, chicken, tempeh, or meat of choice)
1 can black beans OR pinto beans, drained
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters
4 oz grated cheddar cheese
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dip and dressing
4 oz Wishbone Italian dressing
1 pkg corn chips (Doritos was in the original recipe, I use plain corn chips now.)

**My note - I prefer to serve the corn chips on the side because I really don't like soggy chips.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground meat and onions and cook until no longer pink. Add beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Combine remainder of ingredients, add meat mixture, tossing to combine.

Seves 4-6 as a main, 6-8 as a side. Leftovers will last about 2 days in the fridge.


Aqua Pazza (Eat Better, Feel Better: My Recipes for Wellness and Healing, Inside and Out by Giada DeLaurentiss) This was the only recipe I was able to make out of the cookbook before I had to return it to the library. Unfortunately, I forgot to make a copy of the recipe and it was a good one! I'm still undecided about getting the cookbook, I may put my name back on the hold list and try a few more recipes. I had at least four more fish recipes flagged as "to try".

Aqua Pazza was simply fish simmered or poached in a tomato mixture. It came together fairly quickly with minimal prep and was light enough for a hot summer evening. The fennel was the perfect flavor counterpoint with a teeny bit of heat from ground chili flakes. Not quite a soup, not quite a stew, best served with some crusty bread to soak up the extra sauce at the bottom of the bowl. I would absolutely make this again.

**Below is from memory - may not be exactly as written in the cookbook

Serves 4.

1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups water
salt and pepper
4 (6 oz) filets of cod, or other firm whitefish
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Fennel and onion were sauted until just starting to soften, add chili flakes and white wine. Add the water and fish. Cover and simmer until fish is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes depending on thickness of fish. Season to taste. Serve with fresh parsley.