This Week's Menu

Sunday - Weekend Detox: Brown rice, spinach, broccoli, tofu
Monday - Vegetarian Spit Pea Soup, crusty bread, salad
Tuesday - Mini Italian Meatloaves, oven-roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts
Wednesday - Quick Linguine Bolognese, salad
Thursday - Teriyaki Chicken, sticky rice, sesame spinach

The Week Ahead

Forgive my week away--it was a crazy 7 days, so I didn't have time to fill you in on our weekly menu. It wasn't anything too exciting, though, so you didn't miss much!

Before I get to this week's menu, I want to say thanks to everyone who's reading! From Atlanta to Winter Park to Portland to DC to North Carolina and everywhere in between, it's so much fun hearing from all my friends. I know a lot of you all cook, so if you have a moment, share the recipes you're loving right now in the comments section so we can all see what you're making.

Here's our menu...we're doing Valentine's a day early, and I'm on my own for dinner Thursday, so depending on my laziness level, it may end up being takeout or a bowl of pasta. Hope y'all have a great week!

Sunday - Seafood boil, cole slaw
Monday - Mini Italian pancetta meatloaves, garlic oven fries
Tuesday - Chicken soup with tomatoes and cilantro
Wednesday - Tuna sashimi, sticky rice cakes with soy-ginger glaze, edamame (and lots of Champagne)

Bowled Over

In my last post, I mentioned that I could eat Tex-Mex all the time and not get tired of it. I have to say I feel the same way about Asian food. The flavors are all so vibrant—you can’t help but feel good after you eat it.

I must admit I rely heavily on one tried-and-true dish in my limited Asian repertoire—stir-fry. It’s easy and quick, and when you can get half of your daily veggie intake in one sitting and love every bite, I find it hard to break outside the box. Plus you can pair it with any starch for a hearty meal with or without meat. Pretty much any vegetable works well for stir fry—whatever you like, toss it in. Broccoli, bell peppers, carrots sliced thinly, cabbage, green beans, peas, edamame, even tomatoes are delicious flash-cooked.

The secret is knowing when to put each ingredient in so nothing gets mushy and nothing’s too crunchy. Think hardest to softest—carrots would go in before green beans; tomatoes would go in last. And everything should be served piping hot. There’s a Cantonese term, wok hay that loosely translates as the “breath of the wok.” I love this term, because it captures the essence of truly fresh, steamy-hot food. (Note to self, get a proper wok…I don’t think there’s any such thing as skillet hay.)

I always like to experiment with a different sauce. I’ve done Thai curry, spicy chili, teriyaki, carrot-ginger, ginger-lime…I don’t usually make the same one twice. But there’s one in particular Jason really loves, so I’ve done it a few times.

Lightly peanut-y without being overwhelmingly so, this sauce makes brilliant use of two of my favorite flavors in the world: lime and ginger. Soy sauce and a touch of honey round out this oh-so-simple topper for a veggie stir-fry, or in this case, a noodle bowl. I didn’t have any, but a healthy squeeze of sriracha garlic-chili paste would be a fabulous addition.


Chicken and Veggie Noodle Bowls
with Peanut-Lime Sauce
serves 2 big eaters

If you don’t like peanut sauce, you can definitely omit the peanut butter here and still get a tasty sauce. You may want to add a touch more honey and/or oil to thicken and sweeten it. If you don’t already have natural-style peanut butter on hand, just use the regular kind. Taste it before you add the honey, as regular peanut butters tend to be sweeter than the natural kind.

For the noodle bowls:
½ pound broccoli
¼ pound angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 chicken breast, cut into thin, bite-size pieces
1 red bell pepper cut into matchstick-size pieces
Handful snow peas
Two of the following:
½ cup shredded or thinly sliced carrots
¼ head red cabbage, shredded
Handful English peas
1 large tomato, seeded and cut into bite-size chunks

¼ pound angel hair pasta

For the sauce:
1 2-inch piece of ginger, grated
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon natural-style peanut butter
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ tablespoon chicken broth
2 teaspoons honey

Garnish: Green onions, sliced thinly on the bias
Crushed peanuts

Remove tops of broccoli from stems and cut tops into bite-size florets. Peel off the tough outer layer of the broccoli stems with a vegetable peeler and cut stems into matchstick-size pieces.

Make the sauce: In a blender, combine all ingredients and process until combined. Alternatively, in a large bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk vigorously until combined. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds being careful not to burn it. Add chicken in one layer and sear each side for 1 minute (2 minutes total). Add broccoli to the skillet and a tablespoon of water or chicken broth. Toss to make sure garlic does not stick to bottom and burn. Cover skillet and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and add red peppers, snow peas, and (if using), carrots, and cabbage. If using peas or tomatoes, toss in at the very end.

While veggies are cooking, cook pasta per package directions. Carefully drain pasta and add it directly to the skillet with the chicken and vegetables. Add half of sauce and toss to coat. Add more sauce a bit at a time until it’s sufficiently coated to your taste. Garnish with sliced green onions and crushed peanuts, if desired.

Kickin' it Old School

(fyi, we went a little out of order this week. Noodle Bowls are tonight--I promise a recipe for tomorrow!)

There are certain kinds of foods I could eat every day and probably never get tired of. Tex-Mex is one of them. I love tacos, burritos, tamales, tortilla soup…the list goes on. Recently, I saw a recipe for something called tamale pie—basically a Tex-Mex-style chili topped with cornbread and baked. It’s an old-school recipe that dates back to WWI. It doesn’t really remind me of tamales—it’s not actually authentically Mexican at all—but it's total comfort food.

I won’t claim the recipe below for tamale pie as my own since about a million different versions of this quick casserole exist. I just used a few recipes I found as a springboard and added or omitted ingredients according to our tastes. Feel free to do the same.

Since we have the same simple salad, oh, every single night, I thought it was time to switch it up a little. Since reading an article about the health benefits of cabbage (lots of vitamins C and K, a healthy dose of fiber, plus possible cancer-fighting compounds), I thought slaw would be a good, nutritious accompaniment. I threw the cabbage together with some other crunchy veggies and topped it with a spiced lime dressing. It’s tangy and light…a nice compliment to the warm pie. This is a super-easy, super-quick weeknight meal that’s pretty healthy and kid friendly, too.


Tamale Pie
serves 2 with leftovers
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ pound 85% to 90% lean ground beef or ground turkey breast
1 small or ½ medium yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
½ chipotle pepper, chopped, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 cup crushed tomatoes in puree
½ (14.5-ounce) can black beans, drained
½ (11-ounce) can Del Monte Summer Crisp corn
1 (8 ½-ounce) box corn muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef or turkey and cook, crumbling, until meat is browned and no pink remains. Drain most of the fat from the pan.

Add onions and salt, and stir to combine. Cook until onions are soft, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Sprinkle in water a teaspoon at a time if skillet seems dry. Add in tomatoes, beans, and corn, and stir to combine.

Combine milk and egg and slowly whisk in the corn muffin mix. Spray an 8- by 6-inch baking dish (or similar small, shallow baking dish) lightly with cooking spray. Pour beef mixture into dish and top with prepared corn muffin mix.

Bake pie in middle of preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden-brown. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Cilantro-Lime Slaw
serves 4
For the slaw:
1 (10-ounce) bag finely shredded cabbage, such as Dole Angel Hair Cole Slaw
1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced into thin strips
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
2 green onions, white and light green parts only, sliced thinly

For the dressing:
2 to 3 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin

Combine slaw ingredients in a large bowl and toss together. Put all dressing ingredients in an airtight container or lidded jar and shake vigorously to combine. Pour dressing over slaw and toss well. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes and toss before serving.

What I'm Making

Sunday - Tuscan vegetable soup, crusty bread
Monday - Thin-crust pizza, salad
Tuesday - Asian chicken and vegetable noodle bowls
Wednesday - Tamale pie, honey-lime slaw
Thursday - Mini meatloaves, roasted butternut squash

La Carte du Semaine

We had a few nights last week that we didn't stick to the menu, so there are some repeats from last week...

Sunday - Roast chicken, roasted grape tomatoes and broccoli, salad
Monday - Winter Squash Soup, baguette, salad
Tuesday - Rotini with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and White Beans, salad
Wednesday - Smoky Chicken Chowder, salad
Thursday - Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Angel Hair

Bowl of Love

Lentils are one of those perfect foods—they're high in fiber, low-cal, a good source of protein, and have twice the iron of other legumes. Green lentils are the most common, but you can find yellow, red, brown, black, and even white ones. The best part? Lentils are tasty and super inexpensive.

You can make all kinds of things with the little super beans. Lentil soup is fast, easy, and delicious—a lovely light supper or satisfying lunch. They're great instead of rice for a side dish, or mixed into chili for extra texture.

I love the little bite that lentils have, and I wanted to play with that texture. They're also pretty easygoing when it comes to flavoring...I think just about any herb or spice compliments their earthy essence. For this "salad," I tried mixing in some tomatoes and spinach since both of them, when cooked, are silky and soft. (Not to mention the vitamins they bring to the party.) Dressed simply with my go-to bistro-esque salad dressing, it's pretty great as a side dish or as a vegetarian lunch. (A cup of cooked lentils have 18 grams of protein. To put that in perspective, 5 ounces of tofu only has 11 grams.)

Warm Lentil Salad
serves 4 as a side

4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup green lentils
3 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
½ lemon, juiced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite-diced tomatoes, drained
¼ cup chicken broth or water
1 (16-ounce) bag fresh spinach, tough stems removed

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups well-salted water to a boil. Add thyme and lentils, cover, and cook until just tender, about 25 minutes. Drain remaining water, and (if using) pull out thyme stems.

Make dressing: In a lidded jar, combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, salt, and pepper; shake vigorously to combine.

In a large, lidded skillet, heat remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add tomatoes; sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken broth or water and spinach. Cover skillet and cook until spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Uncover and toss to combine everything. Cook until most of liquid in pan evaporates, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add drained lentils to skillet; gently toss to combine. Remove from heat, add dressing, and gently fold mixture to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.