Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 4.30.12

I can't believe it's the last day of April. I really just can't believe it. This month has been such a busy month, both personally and professionally, and it absolutely flew by. I guess when you're constantly working on something and barely have time even to breathe, it's easy to forget what day it is and how quickly the time is passing.

And now suddenly it's nearly May, and my oldest son turns four years old in a mere eleven days. Talk about time passing quickly! He is just the sweetest little boy, and I love him to pieces. He also hasn't been feeling too great for the past few days, so I hope he's over whatever this is by his birthday.

The meal plan this week is shortened because of his upcoming birthday. We're having two small parties for him this weekend, and I'm not exactly sure yet what we'll do foodwise.

I'm hoping that May is much less busy, or at least that I'm able to manage my time better so I can share receips with you more often. I really miss posting here regularly. I really, really miss it.

Monday: Turkey bacon ranch sliders on pretzel rolls, chips. This is a carry-over from last week. I bought some frozen pretzel rolls at the grocery store that'll be perfect for these. I'll add tomato and Swiss cheese to the sandwiches, and maybe some baby spinach. These are based on a delicious sandwich I once had in my work cafeteria, actually.

Tuesday: Boursin chicken quesadillas, steamed broccoli, rice. Another carry-over from last week. I was going to add bacon to these (and still might) but worry that its flavor will over-power the other ingredients. I may just go with the chicken and cheese.

Wednesday: Gyro meatball lettuce wraps, Greek quinoa. I can't wait to try these lettuce wraps, and since I made quinoa for the first time a couple of weeks ago, I'm finding myself craving it. I think I'm hooked! I'll be adding chickpeas and feta to the quinoa, too.

Thursday: Joe has softball practice. So it's sandwich night at our place.

Friday: Smoky white bean chicken chili, cheese quesadillas for dipping. Too warm for chili? Nah! This version looks delicious.

Saturday: Andrew's party, part 1.

Sunday: Andrew's party, part 2.

Chicken and Broccoli Crescent Pockets

My friend Leigh and I share a mutual love of crescent rolls, so when she posted a recipe for crescent rolls stuffed with chicken and broccoli, I was all over it...especially when I saw that there was also cream cheese in the recipe. You guys know how I feel about cream cheese.

Not surprisingly, these crescent pockets were absolutely delicious and a hit with my entire family. I doubled the recipe so we could have leftovers for lunches, and I thought they were just as good reheated. You really can’t go wrong with a stuffing this flavorful, or a stuffer as delicious as a crescent roll!

Chicken and Broccoli Crescent Pockets

adapted from One Day At a Time – From My Kitchen to Yours

2 packages crescent rolls

1 package frozen steam-in-a-bag broccoli

1 8-ounce package softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups cooked chopped chicken

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pinch two crescent rolls together to make a rectangle, for four rectangles per package. Steam the broccoli in the microwave two minutes shy of the time suggested on the bag.

2. In a large bowl, stir together cream cheese and sour cream. Add chicken, cheese, and partially steamed broccoli, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Scoop some filling into each crescent rectangle and seal shut completely. Place on a baking sheet.

4. Cook for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.

Pineapple Quinoa

I’ll admit that, when one of the girls in my cooking club proposed that we make vegan food for our next gathering, I was somewhat apprehensive. That’s just not the way my family eats, and it’s pretty far outside my cooking comfort zone. I have nothing against vegans, of course – in fact, I think they have an incredible amount of willpower and are nearly superhuman with their ability to resist cheese, something I could never give up – but I just don’t eat a lot of vegan food.

Although I was apprehensive, I was also excited and to expand my culinary horizons. And it turns out that our vegan meal was probably the best one we’ve had yet. We had falafel, vegan paella made with chickpeas and wheatberries, two kinds of hummus, salsa, vegan chocolate cake, vegan pineapple upside down cake, and – my contribution – this pineapple quinoa.

My cooking club just met on Saturday, so obviously I’m skipping way ahead in my list of recipes to post to share this with you today, because I seriously can’t stop thinking about how delicious it was, even days later. This is probably one of the best dishes I’ve made, ever. It was so flavorful and delicious and healthy, and I just can’t wait to make it again for my family. Even Joe, who is as meat-and-potatoes as they come, sampled some and raved about it.

The pineapple gives a delicious sweetness to the quinoa, and the serrano pepper counterbalances the sweetness with some heat. Cashews provide nuttiness and texture, the edamame provides color and flavor, and the soy sauce provides that salty quality. The basil and lime juice, stirred in at the end, just take the dish over the top into some new realm of taste. It’s seriously so delicious, you guys, I can’t even describe it. I’ll be making this again and again – and feel really good about eating it, too.

Pineapple Quinoa

from Annie’s Eats

1 cup quinoa

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup cold water

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, divided

1/3 cup raw cashew pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup cooked edamame

2 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and grated

Half of a medium pineapple, cored, peeled and diced

1/2 cup loosely packed basil, finely chopped

Lime wedges, for serving

1. Combine the quinoa, pineapple juice, 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat, let stand covered for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff with a fork.

2. Toast the cashews in a large skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Return the pan to the stove and increase the heat to medium-high. Heat the vegetable oil. Stir in the bell pepper and edamame and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until the bell pepper is slightly softened. Stir in the scallions, garlic, ginger, and serrano and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

4. Stir in the pineapple, quinoa and basil. Mix well to combine. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and continue to cook for a few minutes more until everything is well blended and heated through. Serve garnished with lime wedges.

Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 4.23.12

It’s Monday again, which means it’s meal planning time again, which is hilarious in and of itself because it implies that I’ll actually be cooking. I’ve been so incredibly busy lately that I’ve definitely been ignoring the meal plan more often in favor of sandwiches or other easy meals. I’m forcing myself to cook every single meal on the plan this week, though, because I’m sick of wasting ingredients.

Without further ado (and without many more words, because of the whole so-busy-I-could-cry thing), the meals that I’ve sworn to prepare this week:

Monday: Chicken enchilada pasta

Tuesday: BBQ chicken sandwiches with onion strings and fries

Wednesday: Berry buttermilk pancakes, tater tots, sausage links

Thursday: Joe has softball practice, so the boys will be getting Happy Meals and I’ll probably just have a sandwich.

Friday: Boursin bacon chicken quesadillas, steamed broccoli, rice

Saturday: Italian macaroni and cheese

Sunday: Turkey bacon ranch slicers on pretzel rolls, chips

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

My love of all things buffalo chicken is probably apparent by now, right? I mean, there are the sloppy joes, the enchiladas, the nachos, the lasagna, and I’m sure there are more dishes that I’m just not thinking of right now. Oh! How could I forget my very favorite salad of all time in the history of ever? (Make that salad. Then come back and thank me for its existence in your life.)

I tried a recipe for buffalo chicken quesadillas couple of months ago and while they were good, they weren’t exactly what I was craving. So I decided I’d create my own version. The end result is a simple combination of spicy buffalo chicken strips, cool and creamy sliced avocado, and sharp cheddar cheese, and it is absolutely delicious.

You could skip the breading-and-frying aspect of these quesadillas if you wanted to, but since this is an every-once-in-a-while sort of dinner anyway, I figure why not just go all the way to give them more of that buffalo wing feel? The chicken strips themselves are soaked in buttermilk, so they’re incredibly tender and juicy. Most people pair buffalo chicken with carrots and celery, but I really love it with avocado. It seems like such a natural pairing: the avocado cool and creamy, the buffalo chicken crispy and spicy. With ranch dressing on the side for dipping, these quesadillas just could not be more perfect.

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup Frank’s Red Hot or other hot sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Flour tortillas

1. Add the chicken tenders to a medium bowl; pour the buttermilk over and mix to ensure that the tenders are coated completely. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. Mix together the flour, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Add the chicken tenders and dredge completely.

3. Heat about an inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When heated, shake excess flour from chicken tenders and add to skillet. Fry until cooked through, golden brown and crispy, about 4 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the second side. Fry in batches, removing each previous batch to a paper towel to drain.

4. While the chicken is cooking, heat the hot sauce and butter in a small skillet. Toss with the chicken tenders.

5. Add some cheese to a tortilla. Top with two or three chicken strips, some sliced avocado, and another sprinkling of cheese. Top with a second tortilla. Cook each quesadilla in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp. Slice and serve.