Menu: February 4-10
Ever parked your car in front of the grocery store and instead of getting out, you just sat there staring at the store and thought "Am I wasting my life away in trips to the grocery store? Does my life have any meaning at all outside of providing food?" No? Just me then? OK then I guess we better get cooking!!
Sunday: jambalaya, baby lima beans
Monday: fish tacos, Spicy Cole Slaw
Tuesday: Green Goddess Turkey Burgers, oven-roasted potatoes
Wednesday: out
Thursday: linguine carbonara, steamed or roasted broccoli
Friday: out
Saturday: Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl
Speaking of the grocery store, looks like menu is an ode to a few of my fave grocery store products. The jambalaya that we ate on Sunday is this one from Zatarain's. I have been eating it for years and years. Chop up half an onion, a green bell pepper, and some celery and saute them in vegetable oil for a few minutes. Slice a smoked sausage, like polska kielbasa, into rounds and add it to the veggies, then add the package contents and water per the instructions on the box. Make sure you stir it and let it sit for 5-10 minutes after it's cooked so that the last bit of liquid will be absorbed by the rice. I like tiny lima beans --butter beans, as we say down South--with this.
Fish tacos: I love them, my family does not. And I want the junk food kind, made with Old El Paso hard shells and Gorton's fish sticks. I inflict this meal upon my family maybe twice a year. At least this time we had delicious Spicy Cole Slaw to eat on our tacos. My friend posted this in the comments as a side dish for a previous week's Tamale Pie. It is SO DELICIOUS and I added the recipe to the end of this post.
Turkey Burgers at our house are always a big hit. Mike who blogs at "The Iron You" came up with this recipe for Green Goddess Turkey Burgers and they are quite tasty. Yes there is anchovy in them but feel free to use anchovy paste from a tube instead of chopping whole anchovies. My kid loves all kinds of turkey burgers, and he also loves Alexia Oven Red potatoes--just about the only form of potato he will eat. I drank some wine instead of making a green vegetable with this meal. So there!
Years and years ago, Cooking Light ran a recipe for lightened-up pasta carbonara. The magazine was big into using egg substitute and turkey bacon back then, and this recipe called for both. I use regular bacon now but still use the egg substitute in this recipe because it's so easy. I can't find a link to it online but since I have cooked this dish about eleventy-billion times, I know it by heart:
Cook 12 oz linguine in a large pot of salted water until al dente, drain and keep warm in the same pot. Chop and cook 4 slices bacon in a skillet. When the bacon's almost done, add a chopped clove of garlic. Combine 1 1/4 cup 1% milk with 6 T egg substitute. To the drained pasta in the pot, add the milk mixture and 1/3 cup grated parmesan and cook over low heat a few minutes, stirring often until the sauce thickens a bit and coats the noodles. Add the cooked bacon and garlic, a handful of chopped parsley and lots of ground black pepper. Add more parm if you want. Serves about 4.
I hate the name "crack slaw" but Imma gonna try this new recipe anyway which is basically the same thing: Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl. Except I'm using beef instead of ground pork. We shall see what the family thinks of this one! They may get some brown rice on the side to placate their carb needs.
And as promised, here is my friend's Spicy Cole Slaw to go with the fish tacos. Enjoy!
Spicy Cole Slaw
Great accompaniment to your tamale pie, barbecued chicken, enchiladas. Also makes a great base for taco salad—just add shredded chicken or turkey or grilled shrimp, avocado, a sprinkle of cotija cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds, and you’ve got a meal!
Base
1 medium head of green cabbage, shredded
1 red bell pepper, julienned
3 scallions, chopped fine
Dressing
1-2 jalapeños, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 bunch cilantro, loosely chopped (stems and leaves)
2-3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce (I like the Trader Joe’s brand)
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1 scant teaspoon dried oregano
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Slowly add 1/4 cup olive oil. Pour to taste over cabbage base. (It makes a lot and is a great marinade for grilled chicken or fish).
Note: Depending on the heat of your jalapeños, you may need to add more or less chili sauce. The sweet sauce balances out the heat of the peppers.
Sunday: jambalaya, baby lima beans
Monday: fish tacos, Spicy Cole Slaw
Tuesday: Green Goddess Turkey Burgers, oven-roasted potatoes
Wednesday: out
Thursday: linguine carbonara, steamed or roasted broccoli
Friday: out
Saturday: Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl
Speaking of the grocery store, looks like menu is an ode to a few of my fave grocery store products. The jambalaya that we ate on Sunday is this one from Zatarain's. I have been eating it for years and years. Chop up half an onion, a green bell pepper, and some celery and saute them in vegetable oil for a few minutes. Slice a smoked sausage, like polska kielbasa, into rounds and add it to the veggies, then add the package contents and water per the instructions on the box. Make sure you stir it and let it sit for 5-10 minutes after it's cooked so that the last bit of liquid will be absorbed by the rice. I like tiny lima beans --butter beans, as we say down South--with this.
Fish tacos: I love them, my family does not. And I want the junk food kind, made with Old El Paso hard shells and Gorton's fish sticks. I inflict this meal upon my family maybe twice a year. At least this time we had delicious Spicy Cole Slaw to eat on our tacos. My friend posted this in the comments as a side dish for a previous week's Tamale Pie. It is SO DELICIOUS and I added the recipe to the end of this post.
Turkey Burgers at our house are always a big hit. Mike who blogs at "The Iron You" came up with this recipe for Green Goddess Turkey Burgers and they are quite tasty. Yes there is anchovy in them but feel free to use anchovy paste from a tube instead of chopping whole anchovies. My kid loves all kinds of turkey burgers, and he also loves Alexia Oven Red potatoes--just about the only form of potato he will eat. I drank some wine instead of making a green vegetable with this meal. So there!
Years and years ago, Cooking Light ran a recipe for lightened-up pasta carbonara. The magazine was big into using egg substitute and turkey bacon back then, and this recipe called for both. I use regular bacon now but still use the egg substitute in this recipe because it's so easy. I can't find a link to it online but since I have cooked this dish about eleventy-billion times, I know it by heart:
Cook 12 oz linguine in a large pot of salted water until al dente, drain and keep warm in the same pot. Chop and cook 4 slices bacon in a skillet. When the bacon's almost done, add a chopped clove of garlic. Combine 1 1/4 cup 1% milk with 6 T egg substitute. To the drained pasta in the pot, add the milk mixture and 1/3 cup grated parmesan and cook over low heat a few minutes, stirring often until the sauce thickens a bit and coats the noodles. Add the cooked bacon and garlic, a handful of chopped parsley and lots of ground black pepper. Add more parm if you want. Serves about 4.
I hate the name "crack slaw" but Imma gonna try this new recipe anyway which is basically the same thing: Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl. Except I'm using beef instead of ground pork. We shall see what the family thinks of this one! They may get some brown rice on the side to placate their carb needs.
And as promised, here is my friend's Spicy Cole Slaw to go with the fish tacos. Enjoy!
Spicy Cole Slaw
Great accompaniment to your tamale pie, barbecued chicken, enchiladas. Also makes a great base for taco salad—just add shredded chicken or turkey or grilled shrimp, avocado, a sprinkle of cotija cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds, and you’ve got a meal!
Base
1 medium head of green cabbage, shredded
1 red bell pepper, julienned
3 scallions, chopped fine
Dressing
1-2 jalapeños, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 bunch cilantro, loosely chopped (stems and leaves)
2-3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce (I like the Trader Joe’s brand)
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1 scant teaspoon dried oregano
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Slowly add 1/4 cup olive oil. Pour to taste over cabbage base. (It makes a lot and is a great marinade for grilled chicken or fish).
Note: Depending on the heat of your jalapeños, you may need to add more or less chili sauce. The sweet sauce balances out the heat of the peppers.
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