Meatless Meals, Week 5

This week my husband and I made an important decision. From now on we will keep the peanut butter and jelly in the same compartment of the refrigerator door. We go through a lot of PB&J in this house (note the extra large jar of peanut butter), and one or the other is usually present in at least one meal every day. The cheese, eggs, produce, milk, etc. all have assigned spaces in the fridge. Why has it taken me this long to designate a spot for these guys?!

So that is the big news here. Nothing much else to report.


But speaking of peanut butter, I really encourage you to try this week's soup recipe. A friend shared this recipe, but I was more tempted by a pureed version. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about this one. Peanut butter and tomatoes? Really? It smelled great, but I didn't trust it. I even waited until my husband and kids all tried bites before I started eating. In the end I was very glad I had ventured into unknown territory because we found a new family favorite:

Wednesday - West African Peanut Soup (rating: 5/5)

I didn't have peanuts on hand, so I left those out and double the peanut butter. I will be making this again, however I may wait until I have obtained an immersion blender. Just because it would be easier, you know. Certainly not because I overfilled the blender and then had to scrape and scrub caked-on orange splatters off the counter, fridge and stove on Thursday because I didn't have time to properly clean the mess before church on Wednesday. No, no, that would be silly. *cough*

Thursday - Picnic

It was a beautiful day and we were in town running errands and decided on an impromptu picnic at the park instead of rushing home to cook. We made giant salads from the salad bar at the grocery store deli, along with some fried okra, fruit, and grilled chicken for the kids. It was a delightful family evening.

Friday - Fajita Pizza (rating: 5/5)

There are lots of fajita pizza recipes out there, so I can't claim I invented this one. I kept it pretty simple, too. I sauteed sliced onions, orange and yellow bell peppers, and garlic in butter with a sprinkling of Trader Joe's taco seasoning. I used my usual whole-wheat thin crust recipe and topped it with a think layer of ranch dressing, followed by the veggies, and topped with a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheese. My kids love peppers, so this was a big hit with everyone.

Saturday - Pancakes (rating: 5/5)

I forget exactly what was going on this day, but for some reason my husband wasn't around for dinner and I wanted something easy, so we went for pancakes. I make my own mix and always have it on hand, so they are always quick. We had the topped with peanut butter and honey and had orange slices on the side.

Sunday - Chana Masala (rating: 3/5)

Yeah, no, we didn't have anything Irish for St. Patrick's day. I was bummed, but we got over it. I didn't properly plan ahead when grocery shopping and the most authentic dish I could have made with supplies on hand would have been boiled potatoes. It would have been really authentic, but we wanted something a bit more substantial. This was OK. I'm not sure I made it properly, because it wasn't saucy at the end. And even though I used 1/4 of the amount of jalapeno recommended it was a bit too spicy for my tastes, and the kids weren't fans. To be fair I kinda fudged on the spices and basically just used garam masala, curry powder, ground cumin, and cayenne.

Monday - Grilled Cheese, Blue Corn Chips & Peach Mango Salsa (rating: 5/5)

'Nuff said?

Tuesday - Re-fried Bean Quesadillas (rating: 5/5)

Thawed some beans from the freezer, spread them on a tortilla, sprinkled with cheese and green onions, folded the tortilla, and fried in butter.

Meatless, Week 4

We have been Spring Cleaning this week and I have spent more time vacuuming closets than I have spent in the kitchen. We started bright and early Monday morning working on this ambitious checklist from Oprah.com, promising that the whole house can be cleaned in 8 hours. Don't tell Oprah, but 12 hours later we weren't even halfway there.

When we moved here in July I didn't do much organization in our closets and cupboards. We have been blessed with lots of storage space, which meant I could toss random objects into a closet, shut the door, and forget about it. Down here we have to spray for bugs regularly, especially those of us living in the country, so I decided it was a good time to completely empty each closet, spray pesticide, organize all the junk, and put it back neatly. It almost felt like we were moving again.

Now here I am on Friday morning, with four rooms remaining on my list - kitchen, playroom, half bath, and utility room.We have sent four bags to Good Will and filled two bags of trash from cleaning alone. Ew. It is very refreshing to get all this STUFF out of my way.  I have to admit that I am running out of steam, but hopefully this cup of coffee will help me get motivated for the rest of today.

Meanwhile, here is a peek at what we've been eating.

Wednesday - Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup (repeat from Week 1)

Thursday - We had to drive to the city to pick up the car from the mechanic, so we grabbed dinner out at Taco Bueno.

Friday - Spinach Madeleine Pizza (but you already knew that)

Saturday - White Bean Paste & Tomato Chutney on homemade whole wheat french bread, and leftover Lentil soup (rating: 4/5)

Sunday - Ginger Broccoli Stir Fry (repeat from Week 1) served with Quinoa

Monday - Spaghetti, sauce from a jar, cheese (this was our big cleaning day, so lazy supper)

Tuesday - Onion Quiche and Cranberry White Chocolate Scones (rating: 5/5)

Both recipes from America's Test Kitchen. I used Kerry Gold Blarney Castle cheese (found for just $3 at Aldi), farm eggs from a neighbor, and Texas sweet onions (very different from those onions you Yankee folks have). Amazing. The leftovers made an excellent breakfast the next day, and it was so good we didn't mind eating the same meal twice in a row.

Spinach Madeleine Pizza

I tried something new for our Friday night pizza. My original idea was a white pizza with spinach, but when it was time to start cooking I just wasn't in the mood. I thought about making Alfredo Ranch Pizza with spinach instead of chicken and bacon, but that just made me wish for bacon so I changed my mind. Then it hit me. Why not make a pizza out of Spinach Madeleine?

I meant to take a picture, but it smelled so good we gobbled it without a thought of the camera. Yeah, it was that good.

Spinach Madeleine Pizza

1 batch thin pizza crust dough (I use half whole wheat flour)
3 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 Tbs finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 oz fresh spinach
a pinch of cayenne pepper
a generous dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 500°F. Cook fresh spinach over medium high heat in a large dry non-stick skillet with a pinch of salt until completely wilted, about 4 minutes, remove from pan and chop fine. 

Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, until blended but not brown, about 1 minute. Add onions and jalapeno, cook until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add milk very slowly, stirring constantly, to avoid lumps. Cook until smooth and thick, about 30 seconds. Add salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce and cheddar cheese. Stir until melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach back to skillet and stir to completely blend.

Spread evenly over prepared pizza crust, top with mozzarella cheese, and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust looks golden brown.

Meatless, Week 3

The view from my front door.

Many of my friends and family are enjoying a snow day today. My facebook feed is decorated with pictures of white landscapes and rosy smiling faces of children peeking out from layers of poofy snow gear. I have many happy memories of playing in the snow, and coming in to warm up with cocoa and a pile of blankets. But I don't miss it. Snow is beautiful, and no picture can capture the loveliness of ice covered trees sparkling in the sun, but I love being able to peek out my window in February and see the rich green of the wheat fields. Outside the sun is warm and the birds are singing. March really looks and feels like spring, and I'm ready for it!

I'm also ready for Easter. I haven't been having lots of meat cravings or feeling particularly deprived, but my tummy was grumbling when I walked past the meat case at the grocery store. I enjoy a good ham (or lamb!) for Easter dinner, but at the moment I'm thinking a nice, thick, juicy steak. Meanwhile, we are doing fine with our meatless meals, and enjoying the savings at the grocery store.

Wednesday - Baked Potato Soup and fresh french baguettes (Rating: 4/5)

As a lifelong Lutheran, I think Lenten midweek pre-service soup is in my blood. Our congregations have fellowship and snacks after the service, which is a lovely way to finish out the evening - and offers time to chat and nosh without having to watch the clock. But even if I am eating at my own kitchen table instead of a church basement, I want soup before church.

This was my first attempt at baguettes, and I was very pleased with the result. We enjoyed the leftovers as french toast for lunch on Thursday.




Thursday - Black Bean Croquettes with Asian Flavorings (Raing: 5/5)

From "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman, one of my favorite cookbooks. These are a favorite of ours, even the baby gobbles them up. I always forget out quick and easy they are to make - I had dinner ready and on the able in 15 minutes. I feel sketchy copying out the recipe from the cookbook here, but if you want it send me a message and I'll email it to you. I served with a avocado/lime/yogurt sauce (equal parts mushed avocado and plain yogurt, with a squirt of lime juice and pinch of salt) and a side salad.



Friday - Pizza Skewers with Garlic Butter Dipping Sauce (Rating: 5/5)

This was a special twist on our usual pizza night in honor of my daughter's 4th birthday. I served with without the sticks. The sauce was exceptional. So good, in fact, that my new 4 year old was lapping up the leftover sauce after the rolls were gone.

Saturday - Refried Bean Burritos

Yes, again. I wasn't feeling particularly creative and we had all the ingredients on hand.

Sunday - Baked Mac and Cheese (Rating: 5/5)

You probably can't see the recipe, America's Test Kitchen is stingy with their recipes. I have their Family Cookbook, a gift from a friend, and I use it often. Bittman and ATK are my go-tos for kitchen advice, I would be lost without these books. This Mac and Cheese is amazing. The secret is using broth and whole milk for the roux.

Monday -  leftovers

Tuesday - Pita Quesadillas with Cilantro Hummus

I can't really give this a rating, because we didn't really end up following the recipe. I made the pita bread (a la Bittman), and it didn't puff properly, so no pockets in the pitas. I also cheated and bought roasted red pepper hummus because it was on sale and I couldn't find roasted red peppers. So I made pita chips and we dipped them in the hummus and had a spinach salad on the side. I was stuffed at the end of the meal, so I think it was a success anyway.