Author: HungryDad

Meals for the Week August 25-31

  1. As close as we can get to this Fig-Glazed Grilled Chicken without fig preserves…
  2. Ravioli with Apples, Bacon and Spinach
  3. Samosas with sweet potatoes and ground beef
  4. A modified, coconut free version of Creamy Plantain and coconut chicken with a corn on the cob
  5. Mojo marinate pork with black beans and rice and fried plantains
  6. Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with canned chicken
  7. Burgers and grilled veggies

Meals for the Week August 18-24

We’re back from vacation and ready to get back to home cooked meals instead of eating out all the time!

  1. Chicken with soy-lime sauce
  2. Ricotta Gnocchi, with spinach
  3. Chickpea, Barley and Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Mint and Feta
  4. Turkey, fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil paninis, with salad
  5. Pizza
  6. Something along the lines of these Chicken tacos with mango jicama salad

Portobello mushroom wraps

Portobello mushroom wrapsThese wraps from FoodandStyle.com were easy to make and delicious. This is a great weeknight recipe as everything comes together quite quickly. We used spinach tortillas which, surprisingly enough, were a hit with the kids.

Portobello mushroom wraps

MealsWeLike.com, adapted from FoodandStyle.com
Portobello Mushroom Wraps with Mozzarella, Peppers and Spiced Mayonnaise
Print Recipe
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

For the mushrooms:

  • 3 Tbs olive oil
  • 4 large Portobello mushrooms – stems trimmed caps brushed clean
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste

For the wraps:

  • 4 to rtillas we used spinach tortillas
  • 3 Tbs Mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 8 oz jar roasted bell peppers sliced
  • 12 oz mozzarella sliced kind of thick
  • 1-2 handfuls baby spinach

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 500°F.
  • Cut the mushrooms in 1/4” slices.
  • Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
  • Spread the mushroom slices onto the sheet in a single layer.
  • Brush with the rest of the olive oil and grind some pepper over them. Bake for 6 minutes.
  • Turn the mushroom slices over and continue baking for another 6 to 8 minutes until the slices are golden-brown at the edges.
  • While the mushrooms are cooking, mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice and paprika.
  • Arrange the mushrooms in a row across the bottom third of the tortillas.
  • Spread the mayonnaise on top of the mushrooms (about 2 tsp of mayonnaise for each tortilla).
  • Top with the mozzarella slices and sprinkle pepper to taste.
  • Top with peppers and the baby spinach leaves.
  • Roll each tortilla, cut in half and serve.

 

Saving extra fresh basil

A few weeks ago we planted a pot herb garden. We actually have 5 pots, one with basil, one with mint, and 3 with cilantro that we started from seed–the only cilantro plants we could find in town looked really pathetic! The garden has been doing fairly well, though after the recent rains, I need to remember to go back to watering it almost every day now.

Photo of basil in ice cube tray, adding olive oilThe basil plant keeps getting taller and taller, so we decided to trim it back quite a bit to keep it from bolting too much. That lead to the “problem” of having too much fresh basil. of course I hadn’t thought far enough in advance to plan a meal needing pesto or using lots of basil, so we wanted to find a way to save it for later.

The best idea I found online was to chop it up, put it into an ice cube tray add some olive oil and freeze. Worked out really well. This morning I threw a cube into a skillet and scrambled up some eggs for breakfast–oil and seasoning all in one!

Basil in ice cube try with oil ready to freeze

 

Meals for the Week June 30-July 6

  1. Zucchini gratin
  2. Something along the lines of Buffalo Chicken Tacos, adding pinto beans and grated zucchini
  3. Spinach and red onion frittata with salad
  4. Stir-fried Chicken and Broccoli, with brown rice
  5. Veggie Chicken Pitas on homemade pitas
  6. Mango Chili Chicken I was going to make this, but had already used up the peppers, so we made this Curried Chicken with Mango Salad instead, which was fast and yummy!

Burger with Feta-Yogurt Sauce and Mint

We’ve started a pot herb garden with mint, basil and cilantro. So far, the mint has been going gangbusters, so there’s an abundance of fresh mint for recipes. Googling around for a good way to use mint in a main dish led me to this recipe from the Miami Herold. It was a nice change from standard burger, but very easy to make. We made some bread to serve it on and served with sweet potato fries.

Burger with Feta-Yogurt Sauce and MintBurger with Yogurt-Feta Sauce and Mint

Adapted from Linda Bladholm’s A Fork on the Road (reprinted here)

  • 1.5 lbs ground beef
  •  8 slices good bread
  • 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
  • 4 oz crumbled feta
  • 1 Tomato sliced
  • Fresh mint leaves

Form beef into patties, season with salt and pepper if desired. Cook on bbq grill.

While burgers are cooking, mix yogurt and feta. Toast or grill the bread.

Assemble burger with a dollop of sauce, slice of tomato and fresh mint leaves.