Author: HungryDad
Meals for the week March 3-8
Last weekend I was out of town but my wife did make a meal plan, here it is after-the-fact:
- Pork with squash and apples–generally needed longer on the cook time of the squash and apples.
- Inside-out Chicken Cordon Blue
- Bacon, pear and goat cheese sandwiches, Kitchen Express, p.126, also here
- Roasted butternut squash chowder with apples and bacon
Coriander-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Sweet and Spicy Roasted Vegetables and Rice with Golden Raisens
My wife found this delicious meal on FineCooking.com. Any one of these would be a great dish on it’s own, but the three together made an outstanding meal. It was also relatively quick and easy given that there’s three different recipes.
Coriander-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Sweet and Spicy Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
For the Pork
- One package pork tenderloin--with 2 ~1lb tenderloins
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbs coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbs olive oil
For the Roasted Vegetables
- About 1-1/2 cups baby carrots
- 1 red onion cut into 8 wedges
- 2 red bell peppers seeded and cut into 11/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1-1/2 lb. butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1 Tbs honey
- 1 Tbs chopped fresh thyme
For the Rice:
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 cup brown rice
- Kosher salt
- 4 Tbs golden raisins
- 4 Tbs finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Pork:
- Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
- Crush the coriander seeds, peppercorns and salt with a mortar and pestle.
- Spread the mustard over the pork
- Sprinkle with the coriander, peppercorns, and salt, pressing them on.
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the pork until well browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.
- Put the skillet in the oven and roast until the thick end of the pork registers 155°F, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Slice and serve.
For the Roasted Vegetables:
- Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven, and heat the oven to 450°F.
- In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with 1 Tbs of the oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Spread on the hot baking sheet in a single layer and roast until tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Heat the remaining 1 Tbs. oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Add the spices and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the honey and thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pour the spice mixture over the roasted vegetables and toss to coat.
For the Rice:
- Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 2 minutes.
- Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil. Add 2-1/4 cups water.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 35 minutes.
- Let sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
- Meanwhile, put the raisins in a small bowl and add enough boiling water to cover. Allow them to plump for 10 minutes; then drain.
- Stir the raisins and parsley into the cooked rice
Meals for the week Feb 25-Mar 1
- Ravioli with sausage and peppers
- Quinoa Mac and Cheese
- Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes
- Burritos with black beans and turkey
- Chicken and wild rice casserole
Meals for the week Feb 16-22
- Indonesian Pineapple, Chicken and Spicy [Sunflower Seed] Salad
- Skillet Strata with Cheddar and Thyme, adding sausage and spinach
- Waffle sandwiches with grilled chicken, bacon, tomatoes and lettuce, served with sweet potato fries
- Something along the lines of this Zucchini and sausage pizza
- Black bean and corn tacos
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Meals for the Week Feb 9-15
- Broccoli, Ham and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs
- Wild rice meatloaf and green beans
- Goat Cheese Polenta topped with onions, peppers and sausage
- Quick Fried Quinoa with Mixed Vegetables
- Slow cooker mushroom and barley soup
- Creamy Alfredo-Turkey Skillet Dinner (also p. 114 of Whole Grains cookbook)
Meals for the week Feb 3-8
- White Bean Stew with Spinach from Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express, p. 119
- Pear, Bacon and, Goat Cheese Sandwiches (p. 126 of Kitchen Express) w/ salads
- Fondue (also from Kitchen Express, p. 129)
- Brown Arroz Con Pollo
- Easy crock pot canitas burritos with peppers and spinach
Meals for the Week Jan 26-Feb 1
- Korean Beef Tacos
- Chickpea Tangine with Chicken and Bulgur
- Orange Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry with brown rice
- Not my Mom’s Sloppy Joes with Zucchini Fritters
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Chicken Enchiladas Verdes from the freezer
Italian Tortellini Soup
Florida doesn’t have much in the way of winter, but there are a few weeks when a nice, hearty soup makes a great dinner. This was fast to throw together and everyone ate it up. I adapted this from SparklePeople. You could use hot Italian Sausage for a spicier version.
Italian Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 package Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage casings removed
- 1 onion chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 can 14-1/2 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 package cheese and meat tortellini
- 1 package 9 oz fresh baby spinach
- 2 tsp minced fresh basil or 3/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven over medium-high heat
- Add the onion.
- Cook stirring now and then until meat is no longer pink.
- Add garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes
- Add the broth and tomatoes.
- Bring to a boil.
- Stir in tortellini; return to a boil.
- Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.
- Add the spinach, basil, peppers.
- Cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted.
- Serve topped with Parmesan.