ETHNIC: Fried Ripe Plantains
Once a week I make one meal that has some ethnic flavor. Last week it was caribbean/south american themed, but typically it's indian, greek, chinese or japanese. I was inspired by the plantains I saw when I was grocery shopping. We had a few meals similar to this one when we were on our honeymoon in Costa Rica.
Here's the recipe I followed - Fried Ripe Plantains. They are so easy and have such a wonderful flavor. It really transports you to somewhere tropical. I used them as a sweet side dish, but I think they would even make the perfect dessert.
TRADITIONAL: Cobb Salad
I have four "lazy" dinners that I count on when I have to make dinner, but don't feel like putting in any effort or just don't have the time:
1. Broiled Tilapia or Salmon with Green Beans & Brown Rice
2. Pizza using premade crust and whatever items I have in the fridge {usually onions, tomatoes, peppers, cheese}
3. Pasta {Typically the same ingredients as the pizza, but a different sauce, or maybe just olive oil}
4. Salad - spinach, romaine or red leaf lettuce with fruit, nuts & cheese
Well I happened to be feeling a little lazy and suddenly cobb salad popped into my head. I think that might've been the first time that ever happened. It's not one of my favorites, maybe just because I see it on so many menus it just never stands out to me?
I had some turkey bacon that I used instead of ham, tomatoes, almonds {that's not true to style is it?}, cheddar cheese and hard-boiled eggs.
The key to hard-boiled eggs is to plunge them in cold water as soon as they are done boiling and then shell them immediately. If you wait too long or don't submerge the eggs in cold water you may end up picking off the shell with tweezers. My mom and I recently had such an occasion when we were making deviled eggs. Let me tell you how much fun that is when you have at least a dozen eggs to attend to!
SHORTCUT: Roasted Corn on the Cob
I have my staple items that are always on the grocery list and then I always try to add one surprise fruit and vegetable based on what's available and any promotions. This week it was corn on the cob! I really wanted to grill the corn, but I was feeling a little too lazy to get the grill going. I also felt like the length of time it would take was a little unpredictable so I googled Roasted Corn on the Cob. I found these instructions that I tweaked just a little bit!
My corn cobs (4) did not have full husks on them so I peeled them completely down. I put down a layer of aluminum foil on a baking sheet, then I melted 1 tbsp of butter in a small bowl. I added the juice from half a lime and sprinkled in a few shakes of Lawry's Seasoned Salt. I brushed the mixture onto my corn cobs and placed them on the foil. I then added another layer of foil on top and sealed the edges of the bottom layer over the top. My goal was to make a foil package with just enough room for the corn. This helps keep in the moisture. I let them roast for 30 mins at 350 degrees and they came out so flavorful and juicy.
SKILLET MEAL: Leftover/Throw Together Tacos
I had some garden {vegetable} tortillas that I wanted to use up so I hit one of my favorite sites, realsimple.com for some ideas. I found this recipe: Vegetarian Tacos with Goat Cheese that I tweaked a little bit. Instead of tofu I decided to go with ground turkey. I let it cook in the skillet and I sprinkled it with some pepper, cumin, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Once it was cooked about half of the way through, I added half of an onion, diced.
A few minutes later I added corn (from my leftover corn cob), half a fresh tomato and about a cup or two of fresh spinach. As that cooked down I added about 1/2 cup of fresh salsa. It was similar to a pico de gallo, but a little more puréed. I used a slotted spoon to keep the entire mixture from getting too watery.
Once dinner was ready to go I threw some goat cheese on top of mine, as well as a small scoop of greek yogurt {our version of sour cream}. Alex is not a big fan of goat cheese, so he decided to forgo the cheese, and ironically, the item that inspired dinner, the tortilla. Oh well! I just used it to make some quesadillas for lunch the following day {using the leftover black beans from my caribbean meal!}.
SNACK: Microwave Potato Chips
I found a recipe from Pinterest for Microwave Potato Chips and I thought it was worth a shot. Unfortunately, I cut my potatoes too thick so it took a lot longer in the microwave than what the recipe suggests. They also didn't have quite the right consistency, but they were definitely crunchy and had great flavor. Next time I'll let Alex do the slicing! It's a good strategy for rewarding yourself without being tempted by a huge bag of chips!
Another little tip I found on Pinterest for the chip lovers: Take a packet of dry ranch dressing seasoning {I used onion soup mix} and stir it into some greek yogurt!
INDIVIDUAL DESSERTS: Peach Crisp
Alex and I both have a sweet tooth. Sometimes it's nice to satisfy that craving without ending up with enough dessert for the next five days! Whenever I think of doing individual desserts, my ramekins always come to mind. I had some fresh peaches from the farmer's market, so I decided to make two peach crisps.
Many of the recipes I found provided instructions for making a filling, basically the peaches mixed with lots of sugar, vanilla extract etc {here was my inspiration recipe}. I wanted to keep it on the lighter side so I just cut up two small peaches and plopped the pieces into the two ramekins. This recipe should work with the majority of fruits: peaches, pears, apples, raspberries, blueberries.
I followed the inspiration recipe for the topping {cut by 1/3}. Since I don't have a food processor I used a fork and mixed it the old fashioned way. I had a little bit more than I needed {before adding the water} so I divided it into a ziploc bag with a note of how to use it in the future for a quick dessert for two! After they baked for 25 minutes at 350 degrees I let them cool for a few minutes before I placed them on a couple little plates so we could handle them without burning ourselves!
We also recently tried grilling pizza, which worked out pretty well, but I think that one is going to require some more trial and error to get it just right.
This weekend we're off to Cleveland again, next weekend's wedding is in Columbus, then I'll be in Cincinnati for the weekend. After that we'll be on our way to Maine for Labor Day {another wedding}! Then it'll be a weekend in Columbus, followed by one in Cincinnati, and then one in Cleveland! Phew!
At least all of this eating will be offset by all of the dancing I will be doing over the two months!
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