Menu of the Week #3

My family enjoyed our menu of the week which features a meatless dish, as well as chicken, pork, beef, fish, I think we've covered all the proteins.

Sunday - Shakshuka
Shakshuka is eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, and onions, with spices like cumin and paprika which comes from Northern Africa. It is quick and easy to whip up, and you can read all about how I make Shakshuka on the blog.

Tuesday - Baked Salmon over Charred Green Beans and Whipped Ricotta
I baked Salmon per usual by placing it on a foil-lined baking sheet, seasoning with salt and pepper, and baking for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. This method works for me, and I can cook salmon perfectly every time this way.

Our salmon was accompanied by a delicious mixture of green beans, red bell pepper, and shallot. It was freezing this evening, so instead of firing up the grill outside, I used a cast iron grill pan on my stove. I sliced shallot, red bell pepper and tossed it with green beans, olive oil, salt, and pepper then charred everything at one time.

I'm telling you, if you are not whipping your ricotta, you are doing it wrong. In the bowl of my mixer is two cups of whole ricotta, 3 T olive oil (which I steeped with fresh garlic on the stove for 15 minutes), the zest of a lemon, and 1 t of salt. Whip this on high for two minutes, you won't be sorry.

Wednesday - Steak over Grilled Pepper and Mozzarella Panzanella
We have enjoyed this "salad" several times before and just love it. I use this recipe as my guide and also sear the flank steak and serve the Panzanella salad with sliced beef on top. Another note is that I do not go crazy and pick off the bell pepper skin. After I roast the red bell peppers, I put them in a ziplock and let them steam and cool. If the surface peels off afterward, cool, but if not I just slice them on up and put them back in the ziplock and add the marinade. This is so good I would serve it to dinner guests.

Thursday - Pressure Cooker Pork Chile Verde Stew
If you have a pressure cooker or insta pot, man, you better be using it. We get to eat some delicious meals midweek because the pressure cooker makes quick work of cooking tough cuts of meat until they are fork tender. I followed this recipe for the Chile Verde and made some tweaks of my own of course.

Cooking with so many peppers, it's a crap shoot really on spiciness. I managed to pick the hottest peppers at my grocery store so to cool this stew I add a full cup of greek yogurt at the end. The pork was fork tender just like the recipe promised.

Friday - Cast Iron Roast Chicken with Crispy Potatoes
It took me a LONG time to bring myself to cook a whole chicken. I actually didn't eat meat on the bone for the majority of my life, but thanks to my husband for helping me work through my fears! I still get a little woozy pulling the neck and gizzards out of the chicken before prepping it for the oven, but this dish is easy and cheap.  A whole 4 lb chicken from my grocery store is about $6, and besides some pantry staples, the only other thing needed for this recipe is one or two baking potatoes. This is a truly inexpensive dinner, easy to prepare and absolutely delicious! Follow this recipe and you won't be disappointed.