Steak, shredded beef on a bun, blt salad with avocado, sweet potato quinoa cakes, turkey schnitzel with German potato salad and a salad plate.
Ah summer, how we love you. It's been a hot week, so I've been trying to keep the oven off as much as possible, although without a barbecue, I've had to run it a bit. Salads really hit the spot when it's warm, and they are quick to prepare as well, which means more time outside!
Summer is a great time to cook ahead - if the oven is on to bake chicken for one meal, make enough for a second. When you're preparing quinoa, cook enough to use in another recipe. I also like to wash extra salad greens so I can just grab them and go when I want to eat in a hurry.
On the menu - June 30 - July 6, 2019:
Sunday Eat out / leftovers / takeout
Tonight we had supper out before going to see the Canada Day fireworks in Goderich at the Main Beach. There was a beautiful sunset and the fireworks were awesome. Sadly they do not photograph well with a phone!
Monday Steak with Killer Baked Potato Topping, sauteed mushrooms and asparagus
Steak tonight! And as always, baked potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and roasted asparagus. Not too imaginative, but why mess with perfection?
Tuesday Barbeque Shredded Beef with homemade Coleslaw
I don't have permission to share the actual recipe I used, but it's one I've been making for years. It comes from "Company's Coming Slow Cooker Dinners" and I haven't found a better recipe to date. It is indeed great for company. No pre-browning is required, and because you just put it in the slow cooker and forget about it, it's very easy, too. Add some fresh buns and coleslaw and you're set. It also goes perfectly with potato salad, but we didn't bother with that tonight. My son does not like shredded beef at all for some reason (or pulled pork, for that matter) but when he was looking for a snack tonight, he was pretty happy there were leftovers. It's been a while since I served this, and clearly his tastes have changed since then. (Yay!)
This coleslaw recipe is another one I never mess with. I don't care for the fruit in it (although apple on its own can be good!), but the dressing is amazing. I use a bag of coleslaw mix and add in some cucumber. The recipe makes the perfect amount for an entire bag of coleslaw mix.
Wednesday BLT Salad with Avocado and chicken
Loved this recipe from Skinnytaste! Super simple and super delicious, in spite of the fact that my avocado was no longer usable. I added some cucumber instead. We loved the crunchy bacon and the way the mayonnaise thinned out from the juices of the tomatoes and dressed all of the greens. I will definitely be making this again! Grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or grill some on the barbecue if you don't have any cooked on hand, and dinner is served.
Thursday Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Black Beans & Cilantro and green salad
When I showed my son this recipe and asked if he would try these Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes, he said, "I'd rather not" but while I was making them, he kept asking how soon they would be ready! I neglected to include the "yummer" option of cheddar cheese this time, but I would definitely add it next time. From Greta Podleski's "Yum & Yummer" cookbook, these are just as she says, a "Meatless Monday Dinner Winner!" except it's Thursday. They need to sit for at least an hour, so I would recommend as she does, that you mix the ingredients together the night before. They held together perfectly and we ended up with 6 yummy patties.
Friday Turkey Schnitzel with cheese & tomato sauce, kale slaw and German Potato Salad
Once again our freezer is super full, especially since I have 63 cups of frozen strawberries in there right now. I really wanted to make jam, but just haven't had a chance over the past few weeks so I froze the berries and will make jam later. I've never tried that before, so here's hoping it works!
In my effort to free up some freezer space, I decided to cook some turkey schnitzel. I really like how quickly it fries up, even from frozen. For a change, I thought I would top it with tomato sauce and cheese, and as I searched online for recipes, I noticed that Chicken Parmesan came up a lot. For some reason, I have never really thought about the similarities before, but they definitely have quite a bit in common - crumbs, tomato sauce and of course, cheese. Yummy in whatever country you are making and eating it!
I also wanted to make a German-style potato salad tonight as a side, so I tried the recipe in the link above. It was very good, but according to my German friend, there are many different types of potato salads in Southern Germany. The one I made is not necessarily the only "Southern-style" potato salad you might find there. The other difference is that the German word "speck" is often translated as "bacon" here, but in fact, is more like prosciutto than our bacon. I think that would have totally changed the flavour of this salad (especially when the bacon fat formed the basis of the dressing!) This recipe was good warm or cold, but I wouldn't recommend it if you are concerned about calories or fat!
Saturday Salad Plate with Devilled Eggs
Salads are one of our go-to meals in the summer time. I especially love making a salad plate, where I serve a variety of different salads, sometimes along with some cheese, a good Parkerhouse roll and cold meat, and sometimes all on their own. So, so, good! The only downside is that some salads can be a bit of work to prepare. You also sometimes need to watch the number of servings, I find. There is nothing worse than spending time preparing one only to find out that it makes a potluck-sized bowlful and is no longer fresh-tasting by the time it all gets eaten by your little family.
Tonight I served leftover German Potato Salad, a Carrot, Beet and Quinoa Salad with Kale and my favourite Broccoli Salad.
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