Chili beef quesadillas, asian chicken lettuce wraps, greek lentil soup, greek turkey burgers, slow cooker beef ragu and slow cooker chicken korma.
I've been feeling a bit "adventurous" lately when I think about food, so I am expanding our horizons and trying some things we don't usually eat around here. It started last week with the Peppers Stuffed with Turkey, Cheese & Rice, and continues this week with some Asian flavours, some Greek lentil soup, tzatziki and Greek salad, and a little Indian-inspired cuisine as well. I am loving all of the fresh flavours and veggies included in these dishes.
On the menu - March 24 - 30, 2019:
Sunday Chili Beef Quesadillas and green salad
Years ago I adapted this recipe from one I saw in Canadian Living and submitted it to Taste of Home who published it. This is another one from the "archives" that I haven't made in a long time, but it was definitely worth pulling out again. It's very kid (or teen) friendly and you can increase or decrease the amount of chili powder and hot pepper sauce to your taste, depending on how spicy you like things. We had company tonight (a self-professed "picky eater"), and this went over very well. I omitted the mushrooms and zucchini, but trust me, they are barely noticeable, at least as far as flavour goes. I used some extra cheese and serve the quesadillas with sour cream and homemade salsa. Delish!
Monday Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
These were divine and really different. I used ground turkey since I have never loved ground chicken. This recipe comes from Greta Podleski's "Yum & Yummer" cookbook and I say again, if you haven't added this cookbook to your collection yet, you really should! This recipe was a hit. As a bonus, it is dairy-free and can easily be made gluten-free as well. There are also no carbs in this recipe, unless you choose the tortilla wrap option rather than the lettuce wrap. Plus how cute do they look on a plate? And the lettuce is such a pretty colour that just screams "spring"! The cucumber sticks took them over the top, and I added lots of fresh cilantro to mine, too. So, so good!
Tuesday Healthy Greek Lentil Soup with feta, fresh buns and green salad
This recipe made a VERY large pot full, so would be perfect if you are serving a big crowd. It seemed to cry out for some kind of cheese on top so we tried feta and I served it along with some fresh buns and a salad. It was good with a mild flavour. There is definitely enough left over for some weekend lunches, which will mean less cooking for me. The recipe creator also mentions that it freezes well, so need be, I may try that, too.
Wednesday Tasty Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki and Greek Salad
I kept things simple tonight and used Hayter's Onion & Parsley Turkey Burgers instead of making my own. I really like these with the Tzatziki and Greek Salad from the link above. This meal comes together quickly and is really tasty and light.
Thursday leftovers / eat out / takeout
Friday Slow Cooker Beef Ragu with rigatoni and green salad
This was so easy to prepare! There was no browning of the beef or bacon before putting it all in the slow cooker. I substituted red vermouth for the red wine which may have been the wrong thing to do, at least according to my son who thought this tasted a bit "weird" (he is never a fan of wine in cooking). The rest of us thought it was good, but maybe not our favourite. I would love to find a similar recipe that we do love, just for the ease of prep!
Saturday Slow Cooker Chicken Korma with basmati rice, cauliflower, Naan bread and Indian Cucumber Salad
You may find this surprising, but I had never tried Indian food before December of last year. Living in rural Midwestern Ontario, there really aren't a lot of places to try it, and honestly, I have never been that excited about it (especially when there are so many other foods I love!) That said, I am now a big fan of the Shrimp Korma at the Tandoori Grill and so I was kind of thrilled to find this recipe online. Although it certainly smelled like I remember, the finished dish was not quite as flavourful to me. We had quite a bit left over so I took some of the sauce and put it in my blender. To that I added an additional teaspoon of Garam Masala, two more teaspoons of honey, the raisins and toasted almonds and then blended it all together. I returned that to the remaining sauce and chicken and warmed it up. This was much closer to my memory of this dish and we really enjoyed it. My son is not a fan of Indian food, but he declared it "not bad" and had seconds. The Naan bread is definitely necessary to soak up all of that yummy sauce. I especially liked this recipe because it's healthy and clean, and easily adaptable to a Whole 30 diet.
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