Salmon salad with green beans and egg, baked pesto chicken, watermelon and tomato salad, quinoa tabouleh salad, caprese portobello pizzas and sole on a bed of summer veggies.
It's so hard to believe that summer is nearly over and the kids go back to school in just a week. Why does it always go by so darn fast? But as much as I love summer, I also love fall. Do you feel it in the air already? The days are cooler and the nights are almost cold. I'm not in a rush for summer to be over, but fall is lovely as well. Can't wait for crunchy leaves, cozy sweaters and pumpkin spice anything.
On the menu August 18 - 24, 2019:
This was not unlike a Nicoise Salad, but minus the potatoes. It was fast (even without a pressure cooker) and really yummy. We'd already had quite a few carbs today, so it was awesome to have something light and quick. "Skinnytaste One and Done" is quickly becoming one of my favourite cookbooks.
Monday Baked Pesto Chicken with tender-crisp summer veggies on a bed of baby kale
I have a lot of pesto in the house again, so I made this delicious baked pesto chicken tonight. I didn't have chicken breasts on hand, so I just flattened some boneless, skinless thighs and they worked very well. I really loved this veggie dish from a few weeks ago, so I made it again. It's just some grape (or cherry tomatoes), sliced red onion, 1-inch pieces of asparagus and 1-2 zucchini cut into half moons. Stir them all together with a little olive oil and stir-fry until tender-crisp. Serve on a bed of de-veined kale with a lemon dressing (baby kale is also awesome). The lemon dressing recipe is from FIXATE Volume 2 and although I can't share it here, I can tell you that it has equal amounts of fresh lemon juice and olive oil, a little Dijon mustard, some finely grated lemon zest and salt and pepper. For one person, you only need a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice and olive oil. Just super.
Tuesday Peach-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Watermelon and Tomato Salad
The inspiration for tonight's supper came from a Cooking Light post (linked above). I don't have a grill pan so I just cooked the pork in a frying pan. I was a little lazy with my glazing, so that may be why I didn't think this was spectacular. Mom thought it was very good, though. I used apricot preserves instead of peach since that's what I had on hand. For the salad, I had bought two watermelons a couple of weeks ago, and I figured I better use the last one before it spoiled. I'm not sure I've ever had a savoury watermelon salad before. I've certainly never made one, but I'm so glad I did. I omitted the red onion and mint and served it on a bed of arugula, topping off with some toasted pumpkin seeds (thanks for the idea, Yolanda!) This was awesome - I loved the salty feta with the sweet watermelon.
Wednesday Quinoa Tabouleh Salad with turkey burgers
I've been eyeing this salad in "Yum & Yummer" for a while now, knowing that I've had a frozen bag of pomegranate seeds in my freezer for way too long. I was debating about making this a meatless meal by serving it with pitas and hummus as the author suggests, but in the end, I decided to cook some turkey burgers to go along with it. They went very well together.
Thursday Caprese Portobello Pizzas
Originally, I bought some portobello mushrooms to use with turkey burgers this week, but changed my mind and served the burgers last night instead. Since we hadn't had a meatless meal yet this week, tonight seemed like the perfect time for these awesome little pizzas. Once again, I made two "pizzas" for each person. Love this!
Friday Winona's Famous Chil Con Carne with tortilla chips and cheese
There has been a decided nip in the air the last few nights. After an inventory of my pantry and cupboards, I realized that I have way too many cans of beans right now. With the cooler weather, I felt like a big bowl of chili might really hit the spot tonight, and I was right. Every time I make this, I am reminded of my childhood and just how much I love this meal. My son tells me it works exactly the same way for him. This is also good topped with avocado.
This was a super way to enjoy some fresh summer produce that I picked up today at a local produce stand - zucchini, red pepper, onion and tomatoes. Not my best photo, but trust me, this was fantastic! It would pair well with rice or noodles or potatoes if you like, but we enjoyed it on its own.
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