Maple, mustard & balsamic pork tenderloin, maple glazed sausages and squash, "better than pizza" pasta risotto with peas and pancetta, slow cooker vegetarian lentil soup, slow cooker chicken legs and hobo dinners.
On the menu - February 17 - 24, 2019:
Sunday Maple, Mustard and Balsamic Pork Tenderloin with mashed potatoes and green salad
I've had a lone leek in the fridge for a week or two now, and I thought it would be good to use it up. It's also been a little while since we had pork (I may have mentioned that is not my son's favourite, but he will eat it) and I thought this recipe looked good. As always, I love a recipe that uses things I have on hand. And this one was a winner! The boy who does not like pork declared that he liked this. Yay! It was sweet and savoury and simply delicious. I added a couple of extra carrots and didn't bother cooking another vegetable.
Monday Maple Glazed Squash and Sausages with leftover fried mashed potatoes and kale slaw
Even though the maple glaze for this meal was somewhat similar to last night's sauce, it didn't seem that way at all served on sausage (I used Hayter's Turkey Honey Garlic Sausages). I have made this before and we didn't love the glaze on the squash, so I halved it and brushed only the sausages with it. I used butternut squash because that's what I had, but acorn squash would be equally good. The leftovers are going in my son's lunch tomorrow, so this was another winner.
Tuesday Pasta Risotto with Peas and Pancetta, garlic bread and green salad
Another "oldie but goodie" that I haven't made in a while. If you're looking for a low-calorie, low-carb dinner option, this is not your meal, but if you want something kid-pleasing and delicous, you've found it. This comes together in under half an hour, so it's super fast and never fails to please. We always use extra Parmesan because, c'mon, it's cheese! When my son came out to the kitchen to see what was for supper, he said, "I was going to ask you for pizza or something dumb, but this is so much better!" What more of an endorsement do you need? My copy of the recipe says that it serves 2 hungry grown-ups or 4 small children. With a salad and a side of garlic bread, this easily fed 3 adults with enough leftover for 1 more for lunch.
Wednesday Slow Cooker Lentil Soup with Parmesan and baguette
As I've mentioned, we are trying to eat less meat around here, and lentils are such an economical option. Plus they are so darn good! In my search for meatless recipes, I have come across a lot of lentil soup recipes. I really like to use my slow cooker on Wednesdays since my son gets home late from drama practice. It's so nice to be able to pretty much walk in the door and eat. This soup made a big batch. I used my 6-quart slow cooker and it was very full, but it fit! The whole family enjoyed this soup topped with Parmesan cheese and served with crispy baguette. It would be really nice to freeze some of it. The recipe says you can for up to 3 months, so I'm going to give it a try. (Note: I haven't had good luck freezing anything with cooked potato in it. Anyone else? I'd love to hear about your experiences, and I'll keep you posted!)
Thursday 5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Legs with wild rice, veggies and green salad
I had a different recipe in mind for tonight, but when I realized it would be the 3rd time this week I was cooking something with maple syrup and Dijon mustard, I thought I should change it up. I also found a lonely jar of red currant jam in the fridge that I was more than happy to use up. This seemed like the perfect way to do that. I broiled the chicken legs for about 5 minutes after brushing them with some extra sauce, just to crisp them up a bit. They could have stood a little longer, in my opinion (I am not a fan of soft chicken skin!) Still, the boy declared them "good" and so did my mom.
Friday Hobo Dinners with green salad
This is another of my son's favourite meals and one my mom used to make often. I use frozen hamburger patties and top each one with cheddar cheese, sliced onion, sliced carrots, sliced, peeled potatoes, ketchup and some canned, diced tomatoes. Before sealing up the tinfoil, I add some water (1-2 tablespoons). I usually bake them for about 1 1/2 hours at 350 F. Please note, the recipe in the link makes only 1 serving, so you will need to multiply it by the number of people you are serving. Add a salad or some coleslaw, and supper is on the table in moments, after cooking.
Saturday leftovers / eat out / take out
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