It’s the weekend, friends. I hope that means some rest and relaxation for you…and I’m guessing some cooking, too. Here’s the line up for the week. Enjoy!
Instant Pot Chicken in Salsa Verde
Cook up a pot of this EASY Instant Pot Chicken in Salsa Verde and make it taco night. Set out warm tortillas (corn or flour), beans, and sour cream and let everyone assemble their own. If you’ve got the energy, do up this salad or simply put out cut up crunchy veggies, such as jicama, cucumbers, radishes, and carrots.
Falafel Burgers with Creamy Yogurt Sauce
These homemade falafel burgers involve little more than pulsing together chickpeas, a few vegetables, and spices in a food processor and forming it into patties. After cooking the burgers, you tuck them into buns and top with a generous spoonful of dill-spiked yogurt sauce.
Weeknight Spaghetti with Clams
This has proven to be a surprisingly popular recipe on the blog. It’s simple, affordable weeknight cooking that relies on canned clams and spaghetti. Add a green salad (with this dressing) and dinner is done!
Two-Ingredient Black Bean Soup
This black bean soup is about as quick as it comes as far as getting dinner on the table. I like to set up a little toppings bar and include favorite fixings, such as salsa, sour cream, avocado, crumbled bacon, and fresh cilantro. Simple cheese quesadillas, cornbread, or these sweet potato “fries” make a suitable side.
Creamy Carrot Mac and Cheese
This lighter version of mac and cheese is built on a base of cooked carrots that you whirl with low-fat milk into a creamy puree. All you have to do is add pasta, sharp Cheddar and chopped chives and bake until bubbly. Throw a sheet pan of broccoli in the oven to roast alongside the pasta. You can find the demo video I did for this recipe by heading here.
Overnight Banana Almond Butter Oats
A simple, make-ahead breakfast that you do up in a jar or bowl and stow in the fridge until morning. Feel free to stir a teaspoon or two of healthy “add ins” to the mix, such as hemp seeds, chia seeds, or ground flax. Serve it straight up or top with fruit, such as fresh mango or favorite berries.
Stovetop Taco Popcorn
I recently made a batch of this to snack on while watching Lupin on Netflix (which I loved). It’s a combo of stove-top popcorn with nutritional yeast and taco seasoning. Easy and a whole lot healthier than typical Tex-Mex packaged snacks.
SHOPPING LIST // WEEK 9
Instant Pot Chicken in Salsa Verde
½ large yellow onion
1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
½ small jalapeño pepper
¾ pound tomatillos
1 lime
2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
½ cup cilantro
Falafel Burgers with Creamy Yogurt Sauce
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas
¼ cup sesame seeds
6 medium garlic cloves
1 medium red onion
2 large carrots
1 cup cilantro
¾ cup whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons cumin
4 teaspoons coriander
¼ teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 small garlic cloves
2 tablespoons fresh dill
¼ cup lemon juice
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cucumber
1 large tomato
8 English muffins, pita, or large lettuce leaves
Weeknight Spaghetti with Clams
1 pound spaghetti
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 large garlic cloves
Four 6.5 ounce cans chopped clams in clam juice
¼ cup parsley
½ lemon
Two-Ingredient Black Bean Soup
Three 15 ounce cans black beans
One 12-ounce container pico de gallo salsa
Optional garnishes: sour cream, avocado, cilantro, salsa, grated cheese, diced onion
Creamy Carrot Mac and Cheese
1 pound carrots
12 ounces penne pasta
1 ¼ cup low-fat milk
5 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons fresh chives
Overnight Banana Almond Butter Oats
1 tablespoon salted almond butter
1 teaspoon honey
½ ripe banana
2/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup rolled oats
Chopped fresh fruit (optional)
Stovetop Taco Popcorn
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
1 ½ tablespoons salted butter
2 ½ teaspoons taco seasoning mix
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast