This post is actually half from last week and half from this week because I didn’t take pics of everything. My bad. Maybe you’ll still get good ideas of stuff to make from these few recipes though.
Kale Caesar salad doesn’t need explaining. We have Caesar salads all the time. Kyle actually requests kale versions. I’m lucky he likes the things I like. 🙂
Kyle grilled the chicken and corn and I don’t even remember what I marinated the meat with (maybe just herbs and olive oil?). On the side I made a salad of tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
Next up was ribs.
I pulled the cornbread out of the freezer and shared the bigger one with P. I have yet to attempt ribs on my own…these are already cooked from TJs…all you do is re-heat them somehow. I used the oven. The BBQ sauce is so good – not too sweet and slightly tangy. I’m tempted to try ribs on the crockpot sometime but I need to do more research. Also, is my slow cooker even big enough for that use? If people have recipes for ribs, feel free to link to them in the comments. Up until this point I’ve avoided them because they seem very labor intensive with multiple steps (oven and grilling and brushing and basting – too much!). If there’s a crock pot version that eliminates some of those I’m game to try it.
Meatballs and rice/zoodles.
I topped both in coconut aminos. It’s been awesome to have that as a condiment for Asian recipes now that I know P tolerates it. I use it in place of soy sauce or tamari in any recipe. It’s fantastic.
Ok now moving on to this week…
I already showed the photos of the salmon, kale and rice dish here as well as the BBQ chicken and broccoli salad. Since we got back from NYC on Monday, that gets us all the way to Wednesday.
Instead of market we ate at home (V was still recovering from jet lag which has made my life a bit…interesting…this week). I pulled ground beef out of the freezer the night before as a just-in-case-plan-B meal option (because Tuesday went so bonkers I didn’t have high hopes for Wednesday either). I made burgers with the beef and a simple spinach salad on the side (grapes, pistachios, and this vinaigrette). Kyle’s burger got swiss and mine got daiya.
Paltrow Project recipe (even though I already made it a few weeks ago) paired with roasted broccoli. Or are those broccolini? I don’t know the difference between that and broccoli rabe, but I know they are different. I could google, but I’m lazy.
Before on the left, after on the right. Olive oil and salt are all you need for this perfection.
The chicken was delicious too. P got in on the action of course – rice, broccoli, and chicken – all of it.
Speaking of meals that the entire family can eat (without any tweaks at all!) is this carnitas and kale noodle dish.
It’s the 30 minute “hack” version of this recipe from August’s Bon Appetit. And with carnitas instead of chicken.
Basically, I subbed already cooked meat for brining/poaching the chicken. Also I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and olive oil for sesame (allergy exchanges). In order to make it a quick recipe, I simply sautéed the kale until it was reduced to about half it’s size and wilted, then added the rice noodles, and finally added the (pre-cooked) meat.
I happened to have Sichuan peppercorns on hand (thanks to a previous BA recipe), but I didn’t have star anise or kombu, so they got left out. Fortunately the grated ginger and coconut aminos seemed to make up for it plenty in the umami department.
P actually ate a TON of this dish and Kyle declared it one worth repeating on the reg. So that’s awesome!
I only added scallions to Kyle’s portion because I don’t like them and neither does P.
Truth be told, the noodles were a little gummy and stuck together, which is because I was lazy while cooking them and didn’t want to dirty another pot. It’s definitely better to cook the noodles separately in boiling water and drain them before adding them to the kale and carnitas, but like I said, I was going for the quick version. I started this meal at 6:05 and we were eating by 6:30 so gummy noodles is a sacrifice I’m wiling to make. Also P seemed to enjoy them more this way. Go figure.
Hopefully more PP recipes in the coming weeks. I don’t want to lose focus and leave Gwyneth’s book collect dust just because I’m busy, although this coming week does have some big things.
I’ve had great success with Smitten kitchen’s oven ribs, no complicated steps!
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2015/06/oven-ribs-even-better/
Jealous that Kyle requests kale!
Your crackers ROCK more then words could express–wow, I always tell my children and husband that in the deepest part of my heart, I LOVE them more then words could ever express so your crackers must be the bomb. Paired with a salad, a stew of summer roasted veggies with heirloom roasted tomatoes and crumbled goat cheese—a real treat!! Or just topped with sun butter and my homemade strawberry jam. I could go on and on, but will spare you and won’t. Thanks for sharing your secret creation. I love your kitchen experiments they often turn into really good everyday keepers. Love your banana bread also! Wish I had known you would be in NYC. We would have loved to take you out for a FABULOUS meal. We would have had some great laughs and enjoyed meeting beautiful V. Maybe next time. I can assure you I am no stalker. I am VERY private like you and guard my privacy heavily. Maybe another time when you happen to travel here. Now I am off to a European yoga retreat and then home to spend time with my daughter and son and their awesome significant others and then off to Europe for a romantic get away with my husband. My daughter is in California now and loves it each time she travels there. However, we r NYC lovers with an intense love for adventure and travel. You are a special individual straight forward, loving and kind–all obvious from your writings. Thanks for all the help and kindness you have given me. You have helped me a lot more then you realize. I am in the process of writing a book about all this that a publisher thought would be very marketable. We will see. Have a great week!
You are the sweetest. This comment literally made my week! And I’m especially glad you like the crackers! It makes me so so happy when I can help anyone, so the fact that you have found my recipes and writing valuable is just awesome. I love hearing about your story so remember me when you are a big famous author 😉
As for our visit to NYC – well I would have loved to say hi – alas the trip was a quickie and for more of a supporting role than touristy one. We will be back though! It was funny how easily we fell back into the NYC routine. It felt like we were stepping right back into our old lives (even though circumstances were obviously so different since we were not yet married and kidless when we lived there)…and yet…the feel of the city just doesn’t leave you. How often do you come to CA to see your daughter?
Have fun on your yoga retreat! I dream of doing something similar one day…
We do ribs in the crockpot all the time. First we use a dry rub (Bone Suckin’ Rub is what we have on hand), then add Stubb’s smoky mesquite bbq sauce. Cook on high for about an hour, then on low until done. Probably another 4-6 hours, depending on how well done you like them, adding more sauce in the last 30 min to 1 hour of cooking. Delicious! We find TJ’s ribs are the best.
Have you guys considered getting a Big Green Egg since you are eating meat again? We bought one a few years ago and it’s amazing! Vegetables and fruit are even incredible grilled on it. Look it up. It’s expensive but so worth it. We use it at least 4 days a week and will freeze cooked pulled prom, etc and it’s great to have when my husband is traveling for work. Love your meal ideas. I need to get the Gwynth cookbook.
Definitely heard of the green egg – but it’s way $$$. I’ve heard amazing things about it though!
Thanks Kim! I love both the sauces you mentioned so this recipe is one I plan on trying!!
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