I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend celebrating the dad’s in their lives. We had a great Father’s Day, in which we did some geocaching and had a picnic lunch at a local state park. Then my husband’s family joined us for a BBQ dinner. Meal planning has gotten interesting for me. I picked up my first CSA haul last Tuesday (and weekly from now until October!). So I have lots of fresh veggies to use. This past week, most of it was of the leafy green variety. I didn’t want to make the greens the same way, so it took a bit more time researching different and interesting ways to make use of the veggies. Here’s a look at what was on our menu this past week:
Saturday: My husband and I attended the Westchester Wine & Food Festival. We got to sample amazing dishes from local restaurants and sample some wine and liquor as well.
Sunday: We had our monthly supper club Sunday night. The theme was Vietnamese and I made Bun Ga Nuong (Grilled Chicken and Vermicelli Salad) from Food.com. I don’t get to eat Vietnamese food a lot and the meal was delicious. Everything was light, summery and so good!
Monday: I made Tilapia Curry with Basil from Every Day with Rachael Ray. I served it with some cucumbers marinated in rice vinegar and sugar and cooked rice vermicelli noodles sauteed in soy sauce and sesame oil. I’m trying to eat more fish and tilapia is tasty and easy to cook. This dish was flavorful with the red curry but probably not a dish that I’ll make again.
Tuesday: I made Pork Chops with Zesty Tomato Sauce & Swiss Chard from Every Day with Rachael Ray. I am not a big pork chop maker or eater. I’m always afraid of not cooking the pork enough and usually end up overcooking it, where it ends up dry. The pork in this dish was okay in flavor. We loved the swiss chard cooked in oil and garlic. It was simple but really flavorful.
Wednesday: I made Penne with Sausage and Escarole from the Cooking Channel, courtesy of Chef Emeril Lagasse. I have made this dish before with broccoli rabe. The escarole, which has a slight bitterness to it raw, tasted great in this recipe. This was a winner with the family.
Thursday: I made Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry from Epicurious, which I served with rice. My daughter helped get the marinade ready while I cut the chicken up. I will admit that the chicken did not sit in the marinade for thirty minutes as recommended. It probably marinated for a good twenty minutes though and unfortunately, didn’t have as much flavor as I would have liked. I also used chicken breasts instead of the boneless thighs that the recipe called for.
Friday: I usually make pizza on Fridays, but not this week. Instead, I made One Pot Stovetop Creamy Kale Mac and Cheese from White On Rice Couple, which I served with a ham steak. I should have cut the kale smaller, but otherwise, this was a great way to use the kale. My son was happy to have the mac and cheese and I was happy he was eating the kale with no complaints!
Your weekly meal plans always impress me to no end, but this one takes the cake. I’m usually happy if I can get one meal out on Sunday. That Bun Ga Nuong looks soooo good. Well, it all looks good. I’ve never signed up for CSA because I always fear we won’t use everything. You obviously have no problem.
The Bun Ga Nuong was for supper club, where I usually try to cook something that I normally wouldn’t. I don’t cook like that all the time! After week one, I have learned that meal planning is key with the veggies or else they will likely go to waste.