Can you guess what day this is? You are right! It is Meals of the Week Day! The day when I gather together and share with you all the meals that I have cooked or eaten over the past week.
You have all said that you enjoy these posts, and I actually find this very helpful myself, for a few reasons. One if helps me to look back on how I have been eating and perhaps make some changes in future weeks, and two, it helps me to plan my meals for the week ahead.
The temptation when one lives by themselves is to not cook, or to eat out of cans, bottles and boxes. Frozen dinners, ready meals, etc. I don't want to be that person. Already prepared food is quite expensive for one thing, and it is usually filled with salt, fat, sugar and a lot of other things I don't really want to be eating.
When I lived in the UK, eating small was a lot easier actually. The UK is the King of the Ready Meal! They have it down to an art and some of them are really quite good. Marks and Spencer is the best at it. I used to love LOVE shopping there. Their ready meals were fabulous and did I live in the UK, I would probably eat more of them.
I discovered this American couple on YouTube this week. The Magic Geekdom. They had a whole video dedicated to shopping in M&S. Do check it out if you are interested. They were huge fans. they made me feel quite homesick, and they were in the Chester M&S also, the one I used to shop at.
In any case, ready meals here in Canada cannot compare to M&S. I cook for myself all the time. I might cheat every now and then and buy a rotisserie chicken, but who doesn't!
In any case these are the meals that I cooked for myself, or was treated to over the past week. I ate out twice and had dinner at my sister's on my Brother in Law's birthday, so not everything was cooked at home. I have provided recipes for those alternatives in the place of the restaurant food that are equal to or better then most of the restaurant food I had.
SUNDAY May 28th, Grilled BBQ Chicken
Usually on Sundays I go to my sister's for Sunday dinner. This week I had everyone here so that my sister could have the treat of going out golfing with her husband Dan. Because I had church in the morning, I kept it really simple with some Grilled BBQ Chicken.
I also made a Herbed Potato Salad. I had some baby potatoes that we had bought at Costco the other week that I wanted to use up and had everything in house ready to do it. Its a very simple salad I think. Must easier than the mayonnaise type. It has a vinaigrette and herb dressing that you toss the warm potatoes into. They soak up all the lovely flavors. Light and delicious.
We also enjoyed a mixed salad and some garlic bread sticks from the store. (DON'T! Essentially they were hotdog buns coated in garlic butter. Not that great. Very bready.) For dessert my sister had brought over a Sugar Free Apple pie. Yummy!
THURSDAY, June 1st. - True Newf Poutine, copycat
Happy Cinco de Mayo. For years I was not sure what Cinco de Mayo was. Probably because I was living in the UK. You may not know what it is either. Now that I am living back in North America, I thought it was about time I learned about it!
Cinco de Mayo happens every year on the 5th of May. It is a holiday that commemorates the Mexican army's victory at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Although a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, the day is a popular celebration in the United States. And what better way to celebrate than to eat delicious Mexican food?
I may not be Mexican or American, but I do love Mexican food and any excuse to eat seems like a great idea to me! In honor of it I thought I would share my favorite Tex Mex recipes with you today. All are delicious or I wouldn't be sharing them. Who knows, you may discover a new favorite of your own!
ENCHILADAS CALABAZA - These are my favorite enchiladas. Totally vegetarian the filling is made with roasted butternut squash, cheese, spring onions, etc
The delicious filling is then rolled in corn tortillas and then topped with some tomato salsa and more cheese before baking. These are quite simply fabulous!
MEXICAN CHICKEN SPAGHETTI - I really REALLY love this dish. Not only does it contain pasta and chicken, two of my favorite things, but it is also one of those recipes that cooks all in one pan. No fuss no muss!
Add to that really fabulous Tex Mex flavors and you have a winner winner chicken dinner! (Sorry could not resist!)
CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE - This is a simple and quick recipe to make, which involves layering chicken, cheese, and enchilada sauce between layers of corn tortillas, along with some onion and green chilies.
I also include a recipe to make my own from scratch homemade enchilada sauce. Its really simple to make and very delicious.
EASY CHILI MAC & CHEESE - This is quick, easy and really delicious. Its a store cupboard meal that is a bit of a cheat but nobody seems to mind.
Boxed mac and cheese, canned chili, salsa and plenty of cheese. Simply yummilicious!
BEEF BARBACOA TACOS WITH SWEET PICKLED ONIONS - Something I came up with to use up leftover cooked roast beef. These are delicious to say the least!
You can make the onions up the day before if you wish. They will keep for quite a while. If you don't have any leftover roast beef, you can use ground beef and just cook as per the recipe.
CHIPOTLE LIME CHICKEN FLATBREAD TACOS - A baked taco with a fabulously tasty chicken chipotle lime filling. Just fill and bake in a casserole.
Delicious served with your favorite toppings. I created a lush chipotle sour cream sauce to serve on top with some guacamole and spring onions! Very tasty!
MEXICAN CHICKEN CLUB FLATBREADS - This is like a Tex Mex, Latin American Open Faced Chicken Club Sandwich. This is a flatbread topped with a layer of saucy black beans, melted cheese, topped with some zingy chicken, my own special sauce, crisp bacon, another drizzle of sauce and garnished with guacamole and sour cream. Whew!
Now that's one tasty mouthful of fusion cooking at its best!
BBQ FLAT CHICKEN TACOS FOR TWO - Blistered wheat tortillas slathered in a rich spicy BBQ chicken, topped with plenty of cheese, sprinkled with red onions and baked.
I like to serve these with a saucy coleslaw which adds color and crunch!
TIJUANA TACOS - Blistered flour tortillas folded around a delicious spicy beef filling with refried beans, onions, peppers, crushed tortilla chips, olives, etc. Served with sour cream, spring onions, cheese and more crushed chips for crunch.
Deliciously simple and a great way to use up the bits and bobs in the refrigerator at the end of the week!
GREEN CHILI CHICKEN ENCHILADAS - I make the filling with plenty of chopped cooked chicken, grated cheese, some spices and seasonings and green enchilada sauce. Wrapped up in wheat or corn tortillas, placed into a casserole dish, slathered with more sauce and cheese and baked.
Delicious served hot with sour cream and a splash of green tabasco. You could also use pork instead of chicken if you wanted to This is a small batch recipe that is very easily doubled to feed more.
CRISPY TWO POTATO TACOS - for the vegetarian in your life, but so delicious even the carnivores will be fighting over them!
These vegetable tacos are fabulously tasty with both white and sweet potatoes, and plenty of zip. Serve with your favorite taco accompaniments for a real family pleaser!
CHEESY TACO PUFFS - I have never had anyone turn their noses up at being presented with one of these fabulously tasty hand pies.
No small wonder with a crisp flaky biscuit/scone type of pastry filled with a spicy beef filling and cheese. Baked until crisp, they always go down a real treat! Children love them also!
CREAMY WHITE CHILI - This is my absolute all time favorite chili recipe. This is an incredibly flavorful version of a white chili filled with hearty beans, tender juicy pieces of chicken, green chilies and a delicious variety of spices.
With some crusty rolls, or tortillas on the side and a mixed salad, it makes for one beautiful weeknight supper! I like to serve it with some white rice and cheese for sprinkling on top.
QUICK AND EASY CHILI - Its simple. It uses store cupboard ingredients. Its quick and easy. Most important of all, its DELICIOUS! With beef, beans, tomatoes, etc.
Quick, easy, delicious. It doesn't get much better than this! With some cornbread or garlic bread for sopping up all that tastiness, it makes for a fabulous rib sticking meal.
And finally dessert, because it makes every meal that little more special!
MEXICAN CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKES - These lush chocolate puddings are meant to be enjoyed warm, with or without a scoop of ice cold vanilla on top.
The perfect ending to any meal Trust me on this. Moreish.
And there you have it, some of my absolutely favorite of the favorite Tex Mex dishes. It is by no meals all of the Tex Mex recipes on my page. I could have kept going forever, but . . . to be honest, if you can't find something to whet your appetite amongst this bunch, then there is no hope. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
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Blackberry Bakewell Pudding
ingredients:
- 225g of fresh blackberries (2 cups)
- 50g of blackberry jam (1/4 cup)
- 175g butter, softened (3/4 cup)
- 75g caster sugar (6 1/2 TBS)
- 3 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
- 175g ground almonds/almond flour (2 cups)
- 40g plain flour (1/4 cup)
- a handful of flaked almonds
- 50g icing sugar (generous 1/3 cup)
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
instructions:
How to cook Blackberry Bakewell Pudding
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 4 cup shallow baking dish.
- Fold the berries and jam together. Spread in the bottom of the pan. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a bit at a time. Fold in the flour and the ground almonds. Spread evenly over top of the berries in the dish. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about half an hour, then whisk together the icing sugar and enough lemon juice to make a thin drizzle. Drizzle it over top decoratively and serve.
NOTES:
Pasta with a Creamy Mustard and Sausage Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 medium onion, peeled, halved and sliced into half moons
- 1 cup (130g) white cabbage, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 fat good quality sweet Italian sausage (or hot if you prefer a bit of spice), skinned
- 1 TBS flat leaf parsley, chopped coarsely
- 1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 heaped tsp of grainy Dijon mustard
- 1.3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 ounces (about 2/3 cup) pasta shapes (use one which will cup the sauce such as Conchiglie or Cavatelli. I like Cappelletti)
Instructions
- Heat the oil and butter in a medium, heavy bottomed skillet just until the butter begins to foam. Add the cabbage and the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat, until they begin to wilt and caramelize a bit. I usually cover it with a lid for the first five minutes to help it soften a bit faster.)
- Tear the sausage up into bits and add it to the cabbage and onion mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is cooked through and golden brown in places.
- Stir in both mustards and the cream. Heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in half the parsley and remove from the heat. Keep warm while you cook the pasta.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions in some lightly salted boiling water. Cook just to al dente. Once done, using a slotted spoon, scoop the cooked pasta directly out of the cooking water and into the skillet with the sauce. (Its okay to have a bit of water in the sauce, but take care not to add too much.)
- Give everything a good stir together. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Scatter the remaining parsley on top and serve immediately with some crusty bread if desired.
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