What’s for Dinner 1/16-1/20

My grandma concluded her time on this earth yesterday afternoon. She and my grandpa had dramatic influence in my life and knowing she is gone has stirred a sense of nostalgia and reflection in me. A few months ago, I wrote THIS  blog entry about my grandma. It pretty much sums up how I feel.

Her favorite dessert was lemon meringue pie, so this week, in her honor, I’ll be baking THIS. Don’t worry, I won’t be eating it. I still have 2 weeks of the Whole30. But I’ll thoroughly enjoy watching my kids savor it.

And now, for this week’s menu:

Monday: Ham soup with Sweet Potato Wedges and garlic/olive oil dip

Recipe: Ham soup

2 TBSP olive oil

1 onion diced

1 large leek, or 2 small, sliced

1-2 tsp. garlic

2 bunches collard greens

2 small ham hocks, or a leftover ham bone (if you’re doing the Whole30, be careful to read your labels!)

2 cups organic vegetable broth (carefully read those ingredients!)

8 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and leeks, cook until onion is translucent. Meanwhile, de-stem collards by laying flat and slicing on both sides of the rib of each leaf. I just stacked a couple on top of each other and cut them at the same time. Add garlic, salt and pepper, and collard greens. Cook until greens are wilted. Add ham hocks, vegetable broth and water. Bring to boiling, reduce heat to low and cover for 1-2 hours. The longer you let it simmer, the better it tastes!

Recipe: Sweet potato wedges

5-6 sweet potatoes, rinsed

2-3 TBSP olive oil

garlic salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Slice sweet potatoes into wedges (no need to peel) and place into large bowl. Add olive oil and stir until all the potatoes are covered with oil. Spread onto baking sheet in single layer and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp on the outside, soft on the inside! Serve promptly.

Tuesday: Herb salmon with Brussels sprout noodles

Recipe: Herb Salmon

4 salmon fillets

1/4 cup olive oil

2 TBSP Herbes de Provence

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Place salmon fillets in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and add remaining ingredients. In a small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Add to bag with salmon, close and let marinate in fridge for a few hours. You can do less, but a few hours will really allow the salmon to really absorb those flavors.

Preheat oven on broil. Place salmon on foil-covered baking sheet, skin-side down. Place rack on the notch above “middle,” and place baking sheet in oven for 10-12 minutes, until salmon has cooked through and browned on top. Serve with Brussels sprout noodles.

Recipe: Brussels sprout noodles

1.5 pounds Brussels sprouts

3-4 TBSP olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced small

2 tsp minced garlic

3/4 tsp. paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Attach a grater/slicer blade to your food processor with the slicer pointing up. Mine pretty much looks like this:

If you don’t have a food processor, you could grate these with a cheese grater, but it would take a long time. Or, you could just slice them really thin. It won’t be as nice without a food processor, though. Add the Brussels sprouts (I didn’t trip the ends off, just put them right in) and slice away. Set aside when done.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook onion until translucent. Add garlic and spices and cook 1-2 minutes more, until fragrant. Pour sliced Brussels sprouts into pan and cover with lid for 5 minutes. **Note: DO NOT be tempted to stir! Let the sprouts cook for 5 minutes. Take lid off, stir, and cook another 3-4 minutes, until sprouts are tender and not bitter. Remove from pan and keep warm until serving.

Wednesday: Spicy Asian cabbage rolls with sliced avocadoes and frozen banans

Recipe: Spicy Asian Cabbage Rolls

1 large head cabbage

Chicken marinade: 

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced small

2 TBSP sesame oil

2 tsp. minced ginger

1 tsp. salt

1 TBSP coconut aminos ( I picked mine up at Whole Foods)

2 tsp red chili pepper flakes (you can use more or less depending on how spicy you want it)

In the skillet: 

2 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP sesame oil

4-5 green onions, diced small

salt and pepper to taste

In a Ziploc bag, combine all the ingredients in the chicken marinade. Close and let sit in fridge for an hour or two. *Note: You can do this without marinating, but the flavors are much better after sitting for awhile.

Fill a large pot with enough water to cover a full head of cabbage. Bring to boiling. Meanwhile, take out the core of the cabbage with a paring knife. Turn off burner, and place whole head of cabbage into pot. Heat “in the skillet” oils over medium heat. Add contents of Ziploc bag to skillet and cook for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green onions and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Gently pull one full leaf of wilted cabbage off of head with tongs. Drain off water, lay in a 9×13 pan, and add chicken mixture. Roll up tightly and lay in pan. Repeat with the rest of the leaves until the chicken mixture is used up.

Cover tightly with foil, place in 350-degree oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with sunshine sauce, if desired. (I tried it with and without the sauce, and it was great either way!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday: Leftovers from previous days

Friday: Paleo Shepherd’s Pie with Roasted Italian carrots and pineapple

Recipe: Paleo Shepherd’s Pie (I made the mashed cauliflower for the top earlier in the day to make this recipe quicker to assemble)

1 batch mashed cauliflower (recipe below)

3 lbs ground beef

1 onion, diced small

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tsp garlic

2-3 tsp garlic salt

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 can tomato paste

2 TBSP olive oil

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add tomato, garlic, and garlic salt and cook for a few minutes. Add ground beef, chili powder, Italian seasoning and tomato paste and cook until meat is browned.

Pour into a large casserole dish; 9×13 may fit it all, but mine was a bit bigger.

Recipe: Mashed cauliflower (from Well Fed):

2 bags frozen cauliflower florets

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 TBSP coconut oil

3/4 cup coconut milk

salt and pepper to taste

2 TBSP + 2 tsp chopped dried chives

Cook the cauliflower according to package directions until very soft. Drain and pour into food processor or blender. In a small saucepan, heat garlic, coconut oil, coconut milk, salt and pepper for about 1 minute.

Puree the cauliflower in food processor blender, scraping down sides. Add coconut milk mixture to processor, along with 1 TBSP chives. Process about 10-15 seconds. Taste and adjust seasonings. Sprinkle with chives.

Recipe: Roasted Italian carrots

8-9 carrots (I didn’t peel mine)

1-2 TBSP garlic salt

1 TBSP Italian seasoning

couple TBSPS olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut ends off of carrots and slice in half lengthwise. Cut each half into the length of your index finger (or close to it, depending on how long your carrots are). Place carrots into a bowl and add olive oil. Stir until all the carrots are coated with oil, and then spread into a single layer on a foil-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes, until carrots can be easily pierced with a fork and the outsides are crispy. Enjoy! These are delish.

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