Weekly Menu Plan & Pulled Pork

With Bryant working long hours this month, I've been trying to do things to make his life easier and of course, taking pity on him and making his favorite meals. This is especially true when he works on the weekends so that's when I really try to make something special. And that something special this weekend is definitely pulled pork sandwiches. This recipe is so good! The spices give the pork a great flavor. And it's not just meant for BBQ pulled pork (although I didn't realize that fact last time). Once this recipe is cooked, it can be used in lots of other dishes - Chinese, Mexican, salads, etc. Of course, we'll be having BBQ pulled pork sandwiches tonight but I'll freeze the leftovers to use in other dishes.

Pulled pork is traditionally made with a cheaper cut of pork called pork shoulder or Boston butt. However, once you remove the tons of extra fat, a 4-lb shoulder is suddenly much closer to 3 pounds. I've started buying a slightly more costly, leaner cut of pork but since it's leaner, I can buy a small quantity (since you don't have to remove as much fat). While I still haven't found a perfect cut of pork for pulled pork, I've tried pork loin chops before which worked well.

Week's Menu Plan

Saturday: slow cooker pulled pork, salad, Bryant's award-winning cookies

Sunday: Jamaican Jerk Chicken with corn on the cob

Monday: pad see ew (thanks to lots of leftovers from a lovely lunch I had with my grandma on Friday) with baby bok choy and red peppers

Tuesday: beef enchiladas from last week (I've actually already made the meat and frozen it so all I have to do is bake the enchiladas) with restaurant style salsa

Wednesday: Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Thursday: shrimp and grits

Friday: Vietnamese chicken pho (it never was made last week)


Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Taken from: Life's Ambrosia

• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (5 pound) bone-in pork shoulder OR 3 pounds of pork loin chops or whatever cut you've chosen (again, if you go with a leaner cut of meat, you won't need as much)
  
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 cups water

-Remove as much fat as possible from the pork.
-Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, granulated garlic, pepper and oregano in a small bowl.
-Rub spice mixture all over the pork. Cover and refrigerate over night or for several hours.
-Slice the onion and lay it on the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker. Place the pork on top of the onions. Pour beef broth and water over the top. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high).
-Remove from slow cooker. Allow to cool slightly. Discard bone and pan juices. Using a fork and spoon shred meat (removing any visible fat).
-If making BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, return shredded pork to slow cooker and add good bottled BBQ sauce or homemade sauce. Cook on low for 1-2 hours.

Baked Tilapia

Part of my standard weekly menu planning is to include one seafood dish and one non-meat dish. When I started doing these menu plans, I thought I might have to really scour the internet and my cookbooks for to find good recipes that fit these categories. Surprisingly, I haven't had any trouble (yet) with finding either recipes!

Our seafood meal for the week was baked tilapia. This is incredibly quick to make - the only prep work is chopping vegetables (although you could always buy pre-chopped or frozen vegetables). It was also really good with very light flavors. Tilapia is very mild (it doesn't have a very "fishy" taste to it) so it would be a good choice even for those who don't usually like fish.

I didn't use measurements for spices - it's really easy to just sprinkle each fillet with the different spices - but in the recipe below, I guessed what measurements I ended up using. Finally, We rounded out the meal with corn on the cob (the corn here is so good we've been having it at least once a week!).


Baked Tilapia with Roasted Vegetables
Taken from: AllRecipes

• 4 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
  
• 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  
• salt & pepper
  
• 1 lemon, 1/2 sliced and 1/2 juiced
  
• 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I used store-bought but you could also run a bread slice through a food processor)
  
• vegetables for roasting (I used cauliflower, broccoli and red pepper)

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
-Place the tilapia fillets in the bottom of the baking dish and brush with olive oil and squeeze the 1/2 juiced lemon onto the fish.
-Season with spices and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
-Pat bread crumbs on the tops of each fish fillet and spray with cooking spray.
-In a separate baking sheet covered with aluminum foil, arrange the mixed vegetables, cover with olive oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper.
-Cover the dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until vegetables are tender and fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with sliced lemon.

Homemade Pizza Dough, 2 Ways

Bryant and I love pizza. And by love, I mean that if we go more than 2 weeks without pizza, we feel deprived. Actually, our first purchase together as a couple was a pizza stone (romantic, right?). And we've definitely put that pizza stone to good use! We love trying new toppings (black olives, artichoke, fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, baked prosciutto, ham and pineapple...whatever you have on hand) and different kinds of dough. So far, we've actually tried about 3 kinds of pizza dough - thin crust, medium and deep dish. Although I usually love a chewy crust, our favorite homemade pizzas are the thin crust and deep dish.

The thin crust pizza dough might be my favorite, partially because it's SO easy. It doesn't even require any time to rise the dough, so you can just throw the ingredients together and roll it out (whenever I roll out the pizza, it's comes out in sad, amoeba-like shapes so I always enlist Bryant's help). It develops a great crispy crust, too.

Deep dish, however, is Bryant's favorite. I've actually only had Chicago style pizza once before (and it was in Seattle, not the Windy City). However, this pizza dough tastes so rich, I don't really care if it's authentic - it's delicious! Also, Chicago style pizza is typically created by layering the dough, then the toppings, then the cheese and then the sauce on top; it's always fun to have a different spin on pizza.

Thin, No-Rise Pizza Dough
Taken from: AllRecipes
Makes 2 small pizzas or one large pizza

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
  
• .25 ounce package active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup warm water (approx 110 degrees F)

-If you have a pizza stone, preheat in a 375 oven for 20 minutes (cover with cornmeal first).
-Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water.
-If making two small pizzas, take half the dough and turn out on floured surface (use all the dough if you are making 1 large pizza). Roll out dough until very thin.
-Repeat with second half of dough.
-Move dough to preheated pizza stone or baking sheet (a metal spatula separates the dough from the counter really well).
-Bake 9-10 minutes and then add sauce, dried herbs, cheese and toppings. Bake for 10-15 minutes more until bottom is firm and lightly browned.




Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza Dough
Taken from: Food.com

• 1/4 ounce package of active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (about 100-110 degrees) 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal (I only had fine, white cornmeal)
• 1 teaspoon salt (or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt)
• 1/2 cup olive oil (or 1/4 + 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp melted butter for a richer crust)
  

-In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in1/4 cup of the warm water. Add the sugar and 1/4 cup of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
-Add the remaining 1 cup warm water and 3 cups flour, cornmeal, salt, and olive oil (and melted butter, if used). Using a wooden spoon, mix the dough, incorporating as much of the flour as possible.
-Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes. It will be a little sticky, but shouldn't stick to your hands. (You can also you a dough hook on a stand mixer, if you have one.)
-Using cooking spray, spray a large bowl. Add the dough to the bowl and turn to coat with oil on all sides.
-Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a clean, damp, kitchen towel over the top.
-Set the bowl in a warm spot and let rise until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (For a slow rise, place the covered bowl in the refrigerator and let rise for 10 to 12 hours, returning dough to room temperature before using).
-Spray all sides of a cake pan (or cast-iron pan) with cooking spray.
-Preheat the oven to 375 F.
-When the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and knead it for 2 to 3 minutes. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the cake/cast iron pan. Let the dough rise in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes.
-Press the dough until it comes 2 inches up the sides and is even on the bottom and at the corners of the pan (waiting those 15-20 minutes will make it easier to manipulate the dough).
-Bake for 10-15 minutes and then add the topping, cheese and finally, sauce and bake for approx 15-20 minutes more.

Pasta Primavera & Peach Cobbler

A dish like this is comfort food to me. I don't really crave the more typical American comfort foods (mac and cheese just doesn't do anything for me). However, whole wheat pasta, roasted vegetables, marinara sauce and served with a glass of (2 Buck Chuck) Cabernet...now that's more like it.

I checked out Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis from the library and while I love that you can check out cookbooks for free, there's so many promising recipes, so little time! I've bookmarked about 12 recipes to try so I think I'll be renewing this book for a while. This pasta primavera recipe is great; I did cut the amount of pasta in half and we still have tons of leftovers (I kept the amount of vegetables the same because I really like roasted vegetables). And since the vegetables are from the farmers market, they're even more delicious.

I had originally planned on making the peach cobbler on Saturday night but Bryant and I ended up falling asleep around 9 pm (he's on a hard rotation now but I have no excuse). So I made it last night and it was delicious. (I might have even had a little this morning, too.) It's the perfect season for peaches here and they are incredibly sweet - I cut down on the amount of sugar added to the peaches and definitely did not miss it. If your peaches are not quite as sweet, keep the full amount of sugar. You could also add other fruit to this dish...blackberries, blueberries, anything that's in season for you!

Pasta Primavera
Taken from: Everyday Italian
Serves approximately 6

• 4 carrots, peeled
• 2 medium zucchini (or one large)
• 2 yellow squash
• 2 red/yellow/orange bell peppers
• 1 onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp of dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence (I used 1 tsp. dried oregano, 1 tsp. dried thyme, 1/2 tsp. dried parsley and 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary)
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. ground pepper
• 1/2 lb. whole wheat short pasta (farfalle, rigatoni, penne...whatever you have on hand)
• 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/8 tsp. sugar
• Marinara sauce and parmesan cheese for serving

-Preheat the oven to 450. Cut carrots, zucchini, squash, bell peppers and onion into thin 2-inch-long strips. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, toss vegetables (except tomatoes) with oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Transfer half of the vegetables to another aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and arrange vegetables in a single, even layer.
-Bake, stirring after 10 minutes. Bake for 20 total minutes until carrots are tender and other vegetables begin to brown.
-If your cherry tomatoes are more mediocre (meaning from the grocery store as opposed to farmers market or garden), add 1/8 tsp. sugar to the tomatoes to enhance the flavors.
-While the vegetables start to bake, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally until tender (check the cooking time on the pasta box). Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of pasta cooking liquid.
-In a large bowl, toss pasta with cooked vegetables, tomatoes and enough cooking liquid to moisten.
-Serve pasta with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.


Peach Cobbler
Taken from: AllRecipes
Serves 4-6

• 3 large or 4 medium peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
• 2 Tbsp. white sugar (if your peaches are very sweet, only add about 1 Tbsp. white sugar)
  
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. white sugar
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp. boiling water
• 1/4 cup rolled oats (optional)
  

• 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
-In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1 Tbsp to 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into an 8-inch square baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
-Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined and then add rolled oats.
-Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 25-30 minutes.

Week's Menu Plan & Blueberry Muffins

I'm particularly excited about this menu plan. Not just because I like testing out new recipes and different cuisines (I've only had Vietnamese pho once but liked it...and I know Bryant is a fan). But it's also using up all the extras that we have in our fridge, freezer and pantry. I had stocked up on pasture-fed ground beef when it went on a great sale and I got a great deal on cauliflower at the farmers market on Wednesday. I also have quite a bit of parsley, cilantro and basil left so I'm using each of these. It did take a little more time to plan this one but it was definitely worth it to use up all the extra ingredients we already had in the house.

Also, I wanted to bring something to Bryant and his co-workers and what better thing to bring than breakfast food? They work long hours and I happened to find a highly recommended blueberry muffin recipe. Muffins are easy to grab and go and in my opinion, they don't have to be just breakfast food.

Week's Menu Plan

Saturday: beef enchiladas with black beans

Sunday: ham, basil and mozzarella panini with corn on the cob

Monday: tilapia & cauliflower

Tuesday: lemon chicken with tabbouleh

Wednesday: pasta primavera (from the Everyday Italian cookbook)

Thursday: Vietnamese chicken pho

Friday: homemade pizza

Blueberry Muffins
Taken from: Smitten Kitchen
This makes about 10 muffins but could be easily doubled.

• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup low- or full-fat plain yogurt (I only had low-fat vanilla yogurt on hand); low- or full-fat sour cream would work well, too
  
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, don’t bother defrosting)

-Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper liners or spray each cup with a nonstick spray.
-Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well, then yogurt and zest.
-Put flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a sifter and sift half of dry ingredients over batter. Mix until combined. Sift remaining dry ingredients into batter and mix just until the flour disappears. Gently fold in your blueberries. The dough will be quite thick, closer to a cookie dough, which is why an ice cream scoop is a great tool to fill your muffin cups. Fill no more than 3/4 of the way full.
-Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean.

Chicken Caprese & Homemade Croutons

Finally...a picture of a meal! It only took me about 2 months to remember to take a picture (pretty pathetic learning curve, I'd say). But this dinner was so pretty with such vibrant colors, how could I forget?

After serving Bryant eggplant curry and spanakopita for back-to-back dinners, I figured I'd have to tone it down a bit for the next meal (not to mention finally add some meat). So although we had never tried this dish, when I saw it, I knew Bryant would like it. It's basically an insalata caprese (an Italian salad made from sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil) on top of marinated chicken. The chicken is actually marinated in the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and baked, adding the mozzarella at the very end so it melts nicely on top of the chicken.

Since this recipe only has a few ingredients, it's always good to try to get the best ingredients within your budget. I'll admit, we didn't have the nicest balsamic vinegar but it still tasted delicious. However, we did have wonderful farmers market tomatoes (if at all possible, get them from a farmers market or steal them from someone's garden...grocery store tomatoes just don't compare). And although I'm not much of a cheese person, I love fresh mozzarella. It's very mild tasting and creamy; also, it has a low fat content and is still fairly high in protein and calcium. I'm already planning to use the leftovers for homemade pizza, paninis (and maybe even an actual insalata caprese!). I'm learning more and more to build my menu plan around what we already have in our pantry and fridge and trying to resist the temptation to just make any recipes that sounds good. It cuts down on waste and you're obviously getting a lot more for your money that way!

As far as croutons go, I have never liked them. I found them to be dry and unnecessary on a salad. Also, I figured that they couldn't be that good for you, either. However, I've found a recipe to make my own whole-wheat version and I can't stop eating them! I made them out of whole-wheat hamburger buns that I had purchased for burgers. You could also use bread or a baguette but if you can, whole-wheat hamburger or hot dog buns are less dense than bread which makes a great crouton. All you have to do is toss the pieces in olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper and bake for about 10 minutes; they can even be made several days ahead of time!

Chicken Caprese
Taken from: A Hint of Honey

• 0.75-1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast halves (to shorten the cooking time, cut the chicken breast into thinner strips before marinating)
  
• 1/2-1 tomato, sliced
  
• fresh mozzarella, sliced (I used about 4 thin slices)
  
• 4 leaves fresh basil
• balsamic vinegar, to drizzle
• salt and pepper, to taste

Balsamic Vinaigrette Marinade (if you have a balsamic vinaigrette already, feel free to use that!):

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• dash of salt and pepper

-Combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, basil, garlic, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.

-Bake chicken in the oven at 375 F for about 20-30 minutes, until juices run clear (will depend on the thickness of the chicken). If you have an instant-read thermometer, make sure the chicken registers at 165 degrees in the thickest part. For the last 5 minutes, top with fresh mozzarella and continue baking until melted.

-Arrange chicken on a serving platter. Place basil leaves on top of the cheese and cover with slices of tomato. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the platter.

Homemade Croutons
Taken from: Everyday Food

• 1 whole-wheat hamburger bun, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (makes about 2 cups)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• pinch of salt and ground pepper
-Preheat oven to 375. -Toss bread cubes in olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper. -On a foil lined baking sheet, spread cubes in a single layer. Cook for about 5 minutes and then toss. Cook for 3-7 more minutes until croutons are golden brown and crunchy. -They can also be easily warmed in a 375-degree oven for a minute or two before serving, if desired. -Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Spanakopita & Chickpea Salad

Spanakopita is a Greek dish that is often served as an appetizer. In fact, the first time I tried spanakopita was Trader Joe's appetizer version. I liked it then and (not surprisingly) it's even better homemade! I ended up making this as our main dish for dinner but I will keep it in mind as either an appetizer or a main dish. This recipe has TONS of spinach which is great for you but don't be afraid if you don't like spinach since the flavor isn't overwhelming. (You could also substitute anything that cooks like spinach...beet greens, swiss chard, kale, etc. If you use frozen spinach, make sure to squeeze out all the water and then give it a rough chop.) Also, I used cottage cheese which is really high in protein.

I also ended up cooking the ingredients in the morning and refrigerating them until dinner time. Then it only took a few minutes to assemble everything and throw it into the oven to bake.

I served this with a simple chickpea salad recipe to up the protein and fiber...fresh and a great side! I also made this in the morning so there was plenty of time for the flavors to blend together. We added sliced green olives which gave it even more of a Mediterranean taste.

Spanakopita
Taken from: All Recipes
When working with phyllo dough, make sure it is fully thawed. Additionally, cover unused phyllo sheets with plastic wrap and then a wet cloth to make sure they do not dry out.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds rinsed and chopped spinach (if you use regular spinach, make sure to cut off the stems as they are bitter; I used 2 9-oz bags of baby spinach instead)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 8 sheets phyllo dough
• 1/4 cup olive oil OR cooking spray
  

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil or spray with cooking spray a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
-Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
-In another medium bowl, mix together eggs, cottage cheese, and feta. Once spinach mixture is cooled, stir into the egg mixture.
-Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, spray with cooking spray, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. (If any of the phyllo dough tears or breaks off, just use those pieces!)
-Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, spraying each with cooking spray. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
-Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

Chickpea Salad
Taken from: A Hint of Honey

• 3 cups of cooked dried garbanzo beans (or a 1 14 oz. drained and rinsed garbanzo bean can)
• 2 Tbsp. red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

-Combine chickpeas, red onion, garlic, tomato, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for several hours before serving to blend flavors. Serve with sliced green olives, if desired (you could also try black olives or feta cheese).