Last weekend we went on a last minute trip to Bend. Drew got a photo job up at Mt. Bachelor for the weekend and my mom was staying at a cabin on the Metlious River. So we went to enjoy the beautiful surroundings that Central Oregon has to offer! It was a relaxing and fun weekend! I love it there and miss it so much! As soon as I drive over the mountains and start seeing the Ponderosa Pines and smell the refreshing sage, I feel so at ease. Drew and I really feel at peace there. I hope we can find ourselves living there again!
Since our trip to Bend was so last minute, our menu plan for the weekend got thrown out the window. I'm totally okay with that because then I can just move those dinners to this week! This week is a pretty BIG week! My son is turning 2 on Friday! I just can't fully believe my baby boy is 2 years old. It feels like yesterday I was pregnant with him! He has been more than amazing and has brought so much joy to our lives! So we are planning a big celebration at our house on Saturday! So, my menu plan this week is a little different but I love it! I hope everyone has a great week and is enjoying yummy, delicious organic food!
MONDAY- Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce with tofu, served over basmati Indian rice.
TUESDAY- Shrimp, artichoke hearts, & olive oil over whole wheat pasta and a loaded salad
WEDNESDAY- Salmon Burgers, Oven Fries, and steamed broccoli
THURSDAY- Potato Leek Soup* (slow-cooker)
FRIDAY- Ayden's birthday!!!!! Family dinner at Nacho Mama's
SATURDAY- Ayden's birthday party!!!!! Finger foods and appetizers at the party!
SUNDAY- Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers* and baked Salmon
*Recipes from cookbooks or other sources:
POTATO LEEK SOUP- from the book, 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large leeks, sliced white part only, washed
1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and diced (I added another potato)
1 tbs. minced garlic, or to taste
6 cups of Vegetable Broth
1 tbs. salt
2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp white pepper
1 pinch of nutmeg
3/4 lb. fresh spinach, stems removed
1/3 cup sour cream
chopped green onions for garnish
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and saute leeks for about 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add potatoes, garlic, vegetable broth, salt, lemon juice, white pepper, and nutmeg. Cover and cook on low heat for about 9 hours on high, until potatoes are tender. Add fresh spinach to soup. Stir a little of the soup in with the sour cream to prevent curdling and then add sour cream to the soup. Cook for 10 minutes and serve. Garnish soup with a sprinkling of chopped green onions.
QUINOA-STUFFED PEPPERS- my good friend, Kyle, sent this recipe to me
Ingredients:
1 med onion, finely chopped (1cup)
2 tbp olive oil
2 ribs celeery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tbp ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp)
1 10-oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 15-oz can diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa
3 large carrots, grated (1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack Cheese, divided
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed
Directions:
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and saute 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrits, and 2 cups of water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Preheat oven to 350. pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hr. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 tbs remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.
For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.
Happy eating & cooking,
Alyson
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”- JRR Tolken
Those stuffed peppers sound awesome! Can't wait to try them - I usually go into stuffed bell peppers without a game plan thinking they're simple enough... and usually they either come out really bland or exploding with all the wrong flavors. I guess you can't always slop things that sound good into a pepper and hope it works out :)
ReplyDeleteHere are the links to the brownie pudding and jalepeno popper dip you wrote about. They're both to die for + really really rich.
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2009/03/jalapeno-popper-dip.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/brownie-pudding-recipe/index.html