Meal planning is an important (well, I think so) task I do every week. You spend 30 min or an hour once for a complete food stress free work week. I think it is well worth the effort, as you are sure you are eating balanced, healthy and fresh. I dig through my cook books to find new dishes every week. Also grocery shopping when you know exactly what you need has turned out to be more budget friendly as well.
So here we go, a meal plan for you, with all tried & tasted by the 3L syndrome recipes, quick and yummie.
All recipes are for 2-3 good eaters
Monday
Cod & Mussels Tagine
(inspired by Jamie Oliver 30 min. Super tagine)
For the tagine: fennel seeds, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 red onion, 12 mixed olives, 4 tomatoes, zest of one lemon, 1 teaspoon ras-el hanout, saffron, 4 leaves of cilantro, 400 gr of mussels
For the couscous: 180 gr couscous
For the cod: 2 fillet of cod, rubbed with fennel seeds, ras-el- hanout, pepper, salt & oregano
Together with 2 crushed cloves of garlic
For the sauce: 250gr light yoghurt & a teaspoon harissa
Put in the tagine: olive oil with fennel seeds & cinnamon stick. When hot, add the chopped onion and the olives, when onions are soft add the cubed tomatoes, the zest of the lemon, a little saffron and a teaspoon of ras el hanout. Let simmer to reduce the tomatoes.
Put the cod in an oven dish, season them with the herbs mentioned above and allow to cook 14 min under the grill of the oven.
The last 8 minutes of the cooking time of the cod, you add the mussels to the tagine and close the lid to allow them to cook and to open. Mussels and cod should be ready at the same time then.
Cook the couscous as mentioned on the packaging.
Serve with the harissa yoghurt and dig in!
Tuesday
Caramelized pork chops with pear-rocket salad
(Inspired by Donna Hay, Fast Fresh, Simple)
2 Pork chops - olive oil - 60 ml malt vinegar - 2 table spoons sugar - 1 big chunk of lemon zest - 12 sage leaves - 1 pear in slices - 30 gr of rocket - 40 gr of parmesan
Heat a skillet over high heat. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 3 minutes on each side, remove from pan and set aside. Put vinegar, sugar, lemon zest and sage to the pan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer considerably, until thickened and syrupy. Add the meat again and cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Mix pear, rocket and cheese and place the meat on the plate. Take the lemon zest from the pan and spoon the sauce over the meat. Sprinkle the salad with olive oil.
(Inspired by Donna Hay, Fast Fresh, Simple)
Heat a skillet over high heat. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 3 minutes on each side, remove from pan and set aside. Put vinegar, sugar, lemon zest and sage to the pan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer considerably, until thickened and syrupy. Add the meat again and cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Mix pear, rocket and cheese and place the meat on the plate. Take the lemon zest from the pan and spoon the sauce over the meat. Sprinkle the salad with olive oil.
Wednesday
Chicken Pad Thai
(Inspired by Donna Hay, Chicken Pad Thai)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil - 1 egg, lightly beaten - ½ cup (125ml) tomato sauce (ketchup) - ½ cup (125ml) chicken stock - 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar - 2 x 200g chicken breast fillets, sliced - 1 small red onion, sliced - 100g snow peas (mangetout), thinly sliced - 200g rice stick noodles, cooked - ¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice - sea salt flakes - 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until hot. Add half the oil and the egg and cook, swirling the wok or frying pan to distribute the egg, for 30 seconds. Remove egg from the heat. Roll the egg up into a tube and slice with a small, sharp knife. Place the tomato sauce, chicken stock and sugar in a bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside. Add the remaining oil and chicken to the wok and cook for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the onion and snow peas and cook for a further 1 minute. Add the noodles, sauce mixture, lemon juice, egg, and salt and stir until well combined. Top with the chives to serve.
Thursday
Chicken Pad Thai
(Inspired by Donna Hay, Chicken Pad Thai)
Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until hot. Add half the oil and the egg and cook, swirling the wok or frying pan to distribute the egg, for 30 seconds. Remove egg from the heat. Roll the egg up into a tube and slice with a small, sharp knife. Place the tomato sauce, chicken stock and sugar in a bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside. Add the remaining oil and chicken to the wok and cook for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the onion and snow peas and cook for a further 1 minute. Add the noodles, sauce mixture, lemon juice, egg, and salt and stir until well combined. Top with the chives to serve.
Thursday
Filled squid with shrimp, cilantro and bell pepper
(Inspired by Pascale Naessens 'Mijn pure keuken')
4 cleaned squid - 1 kg peeled shrimp (300 g drained) - 2 large tomatoes - ½ red pepper - 1 clove garlic - 1 large bunch cilantro - juice of 1/2 lemon - olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Mix tomato, pepper, garlic, fresh herbs and shrimp in a blender (it works easier if you cut everything first into large pieces). Pour in a good splash of olive oil and lime juice. Season firmly with pepper and a little salt. Fill the squid with the mixture. Connect them with a stick or a sturdy twig. Put them in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Cut the other tomato into quarters, remove the inside out, push it through a strainer and collect the moisture. Cut the flesh into small dice. Mix the delicious moisture released during cooking of squid with tomato juice and diced tomatoes, and use it as a sauce.
Cut the other tomato into quarters, remove the inside out, push it through a strainer and collect the moisture. Cut the flesh into small dice. Mix the delicious moisture released during cooking of squid with tomato juice and diced tomatoes, and use it as a sauce.
Serve with basmati rice
Friday
Lamb Burgers with Mint-Feta Pesto
(Inspired by Williams-Sonoma Grill Master, by Fred Thompson)
2 Tbs. finely chopped shallot -2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley -1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh mint - 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard - 2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed - 1 clove garlic, minced - 750 gr ground salt and freshly ground pepper - 6 pita rounds
Shredded lettuce for serving
Mint-Feta Pesto:
30 gr loosely packed fresh mint leaves - 2 Tbs. pine nuts - 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes -125 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed - 185 gr feta cheese, crumbled - salt and freshly ground black pepper
Friday
Lamb Burgers with Mint-Feta Pesto
(Inspired by Williams-Sonoma Grill Master, by Fred Thompson)
Shredded lettuce for serving
Mint-Feta Pesto:
30 gr loosely packed fresh mint leaves - 2 Tbs. pine nuts - 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes -125 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed - 185 gr feta cheese, crumbled - salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a blender or food processor, combine the mint, pine nuts and red pepper flakes and pulse until the mint is chopped. With the machine running, slowly add the oil in a thin, stead stream, processing until a thin paste forms. If the paste is too thick, add a little more oil. Add the feta cheese and pulse 3 or 4 times to mix. Alternatively, for a more rustic sauce, transfer the mint mixture to a bowl and stir in the feta just until combined. Season with salt and black pepper.
In a bowl, mix together the shallot, parsley, mint, mustard, rosemary and garlic. Gently work in the lamb and beef until well blended. A tablespoon or two of ice water sometimes helps with the mixing. Divide the meat mixture into 6 equal portions. Shape each portion into a patty about 2.5 cm. thick, being careful not to compact the meat too much. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Make a depression in the center of each patty with your thumb. Place the patties, indent side up, on the grill and cook, turning once, until nicely charred on both sides, about 5 minutes per side for medium. The burger should give slightly when pressed. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, throw the pitas onto the edge of the grill and toast lightly, turning once. Transfer the burgers to a platter. Cut off and discard about one-third of each pita round and open up the pocket. Place a little of the mint-feta pesto in the bottom of each pita, add a lamb burger, and top with shredded lettuce and a little more pesto.
Enjoy!
