Apr 22 Meal Plan

Good Morning!

Spring is coming along and warm days are ahead. We are planting in the garden and looking forward to hikes in our brown foothills during the short time that they turn beautifully green. Our baby is almost one and standing up all over the place. And my husband made some tepache this week that I’m excited to drink. I hope there are many small things to bring joy and look forward to for you.

Quick Links

chile rellenos bake, biscuits // turmeric chicken and asparagus // pasta carbonara, no-bacon carbonara // slow cooker butter chicken, paneer makhani

Weeknight Meals

• Chile Rellenos Bake and Biscuits

  • This is a very easy and tasty dinner. We have been making this for a few years and we’re always happy when it’s in the rotation. We like it with black beans, and a small salad. This time we had some leftover buttermilk that needed to be used so we had biscuits too and it was a real crowd pleaser.

• Turmeric Black Pepper Chicken with Asparagus (NYT gift link)

  • It’s asparagus season and this is a great asparagus recipe. I topped mine with some sliced scallions since there’s no onions or garlic in this stir fry. We liked this with some quinoa but as the recipe says, it would also be great as a filling for a lettuce wrap.

  • You can substitute tofu for the chicken and still get all these great flavors.

• Pasta Carbonara or No-Bacon Carbonara

  • I love pasta carbonara. It’s delicious and salty and indulgent. And I’ve messed it up many times! I watched a few youtube videos and practiced a bunch and now I can make it without scrambling the eggs, which feels like an accomplishment. The key, I found, is adding pasta water to the eggs and making sure your pan isn’t too hot when you add the eggs.

  • Serve with a salad or some lightly cooked veg cause you’re going to need something fresh as a contrast to the very rich pasta.

image from NYT cooking

Weekend Meal

• Slow Cooker Butter Chicken or Paneer Makhani

  • Just imagine how good your house would smell after letting this slow cook!

Treat of the Week

• Brown Butter Oat Bars:

  • 1/2 cup of salted butter, browned over medium heat. (it will sizzle and then foam. watch and swirl the foam to see the browning underneath and don’t let it burn)

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup white sugar

  • 1 egg

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • 3/4 cup flour

  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

  • 1/2 cup baking soda

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

    • heat oven to 350. whisk brown butter, sugars, egg and vanilla until smooth. mix dry ingredients together and then fold into wet ingredients until incorporated. add the chocolate chips. spread in a 8x8 pan. bake 20-25 minutes or until mostly done in the center. cool 30 minutes before slicing. delicious with vanilla ice cream!

Something to Listen to

• The New York Times’ spring playlist

  • A big jumble of fun songs for the season.

Have a wonderful week!

Emily