September 24 - 30

September 24 - Coconut Almond Chicken
I make this every couple of months (last on July 1). It is hearty, healthy, and very yummy. Sometimes I serve it over rice, sometimes not. This time I served it plain and it was delicious.

September 25 - Zucchini Fritters with Sausage
These were pretty good. I, of course, used GF flour instead of regular. And, I hauled out the frozen shredded zucchini for this dish and was able to use up all of the remaining stock. My second batch turned out better because I actually let the oil and pan get hot enough to cook them at the right temperature. I had left over Sriracha mayo that I topped this with rather than making the chili lime mayo, but that sounded yummy, too. I served these with roasted chicken sausage, which was a good addition of protein and salt for the dish overall. I think left over fritters would be good topped with an over-easy egg.

September 26 - Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed Cauliflower and Steamed Green Beans

Fall means I start craving hearty food. This meatloaf is so filled with herbs and veggies it isn't your traditional "mommas" meatloaf. Very easy to whip together and I cook it in my mini loaf pans to shorten cook time and limit portions.


For the cauliflower mash: I used 2 cups riced cauliflower, 1 peeled and chopped Yukon gold potato, and 1 peeled and chopped parsnip (the one that looks like a big white carrot). I steam all together until the potato and parsnip are soft enough to pierce with a fork. Then, I add a bit of butter and milk and mash until smooth. I know adding the one potato brings the starch content up a bit on this, but it is worth the trade off for consistency of texture. Also, you don't have to rice the cauliflower, I just had some leftover from another recipe. Finally, I like the parsnip because it is another root veggie (yay for minerals!) and it adds a yummy nutty flavor to the whole thing.

Green beans are easy: snap, steam, and serve crisp-tender. They are great for dipping in that mash.

September 27 - Salmon Coconut Curry
We pulled this recipe from a Runner's World magazine back in 2012. Every time I make it we enjoy it and remember how lovely all the flavors of this particular curry compliment one another. I didn't have any tomato paste on hand so I used about a 1/4 cup of tomato sauce. It worked. I forgot to make the rice ahead of time so on this night we had it without (the gluten eaters around here had naan: jealous!) but we made some rice to use for the leftover portions.

Here's what you do:

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet/curry pan. Add 2 chopped shallots and 2 minced cloves of garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add 2 cups chicken broth/stock, 14 oz of light coconut milk (one small can), 2 cubed sweet potatoes, 2 TBS tomato paste, 1 TBS minced ginger, 1 TBS curry powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.

Add 1lb skinless, raw, cubed salmon, 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, and juice of 1 lime and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Top with fresh cilantro. Optional: serve with rice or naan. 

September 28 - Leftovers
We revisited the curry from the night before. I love how stews, soups, and curries usually make enough to cover some lunches and a night of leftovers. Woohoo!


September 29 - Falafel Burgers with Brussel Sprout Salad and Sweet Potato Fries
These are an old standby for us, too. I make them every few weeks (last on June 30).  I love the balance of flavors in the burger with the fresh lemon. We usually add some hummus to the top of ours, too. As per usual, I used a salad kit and the Alexia fries. Comfort food at is finest.


September 30 - Sausage and Veggies Stuffed Squash
I adapted this recipe since I only had one mondo patty pan squash (looks like a big flower) and a couple of summer squash.  I also doubled the filling so that we'd have plenty and some leftover. Overall it was a decent dish (both the hubs and the kiddo ate it up). I wasn't as impressed. I used an Italian chicken sausage and it was okay but not my favorite. Couple that with the texture of the squash and it was not something I gobbled up. But, it was full of vitamins and was a good change up from the norm.