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This Week’s Menu – A Pop of Something Fun

This Week’s Menu – A Pop of Something Fun

From brightly colored soup to snacks you can eat by the handfuls, “pops” seem like a great theme for this week’s menu. And if you decide to add a bottle of something sparkly to drink, well, we won’t stop you!

How To Use This Week’s Menu

Can I tell you to skip all the real food and just make a double batch of the Puppy Chow? Probably not. (How about make the regular food AND a double batch of Puppy Chow? 😉

As long as you’re prepping ahead, spend some time making the Firecracker Meatballs with Rice and Green Beans dish components ahead of time. Your Wednesday night self thanks you.

Same goes for the Ham & Peas Cheesy Potato Casserole. It freezes beautifully so make it ahead and/or make a double batch; eat one and freeze the other.

Finally, this winter weather is perfect for a hearty soup. The Cauliflower & Corn Chowder fits the bill perfectly. (Pro-tip: sub all the potatoes for cauliflower if you’re watching carbs this week. The corn can be the treat.)

[[ recipeID=recipe-8lddbxhya, title=Cauliflower & Corn Chowder ]]

[[ recipeID=recipe-8lddc5vt6, title=Firecracker Meatballs with Rice and Green Beans ]]

[[ recipeID=recipe-8lddcipn7, title=Ham & Peas Cheesy Potato Casserole ]]

[[ recipeID=recipe-8lcgnxkt3, title=Puppy Chow ]]

Posted on January 26, 2023
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Cauliflower & Corn Chowder

The search for the perfect cauliflower soup brings us to this delicious chowder, filled with all of our favorite things.



Servings: 6

Keywords:

  • Prep Time: 0 mins
  • Cook Time: 0 mins
  • Total Time: 0 mins

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 head cauliflower chopped
  • 1 lb red potatoes diced
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups corn kernels thawed, if frozen
  • ½ cup of milk
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 green onions chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from the pot, leaving the bacon fat. Add the chopped onion to the bacon fat and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
  2. Deglaze the pan by adding about 1 cup of the broth. Use your stirring spoon to get the good brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Then, add the cauliflower, diced potatoes, corn, and the rest of the broth, bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender. Transfer 2 cups of the cauliflower/potato/corn/broth mixture to a blender and puree.* Add the puree back into the soup pot.
  3. Add the milk to the soup pot. Boil for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in the shredded cheese and half of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls topped with bacon and chopped green onions.

Notes

*Alternatively, you could carefully use your immersion blender directly in the pot. OR skip this step for a chunkier stew.


VEGETARIAN

- Skip the bacon at the start. Instead, start the dish with 2 tbsp olive oil.

- Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.


CARB CONSCIOUS

- Replace the potatoes with another head of cauliflower.


MEAT LOVERS

- Add a couple small chicken breasts to the pot with the potatoes and corn. Allow to poach in the soup until completely cooked through. Remove from pot, shred and stir back into the soup.


DAIRY-FREE

- You could probably use a unflavored milk alternative and skip the cheese, but then maybe just make a different soup. 😉


Firecracker Meatballs with Rice and Green Beans

Oh, you guys are going to love this one! Be wary of the spice. Or rather, my meager amount. Add more to your taste! I happened to have sambel oelek instead of sriracha the first several times I made this and much prefer it, but use sriracha if that’s all you have.


That's quite a spicy meatball!! You'll love the flavor in this healthy dinner. Plan ahead and 95% of the work will be done ahead of time.

Servings: 4

Keywords:

  • Prep Time: 0 mins
  • Cook Time: 0 mins
  • Total Time: 0 mins

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

SIRACHA-LIME SAUCE

  • 1 tsp sambal oelek
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tbsp salted butter
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 pinch salt

GREEN BEANS

  • 1 lb green beans
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

FOR SERVING

  • 3 cups sooked white rice
  • 2 tbsp green onions diced

MEATBALLS

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 2 tbsp green onions about 2-3 green onions
  • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baked sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine all meatball ingredients with your hands. Roll the meat mixture into 1-inch balls using either your hands or a a 1 tbsp scoop. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes or until browned.
  2. Place all the sriracha-lime sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the butter is melted, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce comes to a light simmer.
  3. To make the green beans, place the beans and soy sauce in a microwave safe bowl. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until it reaches your desired level of crispness. Drain any extra water and toss with sesame seeds.
  4. Place the meatballs and sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat and toss to coat.
  5. Serve the meatballs alongside the rice and beans. Drizzle any extra sauce over the plate and garnished with the sliced green onions.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD

The meatballs, sauce, and rice can all be made earlier in the week and stored in the fridge.

Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the meatballs are warmed through. Meanwhile, reheat the rice either by placing it in a medium-sized saucepan, covered, over low heat for ??? minutes or by microwaving it for about 2 minutes.

 

GLUTEN-FREE

Sub coconut aminos for soy sauce


Ham & Peas Cheesy Potato Casserole

This is a great casserole to make ahead of time, meaning you can keep it in the freezer for up to three months or prep ahead for a great potluck dinner contribution.

Servings: 6

Keywords:

  • Prep Time: 0 mins
  • Cook Time: 0 mins
  • Total Time: 0 mins

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

SAUCE

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • ½ onion diced
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • ½ cup sharp cheddar shredded
  • ¼ tsp pepper

CASSEROLE

  • 1 ½ lbs potatoes diced
  • 1 cup ham diced
  • ½ cup peas
  • ½ cup sharp cheddar shredded

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Over medium heat, melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and stir until softened, about 4 minutes. Add flour and cook an additional 2 minutes while continuously whisking. Pour in chicken broth and milk all at once. Whisk over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
  2. Place half of the potatoes in a baking tin, sprinkle with ham and peas. Top with remaining potatoes, and pour the sauce over top. Top with shredded cheddar. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Remove foil, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.

Notes

- Use frozen diced potatoes to speed things along.

- For the ham, go to the deli counter and ask for very thick slices. Then you only have to cut two ways when you get home.


VEGGIE LOVERS

- Skip the ham and add in extra veggies. Mushrooms, peppers or squash would work great. Chopped asparagus spears could be seasonally appropriate. (But might get mushy – go for thicker spears so they hold up.)


MEAT LOVERS

- Another handful of diced ham never hurt anyone.


GLUTEN-FREE

- Use your favorite alternative thickening agent to make the sauce


DAIRY-FREE

- This is not your dish, darling. Maybe try our roast chicken with potatoes and carrots using olive oil in place of the butter instead.

Puppy Chow

A most classic take on snack time. Sure, there are dressed-up versions of puppy chow around the innerwebs, but we always come back to our first true love.

Servings: 18

Keywords:

  • Prep Time: 0 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

  • 10 cups rice chex
  • 1 ⅔ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Place cereal into a large bowl* and set aside. In a 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter uncovered on high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for 30 more seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla.
  2. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into a 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal the bag and shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

We are fancy kitchen professionals, so we need to tell you to use a bowl and food-safe bag. In reality, nothing beats a paper or plastic bag start to finish for this activity. Feel free to skip the baking sheet step, too. Just don’t tell anyone we said that.

- Choose between corn Chex, rice Chex, wheat Chex, or chocolate Chex, or a combination of all the above.

GLUTEN-FREE

- Be sure to check your cereal. Rice Chex is gluten-free, but other flavors may not be.

DAIRY-FREE

-Use an alternative butter.

NUT-FREE

-I haven’t tried it, but imagine sunflower butter would work just as well for this snack mix.