Weekday Recipe Round Up! by Desiree Proveau

Are you ready for another week of meals ideas?  Well you're in luck!  Check out the menu.... 

MONDAY:
Trout with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

Super healthy, super tasty, and super easy!  Exactly what I need for a Monday night...

-Preheat oven to 400
-Slice up 3-4 sweet potatoes and place them in a casserole dish tossed with olive oil, rosemary and a little brown sugar.
-Cook for about 30 minutes or until they're starting to brown up on the corners.
-Meanwhile place the fish on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper and begin to boil a large pot of water.
-After the 30 minutes are up and the sweet potatoes are starting to brown up; turn the oven down to 350 and cook the fish with the potatoes for 12 minutes or until the fish flakes apart. -At the last moment blanch a bag of spinach in a pot of boiling water for a minute and drain.

I like to sprinkle my spinach with balsamic vinegar but James likes butter and salt...pick a side and enjoy!

TUESDAY:
Simple Pasta

I like pasta on Tuesdays. Well, I like it on all days but I only allow it once a week to avoid a monumental weight gain. And Tuesday seems like a perfect choice because Tuesdays have nothing going for them on their own — they pretty much suck except for Pasta. I sound kind of negative this week don't I? I blame the rain.

I can whip up a pasta with pretty much anything because I have an unhealthy obsession with noodles, but for this one I used:

1 can tomatoes
1 red onion
5 garlic cloves crushed and chopped
6 mushrooms chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine (left over from the weekend)
A pinch of Vegeta
A pinch of sugar
1/2 tbsp of basil, and oregano
A splash of whipping cream
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts (I burned mine) : )
1/2 cups of grated Parmesan
4 handfuls of baby arugula

-Fry up your onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat until soft and then add the mushrooms.
-Fry for another few minutes until mushrooms are softened.
-Add the can of tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil.
-Reduce heat to low and simmer for a half hour or so.
-Add cream.

Meanwhile cook your pasta according to directions on the bag, drain and return to the pot
Toss with Arugula and then add all the sauce and combine.
Top with cheese and pine-nuts.

HMMMMMMMMM...damn that's good!

 WEDNESDAY:
Slow Cooker Beef and Stout Stew

This is a man's meal so I let my husband cook it.
 

This was the recipe he used:

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb (680 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb (454 g) carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 lb (454 g) parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
3 lb (1.4 kg) stewing beef cubes
4 strips thick-sliced bacon, chopped
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) Stout beer
3/4 cup (175 mL) sodium-reduced beef broth
2 tsp (10 mL) Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup (75 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas

-In slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, onion, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Top with beef and bacon.

-Whisk together stout, broth, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce; pour over beef. Cover and cook on low until beef and vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 hours. Discard bay leaves.

-Whisk flour with 1 cup of the cooking liquid until smooth; whisk into slow cooker. Stir in peas; cook, covered, on high until thickened, about 30 minutes.

THURSDAY:
Grilled Chicken and Caramelized Onion Panini's
with Cucumber, Tomato and Avocado Salad
 

If you don't have a sandwich press...just grill these up in a pan.

First Up: Caramelized your onions! It takes a while but it is sooo worth it.
- Slice up 5 or 6 white onions and pop the rings out.
- Fry them on low in a little olive oil.
- Sprinkle with salt and then once they are cooked down a bit, add a tbsp of brown sugar.
- Continue to fry on low for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile - Cook a couple chicken breasts in a small casserole dish filled with balsamic vinegar for about 30 minutes or until cooked.  Slice up.
 
Time to construct your sandwiches!
On mine:
Pesto
Sliced Havarti
Goat Cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes
Chicken
Caramelized Onions

Salad:
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumber
Shallots
Avocado
Olive Oil
White Balsamic
Goat Cheese

Press them or pan grill them until the cheese melts.
Now THAT was delicious!

Hope you're sufficiently inspired to cook up a feast!
Stay tuned for next week when I bake a special dessert that blew many minds...

Thanks for reading!
Love Desiree

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Desiree Proveau is a farmer's only daughter, now living in Toronto. In the midst of urban glitz and excess, she's incorporates the lessons she learned on her father's farm: to make due or mend, to never use anything just once, and to re-purpose what's no longer useful. She shares her designs, crafty lifestyle, and inspirations at The Farmer's Only Daughter.