I love homemade meals with my fiancé, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't have a game plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredients I've bought (and I HATE wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week - my weekly meal plan and grocery guide. This way, I can make the most of my ingredients and my leftovers.
Last week, I made Chicken Sausage & Peppers Subs and reused the leftover sausage for Grilled & Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms. This week, I'll be using peaches for a Grilled Peach, Bacon, & Blue Cheese Salad with a honey balsamic reduction and using the extras for a Peach & Gruyère Grilled Cheese.
Here's what else I'm making:
Pantry Items Olive oil (regular and extra virgin) Balsamic vinegar Cooking spray Chick stock Parmesan Honey White cooking wine Butter Cumin Cayenne Kosher salt Pepper
Grocery List based on servings for 2 with leftovers Buttermilk 8 jumbo shrimp 8 slices bacon 4 oz Gruyère 2 oz blue cheese 3-4 ripe peaches 1 medium yellow onion 1 head garlic 1 jalapeño 1 bunch arugula 1 bunch cilantro 1 bunch scallion 1 head lettuce 1 carton grape tomatoes 1 lime 2 avocados 2 ears corn 1 loaf rustic whole grain bread 1 package pappardelle pasta
Day 1 -- Shrimp Fajita Salad with Zesty Avocado Dressing *Makes leftover Avocado Dressing for BLTs
Heat grill pan over medium-high heat and coat lightly with oil.
Add ½ sliced yellow onion and cook until softened, about 5-10 minutes. Season with a dash of cumin, salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, make avocado dressing; recipe adapted from skinnytaste.com.
In a food processor, combine 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1 jalapeño (remove seeds for less spice), ¼ cup cilantro, 2 tbsp chopped scallion, 1 avocado, 1-2 cloves garlic, juice of 1 lime, 1/8 tsp cumin, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper. *Reserve one half for use in day 5.
Thin out remaining dressing with buttermilk and taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Toss shrimp with ¼ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp cayenne, lime zest, salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat.
Add to grill pan over medium-high heat and cook until shrimp is charred and just cooked through, about 1-3 minutes per side.
Remove kernels from corn. *Set half aside for use in day 3.
Wash and chop enough lettuce for two salads. Add corn and 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes.
Top with cooked onions, charred shrimp and avocado buttermilk dressing.
Day 2 -- Spicy Avocado BLTs *Uses leftover Avocado Dressing
Cook 6 slices of bacon and toast 4 slices of rustic bread.
Layer two slices of toast with lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced avocado and bacon. Season with cracked black pepper. Spread leftover avocado dressing on remaining slices and top off sandwiches.
Slice and serve with extra dressing on the side.
Day 3 -- Grilled Peach, Bacon, & Blue Cheese Salad *Makes leftover Honey Balsamic Reduction for Peach Grilled Cheeses
Cook and crumble 2 slices bacon. Set aside.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat and lightly brush with oil.
Lightly brush two halved and pitted peaches with butter and place cut side down on grill. Cover and grill until peaches are slightly softened and grill marks appear, about 4-6 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 cup balsamic vinegar in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in 1/2 tbsp honey. Reduce the heat to simmer and allow to reduce by half. *Reserve half the syrup for use in day 5.
Arrange peaches over arugula and top with crumbled blue cheese, bacon, and cracked black pepper. Drizzle with dressing and serve.
Day 4 -- Pappardelle with Corn & Tomatoes recipe adapted from foodnetwork.com
Melt ½ tbsp butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add 1½ cups halved cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add corn kernels and 2 cloves minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in ¼ cup white wine and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup chicken stock and reduce to simmer.
Meanwhile, cook 2 servings of pasta according to instructions. Reserve ½ cup starchy cooking liquid.
Add cooked pasta to skillet along with 2 tbsp chopped scallion, parmesan and ½ tbsp butter. Toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water if needed.
Adjust seasonings and serve topped with parmesan.
Day 5 -- Peach & Fontina Grilled Cheese *Uses leftover Honey Balsamic Reduction
Heat a skillet or panini pan over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray.
Butter 4 slices of rustic bread. Place two slices into pan, buttered side down. Top each with peeled and sliced peaches, sliced Gruyère, a handful of arugula and cracked black pepper. Top with remaining slices, buttered side up.
Grill, flipping once and pressing down, until cheese is melted and sandwiches are golden-brown and crisp.
Meanwhile, reheat leftover balsamic reduction.
Slice and serve with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
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