I love homemade meals with my fiancé, but most of the time, cooking for two can 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.
In honor of National Burger Month, I'm adding a burger to the mix each week. Last week, I made delicious Lamb Sliders and used the extra meat for a Springtime Lamb Ragu. This week, I'm making Shrimp Burgers with a spicy mayo that I'll reuse for Patatas Aioli later in the week.
Here's what else I'm making:
Pantry Items Olive oil (regular and extra virgin) Canola or peanut oil Cooking spray Red wine vinegar Eggs Dijon mustard Fat free sour cream Mayonnaise Panko bread crumbs Soy sauce Honey Cayenne Paprika Garlic powder Onion powder Dried thyme Kosher salt Pepper
Grocery List based on servings for 2 w/ leftovers 1 ½ lbs shrimp, peeled and de-veined 1 lb flank steak 4 oz Manchego cheese 2-3 red or yellow potatoes 1 head garlic 1 yellow onion 1 red onion 1 celery stalk 2 plum tomatoes 1 bunch parsley 1 package arugula or mixed greens 1 cucumber 1 carrot 3 lemons 1 small bunch radishes 4 oz sugar snap peas 2 good rolls or buns 1 package soba noodles 1 can chipotle in adobo
Day 1 -- Shrimp Burgers w/ Spicy Mayo *Makes leftover Spicy Mayo for use in Patatas Aioli
In a food processor, lightly grind ½ lb shrimp, leaving some pieces chunky. Remove shrimp and set aside in bowl. To food processor, add ¼ cup coarsely chopped yellow onion, ½ chopped celery stalk, 1 clove garlic and fresh parsley. Pulse to a fine chop.
Add vegetable mixture to shrimp and mix in 1 egg and ¼ cup panko bread crumbs. Add in the zest of ½ lemon, salt, pepper and 1 tsp spice mixture (mix 2 parts paprika, salt and garlic powder with 1 part black pepper, onion powder, cayenne and thyme).
Form into patties, adding additional bread crumbs if needed.
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Fry patties, about 3-5 minutes on each side, until shrimp is pink and cooked through.
Meanwhile, make spicy mayo by mixing ½ cup mayo with 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. *Reserve half for use in day 3.
Lightly toast buns and top shrimp burgers with arugula, sliced tomato and a spread of spicy mayo. Serve hot with side salad of greens tossed with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. *Reserve majority of greens for use in day 4.
Day 2 -- Soba Noodle & Cucumber Salad recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
Cook soba noodles according to package instructions, drain and rinse well under cold water.
Blanch snow peas. Toss noodles with thinly sliced cucumber, sugar snap peas and radishes.
Dress with oil, soy sauce and fresh lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Day 3 -- Garlic Shrimp & Patatas Aioli *Uses leftover Spicy Mayo *Makes leftover Patatas for use in Steak & Potato Hash
Parboil peeled and diced potatoes. Drain and toss with 1 tsp paprika.
Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat and coat lightly in oil. Add potatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until golden-brown and crisp on all sides. *Reserve half of potatoes for use in day 5.
Meanwhile, toss shrimp with olive oil, chopped garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add shrimp to skillet, cooking until shrimp are no longer opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Serve shrimp hot with a side of fried potatoes drizzled with leftover spicy mayonnaise.
Day 4 -- Flank Steak & Manchego over Arugula *Makes leftover Flank Steak for use in Steak & Potato Hash
In a shallow bowl or plastic bag, toss steak with olive oil, chopped parsley, minced garlic, salt and pepper.
Preheat grill pan over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Grill steak to desired doneness, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
Meanwhile, make dressing by whisking together 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, ½ tsp honey and 1/3 cup olive oil.
Slice steak and serve over arugula topped with sliced red onion, 1 chopped tomato and shavings of manchego cheese. Drizzle with Dijon vinaigrette. *Reserve half of steak and cheese for use in day 5.
Day 5 - Steak & Potato Hash w/ Fried Eggs *Uses leftover Patatas and Flank Steak
Roughly chop leftover steak.
Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat and coat lightly with oil. Add ½ chopped yellow onion and 2 cloves minced garlic, cooking until softened. Season with salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Stir in leftover potatoes and cook until hot and crisp. Mix in steak to heat through.
Top with shredded manchego and place in broiler to melt.
Meanwhile, cook 4 eggs over-easy. Serve hash hot topped with over-easy eggs and a dollop of sour cream.
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