—————————————————— What's Cooking This Week? | Eating Our Words | Houston | Houston Press | The Leading Independent News Source in Houston, Texas

Grocery Guide

What's Cooking This Week?

I love cooking for my fiancé and for myself, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't make a plan, I end up aimlessly wandering the supermarket and wasting half the ingredients that I've bought (and I HATE food wasters...I'm lookin' at you!). Enter What's Cooking This Week -- My Weekly Meal Plan & Grocery Guide. Now, I can make the most of my ingredients and my leftovers.

Last week, I cooked up some Roasted Salmon & Brussels Sprouts and used the leftover sprouts for an awesome Bacon, Tomato & Sprout Pasta. This week, I'll be making the most out of ripe avocados and spicy chicken.

Here's what I'm making:

  • Grilled Shrimp Cobb Salad
  • Whole Grain Linguine with Creamy Avocado Sauce
  • Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  • Ginger Shrimp with Sesame Snow Peas
  • Spicy Chicken Flatbread

    Pantry Items Olive oil (regular and extra virgin) Canola or peanut oil Cooking spray Butter Milk Eggs Low-sodium soy sauce Honey Parmesan Paprika Hot sauce Fat-free Greek yogurt Worcestershire sauce Garlic powder Onion powder Sesame seeds Kosher salt Pepper

    Grocery List based on servings for two with leftovers 1 ½ lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders 4 oz blue cheese 3 oz fresh mozzarella 2 slices turkey bacon (optional for cobb) 1 yellow onion 1 red onion 1 head romaine 1 bunch fresh basil 1 bunch scallions 1 package shredded carrots 1 package cherry tomatoes 1-2 lemons 2 avocados 6 oz snow peas 1 bulb fresh ginger 1 8-oz can crushed tomato 1 box whole grain linguine 1 freshly baked flatbread or naan

    Day 1 -- Grilled Shrimp Cobb Salad *Makes leftover Lettuce Wraps for Buffalo Chicken

    Heat grill pan over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.

    Butterfly half the shrimp by slicing almost through lengthwise. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. *Freeze remaining shrimp for use in day 4.

    Grill shrimp, flipping once, until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side.

    Meanwhile, hard boil 2 eggs and cook 2 slices turkey bacon.

    Remove 6 large lettuce leaves from head of romaine and chop 2 cups from remaining lettuce. *Set leaves aside for use in day 3.

    Whisk together 1½ tsp lemon juice, 1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    Use a large serving platter or bowl for presentation. Add chopped lettuce and then arrange separate lines of halved tomatoes, diced eggs, chopped scallions, 1 chopped avocado, crumbled bacon, 2 oz crumbled blue cheese, and grilled shrimp on top of lettuce.

    Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

    Day 2 - Whole Grain Linguine w/ Creamy Avocado Sauce

    Cook two servings pasta in a pot of salted water according to instructions (1 minute less for al dente).

    In a food processor, combine 3 cloves garlic, juice of half a lemon and 2 tbsp olive oil. Remove pit from avocado and add insides to mixture. Add 1 cup basil and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    Toss cooked pasta and ½ cup of halved cherry tomatoes with avocado cream sauce.

    Serve hot topped with parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

    Day 3 -- Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps *Makes leftover Buffalo Chicken for Spicy Chicken Flatbread *Uses reserved Lettuce Wraps

    Heat a skillet over medium heat and lightly drizzle with olive oil.

    Chop chicken into bite-size pieces and add to pan, cooking until chicken is golden-brown and cooked through. Remove and set aside.

    To same pan, add in 1 tbsp butter, ¼ cup hot sauce and ½ tsp Worcestershire. Toss in chicken to coat. *Set half aside for use in day 5.

    Meanwhile, mix together 2-3 tbsp Greek yogurt, blue cheese crumbles, a splash of milk and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add salt if needed.

    Mince cooked chicken and serve with lettuce wraps, shredded carrots, chopped red onion and lightened blue cheese dressing.

    Day 4 -- Ginger Shrimp w/ Sesame Snow Peas

    Defrost shrimp.

    Heat a skillet or wok over medium-high heat and coat lightly with canola oil.

    Toss shrimp with ½ tbsp soy sauce, ½ tbsp freshly grated ginger, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp honey and ½ tsp rice wine vinegar. Add to skillet and cook until shrimp is opaque.

    Remove shrimp from skillet and add in snowpeas. Season with salt and pepper and toss with sesame seeds, cooking until crisp, about 1-2 minutes.

    Serve shrimp and snow peas hot and top with sliced scallion.

    Day 5 -- Spicy Chicken Flatbread *Uses leftover Buffalo Chicken

    Heat saucepan over medium heat and coat lightly with olive oil. Add ½ medium yellow onion and 2-3 cloves minced garlic, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10 minutes before adding freshly chopped basil.

    Heat a grill or oven to 450 degrees.

    Top flatbread with tomato sauce, leftover Buffalo chicken, sliced red onion and fresh mozzarella.

    Add flatbread directly to grill, pizza stone or baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cook until crust is crisp and cheese is melted and bubbly.

    Slice and serve hot topped with chopped scallions and parmesan.

    Enjoy!



    Follow Eating Our Words on Facebook and on Twitter @EatingOurWords

  • KEEP THE HOUSTON PRESS FREE... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.
    Brooke Viggiano is a contributing writer who is always looking to share Houston's coolest and tastiest happenings with the Houston Press readers.
    Contact: Brooke Viggiano