Weekly Meal Plan // August 14-18

This week is a bit of a perfect storm. Every day is full to the brim with something. That means dinners will be strategic—low energy, not too many ingredients, easy cleanup, but delicious.

It’s almost Kitchen Reboot time! Sign up ASAP!

I made this cherry tomato and Calabrian chili sauce on Instagram, it’s a great weeknight pasta. We’re making it in my September 8 in-person cooking class and we still have a few spots left! Email me if you’re interested!

SUNDAY

Later this week, I’m teaching a class for teachers at our high school and I’ve been deep in research mode. I’m looking for all my favorite easy recipes that teachers can pull off after a busy and exhausting day. On crazy days, I rely on my Instant Pot to speed things along. One of my favorites is this easy Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore. It requires a little chopping, but nothing that will give you carpal tunnel.

Easy Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Serve over polenta, pasta, spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles. Serves 4

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 1 15-ounce can peeled tomatoes, crushed or diced are fine too, or substitute two cups Rao’s Marinara
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or some chopped fresh oregano, or Italian seasoning
• Pinch of crushed red pepper (or more to taste)
• 1 bay leaf (optional, won’t make it or break it)
• 2 tablespoons chiffonade of basil or chopped parsley, for serving (optional)

1. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. To the bowl of your Instant Pot, add the tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Give everything a quick stir. Tuck the chicken thighs into the sauce and close and seal the lid and vent.
3. For chicken thighs, cook on the poultry setting for 20 minutes; for chicken breasts, cook on the poultry setting for 15 minutes. Quick release the steam (carefully, with a kitchen towel set over the valve and use tongs to turn it) and open the lid.
4. Remove the bay leaf and stir the ingredients. Taste for seasoning and garnish with fresh herbs before serving.

MONDAY

What are your thoughts on soup when it’s 100 degrees outside? Honestly, it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest, and I need to test a new bean soup recipe I’ve been dreaming up. But my family might have a thing or two to say about it. So I’m opting for a simple stir fry with Trader Joe’s Red Curry Sauce. H-E-B and Whole Foods sell similar ready-to-use Red Curry sauces. Just to be clear, I’m not talking about Red Curry Paste, but a sauce that’s ready to simmer with vegetables and a protein of choice. You may want to add a little coconut milk or a generous squeeze of lime to brighten it up. But if you’re a soup person, you can also try my recipe for Coconut Red Curry Soup.

TUESDAY

Today I’ll be on Houston Life to talk about Kitchen Reboot. For dinner, it’s Easy Enchilada Casserole. I’m using Siete brand tortillas and pre-made enchilada sauce. Use a rotisserie chicken to make this extra easy. You can also find this recipe in my cookbook.

WEDNESDAY

I have a cooking demo late this afternoon, so I’ll pack up all the ingredients and leftovers and cull something together at home. In the class, I’m making Green Bean and Ground Pork stir fry, which is a favorite easy weeknight dinner.

Green Bean and Ground Pork Stir Fry

You can also make this with ground turkey, lamb or chicken. Serves 4-6

• 1 ½ pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (or sugar snap peas or cut asparagus)
• About a tablespoon of avocado oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons Asian chile sauce, such as sriracha or sambal oelek
• 3/4 cup chicken broth or water
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, or coconut aminos to keep things soy-free
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• For serving: cooked rice or cauliflower rice

Preheat the broiler. Toss the green beans, a drizzle of avocado oil, and the salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, stirring once, until the beans are tender and charred, about 8 minutes. Note: You can also just add the green beans to the pan after you cook the meat if you don’t want to heat up your oven, which is exactly what I’ll be doing!

Heat a little more avocado oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the meat and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or pastry blender until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and chile paste and cook until the garlic is softened, about 3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar and cornstarch. Add the green beans to the skillet with the meat and cook, stirring, to combine. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and reduces slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Equipment:

Rimmed half sheet pan

Pastry blender (to break up the meat as it cooks)

THURSDAY

Family date night. We’re headed to sushi, my oldest daughter’s request before she heads out for sophomore year of college. It’s not hard to make sushi at home if you have the right equipment and a decent rice cooker. Use Cal Rose or Japanese sushi rice. Add a super fast miso soup if you’d like!

FRIDAY

I’m off to D.C. with my college girl and we have reservations at Le Diplomate to celebrate the transition from Paris to D.C. If you have any D.C. restaurant recommendations, send them my way! If you’re looking for something to make this weekend, why not salty brown butter rice crispy treats? Here’s an Instagram post showing how to make them. Happy weekend, friends.