One-Pan Swordfish w/ Ratatouille

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Seafood Nutrition Partnership. All opinions are 100% mine.

Over the years I've mentioned my penchant for seafood, which I think really took hold after my trip to Scotland's Inner Hebrides. I imagine any coastal location has a way of making you a believer—eating seafood moments after it was pulled from the water is an experience that everyone should have at least once in their life. But alas, I don't reside in a coastal area.

Fortunately it's easy to get your hands on good quality fresh and frozen seafood in this day and age. Flavor factor aside, eating fish and seafood just makes me feel a tad more virtuous. While I'm sure that's part mindset, it's actually a truth, since seafood is high in Omega-3s, healthy fats that are essential for heart and brain health.

Quick Turkey and Hominy Chili

My hunt to add more easy weeknight meal options to our dinner rotation is ongoing. If I don't actively experiment and look for inspiration, I find myself in a rut, making the same things over and over again. Every once in a while, I head to the library and come home with a giant stack of magazines. I've been known to spend hours scouring the pages, ripping my library receipt into little strips to mark the pages that inspire me. I actually find the process calming and productive at the same time.

I was doing just that a few months ago when I came across a recipe for a simple, hearty chili in the June 2015 edition of the Food Network Magazine. It was actually the first thing that I made from all of the recipes I tagged that day, adapting it slightly by adding more hominy (because I love the chewiness and earthy flavor), more spices (because I love flavor), and some masa harina to accent the hominy.

This isn't chili in the way that I normally think of chili, like a warming stew, it's actually closer to the meat sauce variety. Aka, there's not a whole lot of liquid. But they recommended serving it over rice, and that was right on. The little bit of liquid that it does have soaks in and adds some flavor to white rice. Oh, and it was on the table in 30 minutes.

Quick Turkey and Hominy Chili

Spiced turkey and chewy hominy are the stars of this easy, hearty weeknight meal.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Keywords: turkey hominy entree

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeños + more to garnish
• 1 tablespoon brine from pickled jalapeños
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon masa harina
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 (25 ounce) can of hominy, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups chicken stock (or turkey stock or water)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, smoked or regular
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• big handful of roughly chopped cilantro
• 2 cups hot cooked rice, to serve

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, jalapeños, garlic, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cooking, stirring, until onion is tender, ~5 minutes.

Add turkey, masa harina, chili powder, smoked paprika, and cumin; cook for another 5 minutes or until turkey has browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes to start to break down the tomatoes. Add hominy, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and cook until thickened, ~10 minutes.

Stir in the jalapeño brine and half of the cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve over hot rice, garnished with extra cilantro and some more pickled jalapeño, if you wish.

-slightly adapted from Food Network Magazine, June 2015

Pasta w/ Black Garlic, Kale, and a Poached Egg

I know that I must sound like a broken record when it comes to my #WeekdaySupper posts. Simple, real food is the best food. Especially when you're in a hurry. Of course, I also talk about preparation, but today's meal can be made without advance preparation and still be on the table in far less than 30 minutes.

I always have pasta in my pantry and eggs in the fridge. With the addition of only a few simple veggies, herbs, spices, and some oil, I've always got a great meal.

I recently bought a pound and a half of black garlic. That's a lot, by the way. So, I've been using it like crazy. Sliced very thin, and tossed sauteed with a bit of oil, a few red chile flakes, and a huge handful of baby kale, it made the perfect flavor-packed, yet super simple meal when added to some pasta.

Honey-Mustard Chicken and Arugula Wraps

In order to have quick and easy meals at hand during the busy week, I often do a little extra prep on the weekends. I've mentioned before that I love to cook a big pot of beans or lentils, and then use them for wraps, tacos, or sides. Sometimes I'll make a couple of types of pasta, cool them down, and stick them into zippered baggies for tossing into quickly sauteed veggies and sauces. Big batches of grains like rice, farro, freekeh, or quinoa are another good example of something that can be made in a large batch on Sunday, then reheated quickly on a weekday.

Now, often our protein is made day-of, to keep it from drying out or getting overcooked. But there are a few ways and preparations that lend themselves to advanced cooking. Large roasts and shoulders that can be shredded and stretched throughout the week are what come to mind first, along with chicken things. Just think about the fattier cuts, since the fat is what will keep them from drying out.

That said, I also like to make a batch of chicken breasts in advance. So basically, the exact opposite of those fatty cuts. I think the secret is gently poaching them in a highly seasoned liquid until they are just cooked through. I actually like storing them in the fridge IN some of their cooking liquid, as well, to help them stay moist. Then, over the next few days, you can cut the breasts into chunks, shred them, or slice them thinly for use in chicken salad (the mayo kind), cold chicken salad (the "fan it over the top of the greens and such kind"), stir it into a salsa for a taco filling, roll it up into tortillas and fry them for flautas, or use them in a sandwich or wrap.

Sweet 'n Tangy Beer-Glazed Chicken | #BeerMonth

If it's not your first time here, you probably know that I enjoy cooking and baking with booze. I'm even the resident Boozy Food Fanatic over at Food Fanatic. While I usually turn to my liquor cabinet shelves, I also include wine and beer in that category. Yes, I also drink booze, but bring it into the kitchen with the same fervor. I love matching the nuances of a particular drink with smells, flavors, and ingredients to turn them into something tasty.

These simple chicken breasts are one example. I started with an amber beer. Or should I say, una cerveza ámbar - Dos Equis Amber Lager. Mustard and beer are natural companions, but I also wanted some sweet and tangy flavors to add to the sauce. For the sweet, I turned to Piloncillo; those lovely brown cones of unrefined cane sugar. To balance out the deep, rich flavor of that, I added some cider vinegar.

Once all of those flavors bubbled and thickened a bit, I finished with handful of cilantro for a little brightness in every bite. I found the perfect accompaniment to be just some plain white rice, because it soaks up the juices and sort of mellows out the whole thing perfectly.

Herb Roasted Salmon w/ Veggies

If you're looking for a quick and easy, yet delicious and healthy, way to get supper on the table on a busy weeknight - look no further! This is as simple as rubbing some fish fillets with a magically scented mixture of herbs, garlic, and olive oil.

Grab a handful of veggies per person, and add it to the mix. Whether you're feeding seven people, or just yourself, you can expect to be eating in under 30 minutes time from start to finish.

This time I'm featuring salmon, but you could easily substitute another variety of fish. Plus, you'll notice that you can change up the herbs and the bed of veggies that it sits on. So really, look at this as a starting point. You could have a unique version every night of the week, if you that's what you really wanted!

Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Pork

You know those days when sports and homework,  after-school activities and working late, favorite tv shows and a lonely book are all vying for that same coveted evening time slot? You mean every night? Well, I think it's essential to have a good dozen 30-minute meals in your back pocket. At least.

I'm talking in addition to refrigerator soup omelets and stir-fry. Let's call them "back pocket meals". Meals that don't require much thought. Meals that don't require you to consult a mil-long recipe and a laundry list of ingredients. Meals that don't add any stress to your already insane day.

This is one of those meals. Put it in your back pocket.

Pimiento Mac 'n Cheese

What's every kid's favorite food - at least at some point?*

Mmmm-hmmm, macaroni and cheese. It's been my daughter's favorite for darn near her whole 11 years. And she even likes the boxed stuff. Dare I say, I think she may even prefer it sometimes. Whatcha gonna do?

Now, me on the other hand, have never liked the boxed stuff. Not even as a kid. But I love me homemade mac and cheese. As often happens, we're tossing out ideas for dinner. 6 times out of 10, said daughter throws the mac out there as a suggestion. Groans rise up from around the room, and she looks wide-eyed around at everybody like she has no clue what their problems are.

But as long as I have some sort of pasta noodle in the pantry, and some sort of cheese in the fridge, everybody else is a lot more receptive.  This particular mac and cheese is all done on the stovetop, and can be on the table in under 30 minutes.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Brown Sugar-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Sticky glaze with crispy bits on the outside. Fork-tender on the inside. Pork doesn't get much better than that. Well, unless it's bacon. Upon presenting this dish, your family might think that you spent the entire day working on it - if they didn't know better.

In reality, the hands on time is 30 minutes or less.  It starts with a simple pork massage consisting of garlic paste, sage, and some simple salt and pepper.  Pop it into the crockpot. Swoon every time you walk back into the house from being gone for a while (the smell!).