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Happy Birthday Meals We Like

Hard to believe that it’s been a year! Over the first year, I’ve written 120 posts, with 47 weeks of menus…not too bad. Of course this would be a week we missed! There’s 29 recipes. I hope to do more recipes in the next year. I think I have some photos on my computer for recipes that need to be written up still.

Not sure if many people read the blog, but it has served it’s main purpose–organize our family’s dinner plans for the week. With menus made before grocery shopping we’ve kept costs under control and reduced food going bad in the fridge. So on that note alone, I’ll consider is a success and keep it going. Hopefully others find the recipes and weekly meal plans useful.

 

Blueberry chicken salad

Blueberry chicken saladThis recipe for blueberry chicken salad from Allrecipes.com was fast, easy and really good. The dressing is lemon yogurt (6oz) and mayonnaise (3 Tbs), which sounded odd, but is really good, especially with the sweetness of the blueberries. Throw in some diced cooked chicken breast (we grilled a bunch earlier in the week and used it in several recipes), red pepper, celery and the blueberries. This was one of the only times the kids eat up a salad, including the lettuce!

Chicken, Oatmeal, Mushroom and Spinach Quiche

Chicken, oatmeal, mushroom and spinach quicheThis recipe from the Food Doctor was a little hard to follow but turned out quite good. The recipe is spread out over a long post and a bit more complicated than we normally do, but it made a good weekend dish and really only took about an hour to make. We added some thawed and drained spinach to the oatmeal and mushroom layer. The balsamic tomatoes turned out well too.Chicken, oatmeal, mushroom and spinach quiche with tomatoes

Jamaican Chicken and Spinach Patties

Based on this recipe from Food.com, we made these tasty chicken patties. We had originally planned on using beef, but somehow forgot to get that when we went shopping (could it have been the kids fighting over who got to push the grocery cart?). The chicken and spinach worked well together and these were quite yummy. Took about an hour and a half start to finish (including the mid-course redirection to using chicken).

PASTRYJamaican Chicken and Spinach Patties

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 egg to pain on top of filled patties

FILLING

  • 1 T olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1.5 lbs Chicken cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 T curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, but not drained

Directions:

FILLING:

  1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add onions and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally until soft and translucent.
  3. Add garlic, cook 2 minutes.
  4. Add chicken, curry, cumin, and pepper.
  5. Cook until cooked through.
  6. Stir in stock, breadcrumbs and spinach.
  7. Simmer until liquid is absorbed. (aprox.10 minutes).

PASTRY:

  1. In a large bowl, combine flour, turmeric, curry, and salt.
  2. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball.
  4. Shape dough into a log, and cut into 10 equal sections.
  5. Roll each section into a circle (approximately 1/8 inch thick).
  6. Spoon equal amounts of filling into each pastry circle.
  7. Fold over making a half circle and press edges together. Use a fork to press edges, and brush the top of each patty with beaten egg.
  8. Cook for 25- 30 minutes at 375˚

Swiss Chard and Corn Tart

It’s been a while since we made this, but it was good. I finally downloaded the photos from my camera, so here it is…Swiss chard and corn tart

We used the Olive oil tart crust from Chocolate and Zucchini. Which turned out a but tough…I may not have rolled it thin enough? But was still a nice base for the tart.

The rest of the Swiss chard and corn tart was basically from the original post, except we topped it with Rondelé rather than the goat cheese.

Overall a fairly easy and healthy meal that all enjoyed!

Swiss chard and corn tart