Hello, there! How’s this for a joke: Meatballs, cauliflower, and soup walk into a bar... Oh, wait. I don’t have a punchline. Or much of a joke! Last week was fairly disjointed in that regard which I think is fairly common following a weekend away. And my joke skills may need a smidge of improvement. 

Back from NYC, and back to reality, we cooked most of the week, but strayed slightly due to other obligations (going out and having fun!) which resulted in three meals cooked during the week. Not bad! But not our usual five.

Thankfully, the three dishes we did make were awesome and quite different from one another. Exactly how I like my meal plan! ;)  

Let’s get to the dinners, shall we?  

Sheet-Pan Chicken Meatballs and Charred Broccoli

Source: Bon Appétit online, and in their March issue! Recipe by Deb Perelman (Smitten Kitchen). Grab it, here!

Tip: Make sure to use gluten free panko for the meatballs! We subbed in ground turkey instead of ground chicken, but only because the store we went to was out of stock. I’d love to make this again with ground chicken. :)

Review: I’ve waxed poetic about my love for meatballs before, but let me remind you once again. I love meatballs. Super versatile, super filling, and basically just fun to eat. I love all of the different flavor combinations that can be created when combining meat (ground chicken or turkey usually), some spices, a few breadcrumbs, and a fairly brief stint in the oven or stovetop.

You can really create any flavor profile you want when making meatballs and you’re pretty much always guaranteed a delicious meal. Case and point? This dinner! 

These meatballs were a great sweet and savory mix thanks to a sauce that goes on top which included ketchup! 😮 Surprised me, too! We don’t have ketchup much these days, so it was a fun flavor to include - very nostalgic.

Growing up, I used salt and/or ketchup for everything. The addition of ketchup made sense here since the recipe’s author was creating a meal for her kids. They heartily approved. :) 

Another awesome element of this delicious meal was that it all cooked on one pan at the same time (a sheet-pan dinner). Minimal dishes are always welcome! The broccoli got nice and roasted and the meatballs were cooked perfectly. A little time under the broiler at the very end made the broccoli extra-crispy, which is a feature I tend to prefer when eating those green “trees.”

We loved this dish for its simplicity in preparation, but boldness of flavor and delicious-ness to the max. A terrific weeknight option for sure and a great meal for a weekend night when you’re in the mood to immediately watch a movie right afterward. A feat that’s totally possible due to the minimal dishes to wash. ;)

Cauliflower Rice Pilaf with Shawarma-Spiced Chicken

Source: Bon Appétit online. Grab the recipe, here! The chicken’s spice coating was found in a Cook90 recipe (I discussed it in last week’s Recap). 

Tip: This meal was naturally gluten free! 

Review: Keeping it healthy, as is the trend of the month(s), we opted for a cauliflower rice dish on this night because it sounded delicious and featured cauliflower rather than my beloved jasmine rice. I’m feeling great on this minimal grain train, but I must admit we will need to throw rice into the mix here and there. We gotta live! 

However, I absolutely loved this cauliflower rice pilaf! Filled with almonds, raisins, and a handful of savory/sweet spices, I really enjoyed the interesting mix of textures which essentially masked the fact that I was eating a bowl of riced cauliflower. 😏

Being completely honest, I would make this dish again in a second. It was filling, flavorful, pretty quick to make, and paired quite well with a basic baked chicken. 

Speaking of protein, we chose to do a simple baked chicken to go with the rice which we seasoned with a shawarma-spice. This was the same spice mix used on a chicken dish (those “pita” wraps!) from the week prior. So good we had to make it again! I’m leaning into the concept of repeat flavors from time to time. Why avoid something delicious?!   

Overall, this dinner was healthy and anything but boring. Sometimes a chicken-and-veggie can be fairly ho-hum, but not this one! A great pair that I would happily eat again; it was scrumptious the next day, too. ;)

Chicken and Rice Soup with Garlicky Chile Oil

Source: Bon Appétit online; grab the recipe, here! 

Tip: It’s naturally gluten free! 

Review: Next time it’s freezing out, oh wait, it’s still winter, and you think there’s not enough time to make a decadent, warming chicken soup, think again! This dish is here to warm you from the inside out and turn that winter frown upside down. Chicken soup to the rescue! 

Not only was this soup supreme, but it was topped with the most scrumptious garlic-chile oil which I would consider putting on every food I eat every day. Salivating as I type, this oil was an excellent accompaniment to the hearty, velvety soup.

I can call chicken soup velvety, right? Because it was just that. Chicken, rice, and kale all “stewed” together in a light broth which seemed to melt in your mouth. How does soup melt? I don’t know. It just did.

With the addition of dill and that crunchy, amazing garlic oil on top, man! It was too good. And I’m hard to please when it comes to soup. I’m a tough sell on soup during the week in general for some reason, but not any more!

Make this chicken and rice soup before winter is gone, but even if you wait until spring, I know it would be just as rejuvenating after a cool April day. 😉

Eats and Thoughts of the Weekend. 

Our weekend was a fun mix of requisite chores (groceries, cleaning, and taxes) and joyful outings that resulted in new jeans, delicious food, and a snazzy skincare routine.

Have you ever gotten lost in Sephora? Let’s chat if this has happened to you. I went in for moisturizer and I came out with a full shopping bag. My skin will be glowing in no time. Well, it better be. 😏

But back to the food!  

Friday night we went to our longtime favorite Lone Star Taco Bar where we ate scrumptious carnitas tacos, sipped spicy margaritas, and commented on the noise level of the restaurant. Yes, I think that means we are old. Or at least far less cool than we used to be?

Either way, my tolerance for crazy-loud restaurants has slipped slightly. And I’m probably less cool, too. It’s OK. Those tacos (on corn tortillas) are always excellent. 

Saturday afternoon we found ourselves at the relaxed bar of Legal Sea Foods in Chestnut Hill where I had an awesome (and giant) kale salad topped with crabmeat. Don’t worry; I indulged with onion strings on the side. And Seth ordered fried clams for dessert. Yes, we are still on the health track. Yes, we may have slipped (for the sake of having fun) during this weekend. 🤷‍♀️  

The good thing about having a big, late lunch on the weekend is that by the time you’re hungry for dinner (after 9pm) you’re also too lazy to go out!

Saturday night’s meal was a homemade creation that was just delightful: Trader Joe’s GF cauliflower gnocchi with homemade tomato sauce, topped with shredded mozzarella. Too good! And super easy. A fab Saturday night dinner. To cap the excitement, we also did a bunch of laundry throughout the evening. 

As noted above, our weekend also included cleaning, grocery shopping, and taking care of our taxes. You know, the adult stuff. and if anyone is wondering about my new jeans or Sephora surprises, I’d be happy to share. 😉 I love food. I also love shopping. 

Hope you had a great weekend filled with fun activities and perhaps some productivity as well; it’s important to have a balance!  

Eat, well. 

Mollie and Seth