menu of the week

Happy Monday! I'm excited to share last week's menu because there were quite a few meals I really enjoyed. Now that I think of it, I really enjoyed everything, but especially dinner on Friday night. Check it out...

pasta with cream sauce and mushrooms - Super simple but a little on the heavy side, this dish works well when you're short on time and craving something rich. I used pappardelle and added chopped onion and sliced mushrooms sautéed in butter to make it a little more interesting.

spiced cod with broccoli-quinoa pilaf and baked potatoes - Okay, so I have to first say that I didn't use cod for this dish. I used hake because Whole Foods was having an amazing sale that I couldn't pass up and the fishmonger said anything I could do with cod I could do with hake. I wholeheartedly agree with her, as this meal turned out wonderful. The hake was moist and flavorful and the pilaf was such a nice combination of textures. Ezra and I enjoyed it for breakfast the next day.

Asian shrimp noodle soup - The prep for this meal is key so I made sure I had everything in place before starting. Okay, not everything... I was still slicing the mushrooms when it was time for them to go into the boiling broth along with the rice sticks, but everything turned out fine. I had never thought to use Chinese five spice powder with shrimp before and it made for a great tasting soup topper. Also, the bright lime flavor was a nice surprise. If Matt liked this more I would make it again, but he wasn't too fond of it so I'll reserve it for a night he's out.

pork apple cheddar meatballs with egg noodles and roasted Brussels sprouts - I've made this lots of times, but since I had beef on hand I used that instead of pork. The meatballs are really easy to make and cook so quickly under the broiler. Then all you need to do is boil some egg noodles and you're done. I like them simple with salted butter, but Matt was asking for some sort of cream sauce, so if you you might want to prepare something to satisfy the pickier eaters in your house.

quinoa black bean burgers with baked sweet potatoes - By far my favorite meal of the week, these quinoa black bean burgers were quick and tasty. I can't wait to have them again, but next time I think I'll cook the onions beforehand because I could do without the crunch and that raw onion flavor. Matt ate his burger with ketchup and Ezra and I had ours with sliced avocado, and all were served with fresh sourdough rolls from Olga's. Yum.

This week I'm looking forward to making fish tacos and filling them up with lots of veggies. What are you cooking this week?