Step one in THE PLAN

It feels good to get something done! I got up early and started my new, improved cooking plan. 

When it is all done, I’ll have enough ingredients for more than a week’s worth of dinners. I will have chicken for salads and fajitas, I’ll have browned beef for tacos and spaghetti, I’ll have two bulgogi dinners in the bag marinating and all before noon on Saturday.

I even roasted a head of garlic for a wonderful snack later. I bought a few avocados and will be preparing some guacamole. I’m on a roll!

BEFORE                                AFTER

Roasted garlic
One head garlic
Olive oil

Trim stem of garlic so that it will sit flat. Cup about 1/4-inch off tapered top of the bulb, exposing the inner cloves. DO NOT REMOVE tissue like covering. Place garlic head on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil. Bake in preheate 350° oven for 30-35 minutes. Let cool until cool enough to handle, squeezing roasted garlic into a small bowl.

Garlic will be about the consistency of warm butter and can be spread on crusty bread for an appetizer, or snack. 

  

 

Guacamole (makes about 3 cups)

3 ripe avocados, pitted and diced
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chiles, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro
juice of 1 lime
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt

Cut each avocado in half lengthwise, with a sharp knife, pop the pit out of the pulp. If the fruit is ripe enough, you should be able to just spoon the pulp out of the skin. Place avocado and remaining ingredients into a large zipper bag. Seal the bag and mash with your hands until desired consistency.

Serve immediately.

I got two flank steaks, each about a pound and asked the store butcher to slice them thin for me. I can do this at home, but at the grocery I use, it doesn’t cost extra to get them to slice it and it makes for an easier prep at home. My peeps love Asian food and I found this recipe for bulgogi ~ Korean barbeque. If you like hot, spicy foods, you can add more red pepper flakes. The sesame oil gives the dish a very strong flavor. You can replace some of the sesame oil with canola oil to cut the strength of that flavor. This recipe makes a lot of marinade. I sometimes half it, here I made the full recipe, but used twice the amount of steak, then frozen half.

      

INGREDIENTS                                MARINADING

Korean Bulgogi (serves 4)
1 pound flank steak, sliced into thin strips
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 cup sesame oil
2 cups soy sauce (I use low-sodium sauce)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
 crushed red pepper, to taste

Season beef with salt and pepper. In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Season with the crushed red pepper. Place the meat in a shallow bowl, pour the marinade over the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Remove and bring to room temperature. Preheat grill. Remove beef from marinade, reserving sauce. Heat marinade in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until mixture reduces by 3/4. Remove from heat and set aside.

Grill meat for a couple of minutes on each side or until done to taste. Serve with rice and reserved sauce. 

I bought a large package of chicken breasts. When I cook them in the Crock pot I usually buy bone-in chicken. It’s cheaper and I can de-bone and skin them before I put them in the pot. I lay out the breasts in a single layer, then cover with bottled Italian dressing. I set the temp to low and cook for about 6-8 hours.

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, I shred it and bag it for later. It’s great in fajitas or in salads. 

    

INGREDIENTS                                           BONELESS, SKINLESS

Curry Chicken Salad (serves 2)

1 ½ cups chicken, chopped, and cooked
½ cup seedless red grapes, halved
½ cup apple, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons pineapple, diced
1 tablespoon currants
3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon yellow curry powder
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sliced almonds, toasted

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine mayo and next 5 ingredients (through pepper), stirring with a whisk. Pour mayo mixture over chicken mixture, toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with almonds. Cover and chill. This recipe can also be doubled.

I’m all for quick and easy. The last thing I did was to brown about four pounds of ground round. I cut up half an onion and three cloves of garlic to add to the meat while it cooked, seasoning with a little kosher salt and garlic pepper. When it was done, I drained the fat off and divided it up into four separate freezer bags. Now, I have beef prepped for tacos, spaghetti sauce, or casseroles. 

          

INGREDIENTS                                            BROWNED BEEF

I think if I can control the portion sizes, that will be a big step forward. Whenever we eat out, the serving sizes would be enough for two people. Right now my house smells delicious and my stomach is growling. I’m off to make some lunch. Ahhh… if feels good to get something done.