Super Simple Supper

I have long been on a quest to find easy, tasty meals that I can make on weeknights. Bonus points if they are healthy and delicious enough to make on the weekend because, as work outside the home parents, we cram a lot of activity into the weekends so I am not always up for spending a lot of time in the kitchen even when I technically have more time to devote to cooking.

One meal we’ve been enjoying recently that fits these criteria perfectly is five-spice chicken and roasted ratatouille. With the ample hands-off cooking time, it is incredibly easy to make and is flavorful and healthy to boot. Jason is a big fan of the chicken, in particular, and I find the roasted ratatouille to be pretty versatile—as a side dish, as a filling for frittata or quiche, mixed with couscous, etc. It’s delicious in any form.

Five Spiced Chicken and Roasted Ratatouille
(The chicken recipe is from Hellobee and is the original recipe that I used to make the BBQ chicken recipe from the Memorial Day post—only adaptations are to quantity)

Ingredients:
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1.5 teaspoons paprika (I used smoked paprika)
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ teaspoon white pepper
3 teaspoons coarse salt
¼ cup chicken stock or water
2 medium zucchini
2 small or 1 large eggplant
1 red pepper
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 TBL olive oil

To make the chicken: mix together the ginger, garlic powder, white pepper, paprika and salt until well combined. Divide in half (save one half in an airtight container for the next time you want to make this dish!). Preheat the oven to 375. Place the chicken thighs in a baking dish. Loosen skin from meat with your fingers. Sprinkle some the spice mixture under the skin of each thigh; sprinkle remaining on top of the skin. Add water or chicken stock to the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil (try and cover loosely otherwise the skin will stick to the foil). Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

To make the ratatouille: Chop the zucchini, eggplant and red pepper into 1 inch pieces and place onto a sheet pan. Add the pint of tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes, stirring a few times to prevent the veggies from sticking to the pan (you can skip this step if you line your pan with parchment!)

Spring Quiche

Spring is in the air—finally! Despite the lack of snow (I guess Aimee’s official “first snow” pic will have to wait until next year), winter seemed to linger later than usual this year. But the temperatures finally seem to be rising (for good this time?) and I am ready for spring produce. One great way to use it is in a quiche. Quiche is a great weeknight meal, it doesn’t take that long to put together (particularly if you use a pre-made dough for the crust) and it always seems fresh. It is also open to endless flavor possibilities. Just mix in some sautéed veggies and a little cheese and you are good to go. I like to get it ready and stick it in the oven right before I start Aimee’s bedtime routine so it is ready to go once she is down for the night. Easy and delicious (and if you happen to use a tart pan, pretty to look at too!).

Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Quiche

Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 prepared pie dough (Trader Joe’s has the best but any frozen/refrigerated pie dough will work)

1 bag of baby spinach

½ yellow or white onion, diced

1 whole roasted red pepper, cut into strips

½ cup of shredded cheese (I am partial to swiss or gruyere)

4 eggs

1/3 cup half and half

3 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 425. Press pie dough into 9-inch tart pan (or pie plate). Sautee onion in 2 TBL olive oil until translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Add in spinach, tossing until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Meanwhile beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in half and half and eggs until well mixed.

3. Spread onion/spinach mixture onto bottom of the dough. Top with roasted red peppers and cheese. Pour egg mixture evenly over the top.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and set. Cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Making Up for Lost Time

I don't remember if I mentioned it here on the ol' blog, but several months ago I was given additional responsibilities at work which meant that my already hectic work life got even more hectic. As a result, I've been working later and coming home more tired and that has (as you can probably tell) greatly impacted the time I spend in the kitchen during the week.

About a week ago I got some good news--a promotion for a job well done! The flip side of this is that my level of effort at work shows no signs of letting up. This week was particularly rough--I'm not sure whether it was because I felt like I was behind for most of it (trying to get caught up from being on travel for 4 days the previous week) or the two days I drove back and forth to Baltimore, but work really kicked my butt this week. Which meant I only ended up cooking dinner once. The other nights we ate out, ordered in or Jason made eggs for dinner (twice in fact).

 Check out this awesome bagel sandwich Jason made for dinner Friday night-- with bagels I brought home from work of course. Made me feel like a failure in the kitchen but it sure did taste good!

So I've been trying to make up for lost time this weekend by cooking up a storm. Last night I made an eggplant and polenta casserole which turned out really well (see below) as well as a batch of oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies (stay tuned for more on that) to take to a friend's to watch the Super Bowl this evening. And I as I write this, a pot of winter minestrone is simmering away for tomorrow's dinner.

I'm definitely still trying to find a better work/home balance (particularly when it comes to making yummy, nutritious dinners during the week) but am hoping that a little extra time in the kitchen on the weekends will help me get through the week with a little less stress.

I'm anxious to hear if anyone out there has suggestions for getting dinner on the table during the work week??

Layered Eggplant and Polenta Casserole
Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
2 TBL olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes (I used the garlic and onion variety for more flavor)
1 TBL balsamic vinegar
1 cup basil leaves, chopped
1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 (16 ounce) log precooked polenta, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place rack on highest position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place eggplant rounds in a single layer on baking sheet and roast in oven for about 10 minutes or until just starting to soften. Set aside.
2. In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and slightly golden, about 5-8 minutes. Add tomatoes (with juices). Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the juices have evaporated and the sauce is thickened--about 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
3. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish. Arrange eggplant slices snugly in a single layer (overlapping so that they all fit). Spoon half of the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant and arrange polenta rounds in slightly overlapping slices on top. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over the top and top with shredded mozzerella.
4. Cover with foil. Move oven rack down one position. Bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is browned, about 10 minutes more. Let cool slightly and serve.