A week of six delicious dinners without the effort!
Monday: Tzatziki Sheet Pan Chicken
Tuesday: Best Ever Swedish Meatballs
Wednesday: Smashed Chickpea and Feta Toasts
Thursday: Philly Cheesesteak Parcels
Friday: Layered Mexican Chicken Casserole
Saturday: Mexican Pizzas with Guacamole
Shopping List:
Pepper & Me: Get Freaky Tzatziki, Man Grind, Blow My Coals, Herb de Provence or Herby Mustard Butter, 2 heaped tbsp Moroccan or Tandoori Paste, Aioli, man rub, Schmack Sauce, Mexellent paste, Chipotle and Lime salt.
Pantry staples: x¼ cup red wine vinegar, Olive oil, x2 slices bread, x2 egg, x2 cups beef stock, x1 tsp wholegrain mustard, x1.5 tbsp cornflour, x1 tin Refried Beans, x1 mild Salsa jar, x500gm Plain flour, x4 gm Dried yeast, x280gm Pizza base sauce.
Dry Goods: x½ cup olives, x½ cup sundried tomatoes, pita pockets, x2 can chickpeas, Sourdough, x2 cans Black Beans, x½ can Corn, brown rice, Jalapenos.
Chilled goods: x300g feta, x1½ cups greek yoghurt, x⅓ cup milk, x3/4 cup cream, x4 sheets puff pastry, x400g cream cheese, x100 g grated mozzarella, x1½ cups cheese tasty, Sour cream, x500gm Grated Mozzarella.
Meat: x1400g chicken breast, x500g pork mince, x250 g rib fillet,
Vegetables: x3 garlic cloves, x4 red onion, x¼ pumpkin, x2 courgette, x5 capsicum, x½ cucumber, x2 lemon, Parsley, x2 onion, x100g mushrooms, x3 Avocado, pickled red onions, Fresh coriander, x1 Lime, x2 tomatoes
Monday
- 700 grams chicken breast
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Pepper & Me Get Freaky Tzatziki dip mix
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Pepper & Me Man Grind
- 2 red onions cut into segments
- ¼ pumpkin peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 courgette cut into chunky rounds
- 3 capsicum cut into chunks
- ½ cup pitted olives
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes
- 200 g feta cut into small cubes
- ½ cucumber grated
- 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Pepper & Me Get Freaky Tzatziki
- 1 lemon juiced
- Man grind
- Pita pockets
- 1 small bunch parsley chopped
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Cut the chicken into two even pieces and combine all the marinade ingredients into a container, pop into the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight if you have the time.
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Preheat the oven to 180degrees.
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Oil a large oven tray and place the drained chicken and vegetables spreading across the oven tray evenly, sprinkle with the olives, sun dried tomatoes and three quarters of the feta.
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Bake for 15-20 minutes until the chicken has cooked through and the pumpkin is soft.
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While the chicken is cooking, prepare the tzatziki sauce and pita pockets.
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Place the grated cucumber in a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can then sprinkle with man grind.
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Add the cucumber, yoghurt, tzatziki and lemon juice to a small bowl. Stir to combine.
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Char the pita over an open flame or pop in the toaster, then cut into quarters.
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Serve the chicken and vegetables, with the pita, dollops of tzatziki, a sprinkling of remaining feta and parsley.
Tuesday
- 500 g pork mince
- 2 slices bread
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp Blow My Coals
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp Herb de Provence or Herby Mustard Butter (see notes)
- 100 g mushrooms (about half a punnet)
- 1.5 tbsp Blow My Coals
- 2 cups beef stock
- 3/4 cup cream
- 1 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard (or any mustard)
- 1.5 tbsp cornflour
- fresh parsley to garnish (optional)
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Preheat oven to 180C fan bake
Remove the crusts of the bread and tear into a few chunks, pour over milk and leave to soak for a few minutes
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Add the pork mince, blow my coals, finely diced onion and egg.
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Mix thoroughly. We wear gloves and use our hands to get a really well combined mix and to break up the bread
Don’t be alarmed that it’s a sticky mixture, it makes me lovely light meatballs
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Take large teaspoons of the mince and roll into balls and place on a lined baking tray.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden
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To make the sauce melt the butter in a large shallow casserole or fry pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms
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Sauté the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes
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Add blow my coals and stir through
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Add beef stock and mustard, simmer for a minute or so
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Add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes over a medium heat
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Remove the meatballs from the oven
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Dissolve cornflour in a little water and add the slurry to the sauce to thicken. Cook out for a minute before adding the meatballs to the sauce
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To serve we cooked some egg fettuccine and added an additional teaspoon of herb de Provence better and some fresh parsley to toss through the pasta
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You can serve the meatballs with pasta, mash or rice. Which ever you prefer
Fresh chopped parsley is a great garnish for the meatballs
If you don’t eat pork you could use beef mince for this recipe
If you don’t have any pepper and me butter just use normal butter but add in one clove of garlic
Wednesday
- 2 can chickpeas
- 2 heaped tbsp Moroccan or Tandoori Paste
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- Man Grind
- Sourdough sliced toasted
- Aioli
- 100 g Feta
- Avocado
- Fresh herbs
- Pickled red onion (optional)
- 1/2 Lemon
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Drain and rinse 2 cans of chickpeas
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Finely dice onion and sauté in a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet
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Add chickpeas and cook off for a minute or two and add the paste. Stir well to coat and cook off for another minute or two
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Add the water to help soften chickpeas.
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Roughly smash the chickpeas with a spoon or fork. Crumble through feta
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Season well with Man Grind and a squeeze of lemon
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To build the toasts, toast your bread and spread with a little aioli, layers some avocado slices and then top with the smashed chickpeas
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Garnish with some fresh basil or coriander and top with pickles onions
Thursday
one just won't be enough 😉
- 4 sheets puff pastry
- 250 g rib fillet
- 1 medium brown onion
- 1 green capsicum
- 150 g cream cheese softened
- 100 g grated mozzarella
- 1 tbsp man rub
- man grind
- 1 egg beaten
- Schmack Sauce to serve
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Slice the capsicum and onion thinly and fry on medium - high heat for 8-10 minutes with some man grind until soft
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Slice the steak very thinly and fry with man rub and splash of olive oil on high heat for 2 minutes - set aside
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Mix cooked steak, onions/capsicums with mozzarella, cream cheese and some man grind
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Cut your pastry sheets in 1/4's
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Fill 2 of the 1/4's with a heaped tablespoon of cheese steak mix and top with remaining pastry - pressing down gently to remove the air
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Trim any excess pastry from the edges and crimp the pastry using a fork - this helps to seal the edges
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Brush with egg wash and slice a couple slits across the top - this helps to release any trapped air and will give your crispier puff pastry
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Bake in the oven @ 200c for 18 minutes or until crispy!
Essential Tools
- frying pan x 2
- baking tray
- mixing bowl
- fork
- pastry brush
- small bowl
- chef knives
- chopping board
- measuring utensils
Tips/Tricks
- all the components of the cheese steak can be cooked in advance and mixed together. Store in the fridge once cooled and allow to come to room temperature to fill the pastry tarts
- once assembled you can freeze the puff pastry tarts - just as long as the pastry sheets aren't out of the fridge for longer than 30 minutes or so.
- serve with some schmack sauce for the ULTIMATE bite
Friday
- 700 g boneless and skinless Chicken breast
- 2 tablespoon Pepper & Me Mexellent Paste
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 250 g standard cream cheese at room temperature
- 440 g tin Refried Beans
- 300 g mild Salsa jar
- 1 can Black Beans drained and rinsed
- ½ capsicum diced
- ½ can Corn drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups cheese tasty, and/or mozzarella
- Pepper & Me Chipotle & lime salt
- Fresh coriander to serve
- Sour cream to serve
- Brown rice to serve
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Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
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Slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise.
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Brush each side of the cut chicken breast with mexellent paste. I used about half a teaspoon per half a chicken breast.
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Sear the chicken in a fry pan with olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes each side.
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In a large baking dish or kitco shallow casserole dish, wipe olive oil with a paper towel all over the baking dish.
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Spread the base of the dish with the softened cream cheese, then spread the refried beans on top, add half of the salsa, followed by the chicken.
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Top the chicken with the remaining salsa, sprinkle with black beans, capsicum, corn, and cheese.
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Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
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Remove the cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
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Serve with chipotle & lime salt, sour cream, rice and coriander and serve.
Once the the chicken has been fried in the mexellent paste, cut into bite sized pieces and serve with corn chips like a layered chicken nacho dish. You can also add a can of kidney beans if you want the dish to go further.
Saturday
- 500 gm Plain flour
- 350 ml Water
- 5 gm Man Grind
- 4 gm Dried yeast
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Red Onion
- 1 tbsp Mexcellent Paste
- 280 gm Pizza base sauce
- 400 gm tin Black Beans
- 500 gm Grated Mozzarella
- 2 Avocados
- 1 tsp Chipotle & Lime Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 Lime
- 2 Tomatos
- Sour Cream
- Jalapenos
- Fresh Coriander
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In your free standing mixing bowl pour lukewarm Water with Man Grind, mix in a small handful of flour to start a batter, mix in the yeast & leave for 2 mins.
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Add the remaining four & start your mixer with the dough hook attachment, gradually up the speed as the flour gets mixed in, leave for 10 mins till smooth & elastic.
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Place dough in a floured bowl & leave for 1 hour or doubled in size - covered with a damp tea towel.
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Knock our the air & roll into a sausage, divide dough into 4 equal balls, roll & put on an olive oil covered baking tray. Cover with cling film & the tea towel & allow to rise for another hour.
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Dice the Red Onion & sautée in a pan with some oil along with the Mexcellent Paste, once the Onions are soft add the pizza base sauce & the Black Beans & mix to combine.
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To make the Guacamole cut the Avocado, Tomato & any off cuts of Red Onion into small cubes, juice a Lime & mix through along with Chipotle & Lime Salt.
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Preheat oven to 220 degrees, place a pizza stone or a flat baking tray in the oven to heat up. Once up to temperature put your stretched out pizza dough (I did this by hand for a more authentic looking shape) on the tray.
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Spread the bean base sauce over the pizza & top with Mozzarella Cheese. Cook for 10mins or till the base is cooked / crunchy. Top with Guacamole, Sour Cream, Jalapeños & fresh Coriander to your liking.
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Continue till all your pizza bases are made & cooked.
This is a vegetarian pizza although you could add mince or shredded chicken for a meaty version.