Thai-Style Ground Beef

A very easy and quick dinner. The Husband calls this Thai Sloppy Joes, and he is right, the meat does taste a bit like sloppy joes. Thus, the leftovers can be served in a bun or, even better, in a tortilla.

From Cooking Light

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup thinly sliced leek
• 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
• 1 pound lean ground sirloin
• 1 teaspoon red curry paste (such as Thai Kitchen)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
• 3 cups hot cooked short-grain rice
• Iceberg lettuce wedges (optional)
• Chopped cilantro (optional)
• Chopped green onions (optional)

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add leek; sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add beef; cook 7 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble.

2. Stir in curry paste and tomato sauce; cook until half of liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).

3. Add milk, brown sugar, lime rind, lime juice and fish sauce; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

4. Serve with the rice and lettuce wedges, if desired. Garnish with cilantro and green onions, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

Pumpkin Polenta with Chorizo and Black Beans

Holy cow, one of the fastest and yummiest meals in a long time. I have had polenta a few times in the past, but never really enjoyed it. So I am not even sure why I decided to try this recipe... But I did--and boy, am I glad! The Child and the Husband both enjoyed it greatly, and the Husband and I fought over who will get the leftovers.

Two notes on ingredients:
1. Surprisingly, I had a really tough time finding quick-cooking or instant polenta. Safeway and Whole Foods offered precooked polenta, and that would not have worked for this recipe. So luckily I found it at the World Market.
2. I did not have Chorizo so I used spinach-feta brats from Costco. I think any flavored sausage or brat will do.

From Rachel Ray's 365: No Repeats

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 lbs chorizo, casing removed, chopped
• 1 medium onion
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 pimiento peppers or roasted red peppers, chopped
• 3 cups chicken stock or broth (I used about a cup of fat-free, low-sodium chicken stock and the rest--water)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used the soy spread that we use as butter)
• 1 14 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup quick-cooking or instant polenta
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (from 4 sprigs)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded Manchego or sharp or smoked Cheddar
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley (I did not use that--the Child is not a fan)

1. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and chorizo. Cook for a minute or two, then add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add black beans and pimientos and heat through another minute or two.

2. In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth and butter to boil and stir in the pumpkin. Add the polenta and stir until it masses, about 2 minutes (with the type of polenta I got at World Market, I ended up stirring it for more like 4-5 minutes to make sure it got cooked because directions of the box said "ready in 5-6 minutes"). Remove from heat and add the thyme, salt, pepper and cheese.

3. Pour or spoon the polenta onto plates. Top with chorizo and beans and garnish with parsley, then serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Chicken Piccata with Summer Vegetable Pasta

Delicious! Even the Child liked it (though I skipped the caper sauce for him). Next time I would not skimp on tomatoes. Mushrooms would be a great addition as well. The recipe is a bit involved, but I think if you do all of the prep (chopping) in advance, it is actually pretty easy. The cooking was completed in about 30 minutes and would have been even faster if I would have used two skillets simultaneously: one for veggies, one for chicken.

From Cooking Light.

• Olive oil-flavored cooking spray
• 1 cup (1/4-inch) strips red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced onion (about 1/2 large onion)
• 1 1/2 cups matchstick-cut zucchini (about 1 medium)
• 1 1/4 cups matchstick-cut yellow squash (about 1 medium)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces uncooked whole wheat blend spaghetti
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (I didn't have any, but I am sure it would make a great addition)
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, trimmed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1 tablespoon butter

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bell pepper and onion; sauté 8 minutes or until tender and beginning to brown. Place onion mixture in a large bowl; keep warm. Return pan to medium-high heat. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add zucchini and yellow squash; sauté 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add tomatoes and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add squash mixture to reserved onion mixture. Keep warm.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add pasta and reserved cooking liquid to vegetable mixture, stirring to combine. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and basil; toss to combine. Keep warm.

3. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge chicken in flour, turning to coat; shake off excess flour.

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add olive oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add chicken, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm.

5. Add broth, juice, and capers to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add green onions, butter, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; stir until butter melts.

6. Arrange about 1 cup pasta mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 chicken breast half, 1/4 cup sauce, and 1 tablespoon remaining cheese. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings