So much of life is a Catch -22. I like planning ahead, but I like to match things to my mood and you can’t plan your mood ahead of time, can you? That would be nice though! Good moods every Friday please! Anyway, this is all to say spring is so up and down and I find it hard to match pre-planned meals to ever-changing weather. I feel like grilling a burger when it’s 80° and sunny and curry when it’s rainy and gray, but those things can happen in the same day!
I guess this list is comprised of meals that managed to match my mood and the weather. Those make me extra happy and are the reason I continue to chase that feeling.
One-Skillet Lemon Pepper Shrimp and Orzo
Do you every just HARD-sear some zucchini coins and then realize they look bad in pictures? Me neither… Anyway, we made this skillet dinner a few weeks back and were delighted when the orzo cooked perfectly and tasted wonderfully decadent but still light and citrusy. Also, we bought a bag of Meyer lemons to make this and I legitimately full on ate the other six? Joey thought I was insane, but they tasted like candy to me!
Okay, I maybe said “next time I make these, I’m definitely adding more salt to the beef” something like 10 times the night we made these, but they were still REALLY GOOD. Then again, I’m a sucker for banh mi anything. Joey asked me “what makes these banh mi burgers??” and I was so confused, because… everything? Those quick-pickled veggies, that fiery sriracha mayo, all that cilantro! I loved them. Also, I’ve tried SO MANY sweet potato fry methods and then I just tossed these in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted them for 30 minutes and I think they were the best ones I’ve ever made, ha!
Per my Dinner Diary (yeah, I still keep that!), I made this pizza two years ago and not since. Which is a shame, because it is delicious! It has a pesto-ricotta and roasted cherry tomatoes and a sprinkling of feta and basil. So many flavor bombs that just really sing together. Plus I ate a cherry tomato while prepping this pizza and it had NO RIGHT to taste as good as it did this early in the season. Not mad about the leftover ricotta I have in the fridge either because it means ricotta pancakes are in my very near future!
Black Bean and Tempeh Tacos with Cashew Cheese Sauce
These tacos were a breeze because I had leftover cheese sauce from burrito bowls the week before and black beans I’d already cooked from scratch in the freezer. Look, I’m not really one to enjoy a veggie taco because you know what’s good? Steak, chicken, shrimp, carnitas! But these were honestly so good and satisfying. Also, how good are those corn-wheat blend tortillas? Thank you, La Tortilla Factory, for this little gift.
Skillet Poblano and Pumpkin Enchiladas
Two skillet recipes in one post? You know it! And let me tell you, skillet enchiladas are way way way easier than real enchiladas. Joey and I are still traumatized by the time we made enchiladas from scratch (cooked the meat, made the sauce, individually fried the tortillas, milked a cow and made cheese… okay, maybe not that last one) and it took HOURS, but this recipe basically just requires you to stir some tortillas strips into a skillet and that I can do! Plus all the garnishes just make this meal feel extra special. There’s a lime yogurt sauce, a sprinkle of salty Cotija and those spiced pepitas. We loved it!
I hope that you’ll find some inspiration here and that you have a wonderful weekend!
Life as Lauren 