Weekly Menu: 9/10. 5-Ingredient Dinners

 

Welcome to the Weekly Menu! Each Monday, I'll post a selection of easy-to-make, delish main dishes, along with suggestions for sides. I've kitchen-tested every one, so look for my shortcuts and make-ahead tips.

A good five-ingredient main dish may seem as elusive as a chupacabra, but I swear it isn't so. I tried two out of three of the recipes below for the first time last week and got thumbs up around the table. When I count the five ingredients, I'm looking at things you probably don't have on hand, like the protein, fresh herbs or cheese. What doesn't figure into the count are basics like olive oil or cooking spray, salt, pepper and butter, which you probably have. Just remember, since you're using so few ingredients, there's nowhere for inferior ingredients to hide. Use the best you can.

At the bottom of this post, there's a place to comment. Tell us if you have a 5-ingredient dish to recommend!

Salmon with Hoisin Glaze

The kids are stuck on salmon as the fish of choice, so I keep trying to find new salmon recipes.

 
Sides: Steamed edamame beans and pan-fried pot stickers (I like Trader Joe's). Serve pot stickers with soy sauce seasoned with a few drops each of sesame oil and rice vinegar.





Make Ahead Tips:

• Combine the sauce for the salmon; marinate the salmon
• Combine the dipping sauce for the pot stickers

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless wild salmon fillets
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

  
Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400
• Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish, such as a pie plate. Add fish to dish, turning to coat. Marinate at room temperature 8 minutes, turning occasionally
• Remove fish from marinade; discard marinade. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle fish evenly with sesame seeds. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

  Recipe is originally from MyRecipes

Parmesan Chicken

The original recipe calls for roasting romaine leaves with the chicken. Hot lettuce is not my thing, so I just went for the chicken and it was great. Be sure your chicken pieces are deck-of-cards size. Bigger pieces will dry out by the time they cook through to the center.

 
Sides: Romaine hearts with Caesar salad dressing and shaves of Parmesan cheese




Shortcuts:

•  Use high quality pre-grated cheese

Make Ahead Notes:

• Chop up parsley or if you have a kid who's handy with scissors, let them cut up the parsley into a bowl
• Combine cheese, panko, oil, parsley and garlic and refrigerate for later

Ingredients:

• 4 (7-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, Pecorino, or Asiago cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped, divided

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. 
• Season chicken with salt and pepper; place on prepared sheet. 
• Combine cheese, panko, 2 tablespoons oil, parsley, and 1 garlic clove in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Pat panko mixture onto breasts. 
• Roast chicken until crumbs begin to turn golden. Loosely cover pan with foil to prevent crumbs from burning and cook another 5-8 minutes or until cooked through.

Recipe is originally from Epicurious

Slow Cooker Shredded Salsa Verde Beef

 
Sides: Corn bread, guacamole and any other toppings you like, such as shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, hot sauce and lettuce

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast (or any humble beef roast)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups salsa verde (I used Herdez Salsa Verde)
• Tortillas

Directions:

• Place roast in crock pot. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Pour salsa verde over roast.
• Cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours. When done, the roast should shred easily with a fork.

Recipe from Food.com

Extra Credit: Oatmeal Banana Blueberry Muffins

I've been packing these in the lunchboxes (theirs and mine) and they've gone over well. I love that the only sweetener in the recipe is honey. Sorry, this one has more than 5 ingredients :)

Make-Ahead Notes:

• Combine dry ingredients in food processor, blend and set aside for later. I was able to fit all the dry ingredients in my mini-chopper.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (from two medium bananas)
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or substitute milk with
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup frozen or fresh blueberries tossed in a tablespoon of flour

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375.
• Put the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 10 seconds. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the egg, banana, oil, honey, buttermilk and vanilla. Make sure that the honey is dissolved and not hiding out anywhere in a big clump. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir to combine. Add the blueberries and fold them in gently.
• Pour batter into a greased muffin tin. Fill the cups 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the biggest muffin comes out clean.

Recipe from the Fix Me a Snack blog