Weekly Meals, Lovin’ the beans

The week before the week that I went of town (confused yet..., it was a while back) I made my two weekly dinners, and both were not only delicious, they were bean filled.

I was so excited when doing my shopping to find this three pack.  One recipe called for a red and yellow pepper, and the other called for a green pepper, so this was perfect.
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My first recipe was a Tuscan bean stew.  Since I am headed to Tuscany at the end of the month, this seemed perfect.

I was thankful for the helpful tip on this recipe for using the broiler to roast the peppers.  I have only done it holding them over the gas stove flame, so this seemed much safer for me.  I placed a piece of foil on the shelf of the broiler, and let them get charred.
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Then I placed them for 10 minutes in a plastic bag and when the time was up, I was ready to peel them easily.
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Then I sliced them up and put them aside.
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The next step was starting on the base.  I started with onions.  Probably more than needed, but I am now really into onions.
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Then came some veggie broth and the beans.
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At the end of the 20 minute simmering period, I tossed in the roasted peppers.
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We loved it!  In fact, I sent the recipe to my sister because she thought it looked so good, and Ryan even requested this be made again.
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My next recipe came from the same Today's Dietitian cookbook I picked up at FNCE and used the week before.  This was a honey mustard fish over black beans.  I liked this recipe because it used the broiler again.  Can I just say, I love the broiler now!  I had never used it before this week.  Why on earth did I not know about this?!?!?
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I used these canned products.
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Here is where it got tricky.  I did not have many options when it came to honey mustard sauce, so I bought honey mustard.
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I started cooking my onions and peppers.
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Then I added tomatoes and black beans.
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While that was cooking on low heat, I started on the tilapia.  I put some mustard right on the fish and spread it around with a spoon.
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When the fish was done, I placed the beans down on the plate first.  You can see the fish blackened a little.  I think this is because of the sugar in the honey mustard in the direct heat.  It really didn't effect the taste too much.
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This was another awesome dish.  I am so pleased with my sticking to this goal of cooking twice weekly, and doing it almost entirely from scratch (but not as from scratch as From Scratch Weekends).  I am comfortable with this being simple homemade meals that do not take too long and pack in a lot of colors and corresponding nutrition.  The longest I spend on dinner would be 1 hour and this is because of long prep times (I am getting better and more organized, YAY!) or baking times.
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QUESTIONS:  Do you use the broiler?  What is the longest amount of time you spend on dinner for a weeknight?

4 comments:

Nicole, RD said...

Yum! I love mustard on fish - so good! Your bean-filled meal looks delicious :)

I will spend about 60-70 minutes on a weekday meal, but the less the better! I do usually plan my more complicated meals on the nights I don't teach. If I have 1 hour between work and class, it's not usually spent in the kitchen...20 minutes, max! Like tonight - waffles!

FoodFitnessFreshAir said...

This definitely makes me want to roast up some peppers! I haven't done that in a long time. I love the charcoally outer taste they get.

Ameena said...

I love this! It looks really delicious and I think that mustard goes fabulously on fish. I use a marinade that my friend shared with me - equal parts Sriracha (sp?), mustard, and soy sauce. It really is delicious!

Kristen (swanky dietitian) said...

These meals look amazing!
I only recently started using the broiler and I have to agree with you! I just love it!!

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