In many households, 6 p.m.- 9 p.m. can feel like the busiest, most hectic part of the day. You arrive home after what can be a stressful commute from work; the kids have homework and need to get ready for bed; the house is a mess; you’re tired from pulling an eight-hour shift (or more)… How do you fit in making the time to cook a healthy, family-friendly meal without driving yourself crazy?
2. FAJITA-STYLE BEEF TACOS1
CHEESY RED PEPPER PIZZA2
ASIAN CHICKEN BURGERS3
TURKEY STEAKS
with Spinach, Pears, & Blue Cheese
4
STUFFED SWEET POTATOES
with Pancetta and Broccoli Rabe
HAM, APPLE, & CHEESE
QUESADILLA
STEAK PIZZAIOLA
5
6
7
3. 12 ounces boneless beef
sirloin steak, cut 3/4 inch thick
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black
pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cups halved and thinly
sliced sweet onions, such as
Vadalia or Maui
8 6 inches corn tortillas,
warmed
1 mango, seeded, peeled, and
chopped
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges
FAJITA-STYLE BEEF TACOS
4. Instructions
1. Preheat broiler. Trim fat from steak. In a
small bowl combine salt, black pepper, and
cayenne pepper; sprinkle evenly over steak.
Place steak on the unheated rack of a broiler
pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 8 to 12 minutes or until
desired doneness, turning once. Cover with foil; let steak stand for 5
minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add
onions; cover and cook about 12 minutes or until very tender and
brown, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to medium-low if onions start
to get too brown.
3. Thinly slice steak across the grain. Divide steak, onions, and mango
among tortillas. Sprinkle each with cilantro and serve with lime
wedges for squeezing. Serve immediately.
5. Nonstick cooking spray
1 13 3/4 ounce package
refrigerated pizza dough
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup sliced roasted red
and/or yellow sweet peppers
2 medium roma tomatoes,
thinly sliced
2 tablespoons shredded fresh
spinach (optional)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground
black pepper
2 tablespoons snipped fresh
basil
CHEESY RED PEPPER PIZZA
6. Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a 12-
inch pizza pan with nonstick spray. Press
refrigerated dough into prepared pan,
building up edges. Brush with olive oil. Bake
in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
2. Remove crust from oven. Arrange sweet pepper, tomato slices,
and, if using, spinach on the crust. Sprinkle with cheese and black
pepper.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes more or until
cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with basil.
7. Cooking spray
1 small carrot
1 small red onion, halved
1 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup panko (Japanese
breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 teaspoons hot Asian chili sauce,
such as sambal oelek
8 ounces white mushrooms, thinly
sliced
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime
4 whole-wheat sesame hamburger
buns
ASIAN CHICKEN BURGERS
8. Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mist a baking
sheet with cooking spray. Grate the carrot and
1/2 onion into a large bowl. Add the chicken,
panko, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, the ginger, 3
teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sambal oelek and mix until
combined. Shape the chicken mixture into 4 patties and place on the
prepared baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the remaining 1/2 onion. Toss with the
mushrooms, sesame oil, lime juice and the remaining 1 teaspoon soy
sauce in a bowl. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce and 2
teaspoons sambal oelek with 1 tablespoon water in another bowl.
Warm the hamburger buns in the oven. Serve the burgers on the buns
with a drizzle of the hoisin-sambal sauce and some of the mushroom
mixture.
9. 2 turkey breast tenderloins (1
to 1-1/4 lb.)
1 teaspoon dried sage,
crushed
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 6 ounce fresh baby spinach
1 large pear, cored and thinly
sliced
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
TURKEY STEAKS
with Spinach, Pears, & Blue Cheese
10. Instructions
1. Horizontally split tenderloins to make four
1/2-inch-thick steaks. Rub turkey with sage;
sprinkle with salt and pepper. In extra-large
skillet cook steaks in 1 tablespoon of the
butter over medium-high heat 14 to 16 minutes or until no longer
pink (170 degrees F), turning once. (Reduce heat to medium if turkey
browns too quickly.) Remove from skillet. Add spinach to skillet.
Cook and stir until just wilted.
2. Meanwhile, in small skillet cook pear slices in remaining 1
tablespoon butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring
occasionally for 5 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.
3. Serve steaks with spinach and pears. Top with blue cheese. Serves
4.
12. Instructions
1. Pierce each sweet potato with a fork in a few
spots. Arrange on a microwave-safe plate and
microwave until soft, about 12 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a large skillet
over medium heat, turning once, until crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove from
the skillet and drain on paper towels. Increase the heat to medium high; add
the broccoli rabe and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the skillet and cook, stirring
occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic and red pepper
flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 3
more minutes.
3. Mix the ricotta, parmesan, and nutmeg to taste in a small bowl. Split open
the sweet potatoes lengthwise and fluff the flesh with a fork. Top each with
about 1 teaspoon of the ricotta mixture, then top evenly with the broccoli
rabe mixture and the remaining ricotta mixture. Chop the pancetta and
sprinkle evenly on top.
13. Eight 6-inch whole wheat tortillas
Cooking spray or olive oil, for oiling
tortillas
1 tablespoon spicy brown or Dijon
mustard
1 cup shredded low-sodium Swiss (4
ounces)
4 ounces very thinly sliced low-
sodium lean Black Forest or Virginia
ham
1/2 small red onion, extra thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons no-sugar-added
apple butter, plus more for topping,
optional
2 small apples, cut into thin sticks
(red and green)
Lemon juice and ground cinnamon
for tossing
HAM, APPLE & CHEESE
QUESADILLA
14. Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
2. Spray 4 of the tortillas with cooking spray (or brush
with olive oil). Lay the oiled tortillas on a large cutting
board oiled-side down. Brush with the mustard and
sprinkle with about half of the cheese. Top each evenly with a thin layer of ham,
onions and some pepper, and then finish with the remaining cheese.
Brush the apple butter evenly on the remaining tortillas. Place one apple-butter
tortilla on top of a ham-and-cheese tortilla (filling sides in), and firmly press the
tortillas together to make a quesadilla.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lay a quesadilla oiled-side down
in the pan and cook until golden brown and the cheese starts to melt, about 2
minutes. Spray the top of the quesadilla with cooking spray, turn and cook until
the other side browns and the cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to a
baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas.
4. Cut the quesadillas into 4 wedges and arrange on plates. Toss the apples with
lemon and juice and cinnamon to taste. Serve with the apple slices.
15. 1 1/4 pounds boneless sirloin steak
(about 1 inch thick), excess fat
trimmed
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow),
sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 jarred pepperoncini, drained and
thinly sliced
1 15 -ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh
parsley
Focaccia, for serving (optional)
STEAK PIZZAIOLA
16. Instructions
1. Sprinkle the steak all over with 1/4 teaspoon
salt. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over
medium-high heat. Add the steak and sear until
browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to
aplate. Add the garlic to the skillet. Once it sizzles, add the onion and bell
peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften slightly, about 4
minutes. Add the pepperoncini, tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes
and 3/4 cup water and stir to combine.
2. Bring to a rapid simmer, then nestle the steak in the sauce and
simmer, turning once, until medium rare, about 7 minutes. Transfer the
steak to a cutting board and let rest about 5 minutes. Continue
simmering the sauce until thickened, about 3 more minutes.
3. Thinly slice the steak against the grain and divide among plates. Top
with the sauce and parsley. Serve with focaccia.
