Dark Chocolate Quinoa Bowl, Cauliflower Curry, Chicken Piccata: Here’s What to Cook This Week

Project 365, Day 156/365

My friends! I’m happy to announce I made it through my 21 day cleanse, and I felt a pretty significant shift in my body. It’s not perfect, but man am I grateful that I can say I’ve had a prolonged lift in symptoms. Typically, if I had a good few days, it was just that…a few days. Then boom, not great again. But it’s been a pretty solid week+ and it’s super promising. I do plan on reintroducing a few key things one at a time to see how I feel (tried coffee today…didn’t go as well as I hoped, sadly), but I’m afraid of undoing all my work so I plan on keeping things up a bit longer, more or less.

Here’s what I plan on making this week, and I hope you find some new inspiration for some meals of your own!

Gluten-Free Chicken Piccata via 40 Aprons

I’m really excited to try this! I love chicken piccata, but as I’m still avoiding wheat-based flours, a traditional recipe wouldn’t work for me. This one used almond flour and arrowroot powder for the dredging. Let’s see how it goes. Serve with whatever you like! Pasta, salad, pasta and salad. I’ll likely do roasted asparagus, and going to reintroduce some potatoes (which I’ve never had an issue with, so not too concerned).

Vegetable Soup via The Modern Proper

Here’s something I heard a bunch of other responsible adults do that I never did until recently: make a big vegetable soup at the end of the week with all their leftover vegetables so they don’t go back. I always have a random carrot, a few stalks of celery, half an onion, a few sprigs of herbs, and a sprouting potato left around each week (plus some). This recipe seems pretty flexible, as frankly, all vegetable soups are. Just throw in whatever you have, add some broth and seasonings, and let it rip. I always drizzle some olive oil and balsamic on the top when I serve it. And this time, I’m going to bring in some dairy to try in the form of parmesan. Can’t wait!

Ratatouille via Cookie + Kate

I had this recipe on last week’s recipe round-up, but it was SO surprisingly good, I’m making it again this week…and I’m making a double batch of it. Normally, my ratatouille is a bit mushy and wet, but this one roasts the vegetables separately so they dry out a bit, then pairs it with a quick fresh tomato sauce. It was bright, light, fantastic and very easy and fast. I made the whole thing while my friend told me a story over FaceTime. She peeled and chopped a sweet potato, I made this start to finish. I may introduce some whole wheat bread into the equation here, but I can’t wait to have it again (and I don’t really like ratatouille).

1-Pot Yellow Chickpea Cauliflower Curry & Gluten-Free Flatbread via Minimalist Baker

There’s almost nothing more soul-warming than a curry. I mean, maybe lasagna…and any pasta, but I just love curries. I’d normally make mine with chicken, but trying to only eat meat once or twice a week if I can help it (I can help it, most times), so interested in this chickpea cauliflower combination. I may take this a bit further and try to roast down the cauliflower first, so it’s a bit chewier and “meatier” but we’ll see what I have the patience for. Oh, and giving an almond-flour flatbread a try, too.

Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce via Punch of Yum

Okay here’s the thing…I don’t actually like quinoa all that much. But I have two big bags of it still, so I’m trying not to waste them. It’s good when it’s mixed with a bunch of other delicious things I like, and everything in this bowl, I like. Hoping the feta addition goes well for me, but sheep’s milk feta is much easier to digest than cow’s milk cheeses, so I think it’ll be alright!

Dark Chocolate Quinoa Breakfast Bowl via Minimalist Baker

WHAT?!? This looks bonkers good. It’s hard to find things to eat for breakfast that are wholesome and not egg-based. I’m not ready to bring eggs back into my rotation, so in addition to a chia seed pudding here and there I’ll whip up, I’m going to give this a whirl this week. I mean…what could go wrong?

And that’s that! The soup and the curry will probably leave some leftovers beyond what we also eat for lunch, so Charles and I should be all set for meals for the week. Anything here you’re interested in trying?

See you tomorrow, FOAS!