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  3. Sunday Strategist: A Week of Healthy Dinners - January 22-26

Sunday Strategist: A Week of Healthy Dinners - January 22-26

January 03, 2018
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Credit: Greg DuPree
Every Sunday, we publish a week of Cooking Light dinner plans filled with our favorite recipes—both from current issues and classics. Each meal is designed to be ready and on the table in 45 minutes or less so that you have more time to enjoy the food you’ve prepared and the company of those you’ve prepared it for. If you like having a healthy meal plan but want something customized to your dietary or caloric needs, check out The Cooking Light Diet. It’s a calorie-driven weekly meal plan—breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner—based on your dieting goals and food preferences. Look for one on a newsstands to find more delicious dinner inspiration.
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Monday: Steak with Mixed Olive Tapenade, Butternut Squash, and Green Beans

Credit: Scott Rounds
View Recipe: Steak with Mixed Olive Tapenade, Butternut Squash, and Green Beans

This bountiful plate comes together in a snap thanks to savvy finds from the supermarket like frozen precooked butternut squash, olives from the olive bar, and spiralized beets (available in the produce section). If you can’t find the beets, you can add 1/3 cup precooked, sliced beets to the cooked and drained green beans. Cutting the steak in half will also speed up cooking; be sure to let it rest a few minutes before slicing.

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Tuesday: Almond-Coconut Chicken Satay

Credit: Scott Rounds
View Recipe: Almond-Coconut Chicken Satay

We switch up the peanut butter in a classic satay sauce for almond butter and add Thai red curry paste, a powerhouse condiment made up of nearly 14 ingredients including fresh ginger, lemongrass, and chiles. Don’t worry about the extra coconut milk in the can; you’ll use it up in the following recipe. Soaking the skewers for 10 to 20 minutes will keep them from burning on the grill pan. You can also use metal skewers.

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Wednesday: Zesty Kale and Sweet Potato Bowl

Credit: Scott Rounds
View Recipe: Zesty Kale and Sweet Potato Bowl

This loaded veggie bowl gets a touch of smoke from the chili-spiced sweet potatoes and roasted bell pepper and plenty of zing from fresh lime. Chili powder and lime also give toasted almonds an addictive crust; make extra and enjoy as a snack. Cotija cheese has a dry, crumbly texture—it won’t melt or disappear into the bowl. Use it to top tacos, stir into whole-grain salads, or top roasted broccoli.

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Thursday: Thai Chicken and Vegetable Curry

Credit: Scott Rounds
View Recipe: Thai Chicken and Vegetable Curry

Sweet potato, red bell pepper, and baby kale make this quick curry hearty and colorful. These vegetables make the meat almost secondary; just 12 ounces will go far here. If you can’t find baby kale, you can use spinach or lacinato kale cut into 1-inch pieces. Use the rest of the can of coconut milk from the satay to enrich the sauce in the curry. To cook the quinoa, simmer 1 cup uncooked quinoa in 2 cups water for 14 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

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Friday: Tuna, Avocado, and Pickled Onion Sandwich

Credit: Greg DuPree
View Recipe: Tuna, Avocado, and Pickled Onion Sandwich

This sandwich is all about healthy fats, with omega-3 fatty acids in the tuna and monounsaturated fat in the avocado. The first boosts brain function; the second is great for heart health. Tuna and avocado also happen to taste delicious together, along with pickled onion, roasted almonds, and briny, pea-green Castelvetrano olives. You’ll want a sturdy loaf of sourdough to support the filling; be sure to buy from the bakery section of the supermarket.

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Dessert Bonus: Red Wine–Poached Pears with Cardamom and Vanilla Mascarpone

Credit: Greg DuPree
View Recipe: Red Wine–Poached Pears with Cardamom and Vanilla Mascarpone

Perfumy cardamom heightens the sweetness of poached winter fruit. We use whole pods here to infuse the poaching liquid, rather than serving entirely as the base, so its bitter tanins are much more subtle. 

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    1 of 6 Monday: Steak with Mixed Olive Tapenade, Butternut Squash, and Green Beans
    2 of 6 Tuesday: Almond-Coconut Chicken Satay
    3 of 6 Wednesday: Zesty Kale and Sweet Potato Bowl
    4 of 6 Thursday: Thai Chicken and Vegetable Curry
    5 of 6 Friday: Tuna, Avocado, and Pickled Onion Sandwich
    6 of 6 Dessert Bonus: Red Wine–Poached Pears with Cardamom and Vanilla Mascarpone

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    Sunday Strategist: A Week of Healthy Dinners - January 22-26
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