Dinner Recipes, Summer Meal Plan #5

What to cook for dinner this week:

1.) Mini Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Spicy Cranberry Relish with Roasted Corn 2.) Wild Rice, Cranberry, Corn, and Chicken Salad with Bacon 3.)White Bean, Wild Rice and Kale Soup 4.) White Chili and Chorizo Tamale Pie 5.) Pan Seared Scallops with Chorizo and Roasted Corn 6.) Cocktail: Fruity Sorbet Wine Slushes

On this page, you’ll find a meal plan for the week. Each meal is designed to build on the previous night’s efforts by using leftover ingredients. A little = a lot. You’ll also find a preparation schedule and grocery list.

Meal Prep, Day by Day

(A shopping list for this week’s meals is at the bottom of this page)

Day #1

What’s for Dinner Tonight: Mini Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Spicy Cranberry Relish and Roasted Corn

Tonight's meal is super fun because it's like eating fancy dinner party appetizers for dinner. In fact, put the recipe for tonight's Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Spicy Cranberry Relish in your back pocket because you'll want to pull it out for the next birthday party, holiday brunch, bridal shower, dinner party... wherever appetizers or first courses are required, this dish will blow everyone away. Until then, you get to eat these for dinner tonight, you lucky dog. 🙂

Make a triple batch of Roasted Corn, roasting a total of 36 oz of corn, seasoning the corn with either Tajin Seasoning or mild chili powder. If using fresh corn cut from the cob, you'll need approximately 16 large ears of corn. Serve ⅓ of the roasted corn for tonight's dinner, reserve ⅓ for Wild Rice, Cranberry, Corn, and Chicken Salad on Day #2, and ⅓ for Pan Seared Scallops with Chorizo and Roasted Corn on Day #5.
Prepare a double amount of fried chicken medallions and reserve half in the refrigerator for Wild Rice, Cranberry, Corn, and Chicken Salad on Day #2. (Only double the amount of fried chicken, not the cranberry relish or seasoned mayonnaise.)

To get a jump on the week ahead:

Get a batch of beans going in the slow cooker. This is optional - white beans are used in soup on Day #3 and in Tamale Pie on Day #4 - and you can use canned beans in both recipes. However, cooking dried beans in the slow cooker only takes about 5 minutes of prep work and allows you to flavor the beans while they cook. Great cooking is about adding high quality ingredients and layering in lots of flavor. Cooking dried beans rather than using canned beans is an easy opportunity to do both. Plus, cooking dried beans will save you some money. Follow this recipe for Simple Slow Cooker Beans, adding 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper in addition to the other spices called for in the recipe.
Croutons: Topping your soup with croutons on Day #3 is optional, as is using store bought croutons or making them yourself. Making croutons is super simple and a great way to use up leftover bread. Here's a quick video to show you how. If you do plan to make homemade croutons, you might want to do that today which will save you some time on Day #3.

Day #2

What’s for Dinner Tonight: Wild Rice, Cranberry, Corn, and Chicken Salad with Bacon

Thanks to having made extra fried chicken medallions and roasted corn on Day #1, tonight's dinner will be on the table in no time.

Skip step #2 in the recipe for tonight's salad, using approximately 2 ½ cups of the roasted corn you prepared on Day #1.
Reheat the fried chicken medallions in the oven, or a toaster oven, before serving: Heat oven to 425 degrees, lay the chicken on a baking sheet, and bake for 5-10 minutes, until sizzling.
Prepare double the amount of wild rice called for in the recipe, using 1 & ½ cups of dried rice, and reserve half of the cooked rice (approximately 2 - 2 & ½ cups) for White Bean, Wild Rice and Kale Soup on Day #3.

Day #3

What’s for Dinner Tonight: White Bean, Wild Rice and Kale Soup

You should already have between 2 - 2 & ½ cups of cooked wild rice in your refrigerator, reserved from Day #2. When following the recipe for tonight's soup, at step #3, cover the pan and let the vegetable broth and tomatoes simmer for 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Then, add the cooked rice to the soup at the same time you add the beans.

Day #4

What’s for Dinner Tonight: White Chili and Chorizo Tamale Pie

Use 1 ½ cups of the white beans you cooked earlier in the week for this homey, comforting casserole.
Cook double the amount of chorizo - a total of 24 oz. Reserve half the cooked chorizo plus 2 tablespoons of the chorizo oil in seperate covered containers in the refrigerator for Scallops with Chorizo and Roasted Corn on Day #5.

Day #5

What’s for Dinner Tonight: Pan Seared Scallops with Chorizo and Roasted Corn

This dish is elegant enough to serve to the most discerning dinner party guest and yet, will be on the table in about 20 minutes thanks to the fact that you've already roasted the corn and cooked the chorizo. Remove the last of the corn that you roasted earlier in the week and the cooked chorizo and chorizo oil that you prepared on Day #4 from your refrigerator and skip to step #2 in the recipe.

This Week’s Featured Cocktail: Fruity Sorbet Wine Slushies

Suggested Recipes for the Baker:

Shopping List, Weekly Summer Meal Plan #5

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*Does not include ingredients for suggested baked goods.

1 orange
4 large jalapeños
8 limes
2 large lemons
14 garlic cloves
2 yellow onions
1 & ½ cups chives
2 cups fresh cilantro
⅓ cup minced shallots
1 & ½ cups scallions (3 bunches)
2 cups arugula
10 oz kale
2 stalks of celery
2 large carrots
3 large tomatoes, enough for 3 cups diced tomatoes - OR, 3 cups canned diced tomatoes
2 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
10 roasted mild green chilies - OR, 12 oz canned, diced green chilies
36 oz (approximately 7 & ½ cups) corn kernels, frozen or freshly cut from 15-17 ears of corn
30 oz frozen Cape Cod Select premium frozen cranberries
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 oz thick cut bacon (about 10-12 slices)
24 oz chorizo sausage, ground or links
12 scallops (1 lb), fresh or frozen and thawed
1 French baguette
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 teaspoon ground cumin
4 teaspoon ground oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
Pinch of cayenne pepper (approximately ¼ tsp)
3 teaspoon Tajin seasoning (Or, 1 &½ teaspoon chili powder and 1 & ½ teaspoon paprika)
4 cups (32 oz) vegetable broth
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoon Worcestershire or soy sauce
2 tablespoon honey
6 cups panko bread crumbs
1 & ½ cups wild rice
1 cup roasted almonds
12 oz dried white beans (navy beans) - OR - 2 cups canned navy beans
11 large eggs
8 tablespoon butter
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup heavy cream
1 ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Sour cream (optional - to serve with Tamale pie on Day #4)
Salt and pepper
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 & ½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups corn oil
½ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth (for the soup on Day #3)