Everybody Eats: Get out of dinner rut, try a new recipe

Everyone has a go-to recipe, something they can whip up with little prep, planning or even thought. Mine is a chicken stir fry I made up on the fly about five years ago and now prepare at least once a week. It's simple, healthy and everyone in the family likes it.

Or they used to.

I'm in a bit of a dinner rut. Lately, making dinner seems like a chore, just one more thing I have to do before I can do the things I want to do. I've been cooking simple dinners, if I bother to cook at all, and the reception has been as enthusiastic as my attitude towards making the meal.

An editor once told me the best way to get out of a writing rut was to focus on an exciting story. At the time, I thought that was her nice way of saying 'Get to work.” Turns out, she was right.

I spent the weekend with a pile of cookbooks I marked months (or, in some cases, years) ago with sticky tabs denoting recipes I wanted to try. The recipes with pictures looked good. The recipes with ingredients I had on hand looked even better.

For the first time in weeks, I made a grocery list. I went to the store and didn't grab items at random, but shopped with intent, picking up things I knew would be used several times over in dinner recipes that did not include bell peppers or peanut oil (two ingredients in my stir fry recipe).

Below is the first new recipe I tried. The fact that my teenage son didn't make a peanut butter sandwich an hour later means he liked it.

PACIFIC RIM WRAPS WITH CREAMY CITRUS GINGER DRESSNG

Makes 6 servings

Dressing

2/3 cup (5 fluid ounce can) evaporated milk

5 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad

1 package (6.5 ounce) or 4 cups washed salad greens

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (about 2 to 3 boneless chicken breast halves)

1 cup matchstick or shredded carrots

1 cup fresh sugar snap pea pods, cut in half

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds (optional)

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas

To make dressing, place evaporated milk, lemon juice, oil, sugar, ginger, salt and black pepper in small jar or container; cover with lid. Shake well until blended. Makes 1 cup.

To make the salad, combine greens, chicken, carrots, sugar snap peas, dried cranberries and almonds in large bowl. Add 2/3 cup dressing; toss until evenly coated.

Place 1 cup of the salad mixture on each tortilla. Roll up tightly. Cut in half and serve along with remaining dressing, if desired. Or, wrap each in wax paper, foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate to eat later.

Tip: The dressing can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Shake well before using.

Source:

Nestle Year-Round Recipes: 365 Sensational Dishes for Every Season by Nestle USA, Inc. (Publications International, Ltd.; 2012)