Pan fried

I was sick for a couple weeks, but am finally pulling out of it. Whew!

This week I made some quick and easy meals out of Keepers again.

Chicken Milanese Topped with Fennel Salad -- I made Chicken Milanese, but skipped the fennel salad since I didn't have any fennel in the house. On the side I made Mashed Sweet Potatoes (from Perfect Vegetables by the editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine) and some crisp snow peas. The chicken turned out great. Moist and tasty. The sweet potatoes were super easy and very good. I can't believe I've never made mashed sweet potatoes before, but I usually roast them. The only problem was the plate was too orange/brown with both the sweet potatoes and the breaded chicken. Thank goodness for the green snow peas. They also gave a healthy note to the otherwise heavy plate of food. I'm sure the fennel salad on top of the chicken would be perfect. I'm flagging this recipe for the next time I have fennel from my Farmhouse Delivery.

Fish Fingers with Lime-Ginger Dipping Sauce -- Last night we had Fish Fingers with Lime-Ginger Dipping Sauce from Keepers, and a side of sliced tomato and avocado. I used thick strips of cod and it turned out perfectly cooked. The dipping sauce was good and light. Eric liked it more than I did, but it was good. The sauce also worked well with the tomato and avocado.

Bottom line: I'll definitely make all three of these recipes again --- but I wouldn't combine the chicken Milanese and sweet potatoes. The two pan fried dishes from Keepers are actually quite different in taste and texture, with the use of breadcrumbs for the chicken and the lighter, flaky-er panko crumbs for the fish.

Last weekend I also made a couple tried-and-true favorites. That's the best when recovering from a cold.

Shredded Pork Soft Tacos -- This is from Pressure Cooker Perfection by America's Test Kitchen Editors. I've made this a few times and it's excellent. The best part is it only takes 25 minutes in the pressure cooker, but tastes like you've been cooking it all day. Great flavor from chipotle chiles in adobo sauce and a whole orange cut in half. I almost always pair it with coleslaw and pickled radishes. And you have to have some lime squeezed on top.

Sweet-and-Sour Coleslaw -- This is my favorite recipe for coleslaw. It comes from The Best Recipe by (you guessed it) Cook's Illustrated Magazine. It's a no-mayo version. A little sugar, vinegar and oil, along with some salt, pepper and celery seed. This weekend I had a head of red cabbage from Farmhouse Delivery, so I used that.  I also threw in a little carrot and a couple shredded radishes... just because. It's very crisp and light, and pairs perfectly with the rich pork tacos. Yum.