MEAL PLAN 20

WHY THIS MEAL PLAN WORKS

Only one of this week’s meals clocks in with an active cooking time of more than half an hour; in fact, one dinner—the Spiced Pork Lettuce Wraps with Mango and Avocado—is a deliciously fun finger-food meal that will make you feel like a rock star when you’re able to get it to the table in a mere 20 minutes. Some crispy oven-roasted potatoes and a versatile chickpea salad make up our crowd-pleasing sides this week. Try the salad another time with pork chops or stirred into rice for a hearty vegetarian dinner. And the orecchiette is a great one-dish meal that’s really elevated by the addition of pine nuts and dried currants. The carton of sour cream on the grocery list gets all used up between the zesty, creamy horseradish sauce for the steak tips and the minty spiced sauce for the pork wraps.

GROCERY LIST

PROTEIN			Substitutions
□	Boneless, skinless chicken breasts	4 (6 to 8 ounces each)
□	Sirloin steak tips	2 pounds
□	Ground pork	1 pound
PRODUCE
□	Broccoli florets	1 pound
□	Bibb lettuce	1 head (8 ounces)	Green-leaf lettuce
□	Avocado	1
□	Mango	1
□	Mint	1 bunch (enough for ½ cup chopped)	Cilantro (for chicken or pork); parsley (for chicken)
DAIRY
□	Sour cream	1 cup (8 ounces)	Greek yogurt
OTHER
□	Prepared horseradish	¼ cup

PREP AHEAD

Halve potatoes

Separate and wash Bibb lettuce leaves

Peel, pit, and finely chop mango

Thinly slice red onion

Wash and pick mint

Juice lemons (6 tablespoons)

Toast pine nuts

Grate Parmesan (1 cup)

Trim steak and cut into 2-inch pieces

MAKE AHEAD

UP TO 2 DAYS	Cook pork mixture for pork lettuce wraps (or freeze for up to 1 month)
UP TO 1 DAY	Season chicken breasts
	Make chickpea salad for chicken
	Make horseradish cream for steak tips
	Make sour cream sauce for pork lettuce wraps

PANTRY ITEMS

CUPBOARD & COUNTER			Substitutions
□	Orecchiette	1 pound	Any short pasta
□	Chickpeas	2 (15-ounce) cans	Small white beans
□	Oil	⅔ cup
□	Honey	2 teaspoons
□	Ground cumin	2 teaspoons
□	Smoked paprika	1½ teaspoons
□	Small Yukon Gold potatoes (1- to 2-inch diameter)	1½ pounds	Small red potatoes
□	Garlic cloves	6
□	Red onion	1	4 large shallots
□	Dried currants	½ cup	Chopped raisins
REFRIGERATOR
□	Parmesan cheese	2 ounces	Pecorino Romano
□	Broth	1 cup
□	Sriracha	1 tablespoon	Asian chili-garlic sauce
□	Lemons	2
FREEZER
□	Pine nuts	½ cup	Walnuts

**PAN-SEARED CHICKEN BREASTS with CHICKPEA SALAD**

SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 30 MINUTES

6 tablespoons oil, divided

2 teaspoons honey

1½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon table salt, divided

¾ teaspoon pepper, divided

¼ cup lemon juice (2 lemons)

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed

½ red onion, sliced thin

4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

1. FOR THE CHICKPEA SALAD Whisk 5 tablespoons oil, honey, paprika, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Measure out and reserve 2 tablespoons oil mixture in large bowl. Whisk lemon juice into remaining oil mixture, then stir in chickpeas and onion; set aside until ready to serve.

2. FOR THE CHICKEN Add chicken to 2 tablespoons reserved oil mixture in bowl and toss to coat; let sit for at least 20 minutes.

3. TO FINISH Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook, turning as needed, until golden and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

4. Stir mint into reserved chickpea mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chicken.

PREP AHEAD

J uice lemons
Slice onion
Wash and pick mint

MAKE AHEAD

Refrigerate chickpea salad for up to 1 day
Refrigerate seasoned chicken for up to 1 day

NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

Sub small white beans for chickpeas
Sub 2 large shallots for red onion
Sub cilantro or parsley for mint

**PAN-SEARED STEAK TIPS with ROASTED POTATOES and HORSERADISH CREAM**

SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 25 MINUTES

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup prepared horseradish

1½ teaspoon table salt, divided

¾ teaspoon pepper, divided

1½ pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, halved

2 tablespoons oil, divided

2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. FOR THE HORSERADISH CREAM Combine sour cream, horseradish, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl; set aside.

3. FOR THE POTATOES Toss potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together on rimmed baking sheet. Arrange potatoes cut side down on sheet and roast until tender and bottoms are well browned, about 25 minutes.

4. FOR THE STEAKS Meanwhile, pat steak tips dry with paper towels and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add steak tips and cook until well browned on all sides and meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), about 7 minutes. Transfer to serving platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve steak with potatoes and horseradish cream.

PREP AHEAD

Halve potatoes
Trim and cut steak tips

MAKE AHEAD

Refrigerate horseradish cream for up to 1 day

NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

Sub Greek yogurt for sour cream
Sub red potatoes for Yukon Gold

**SPICED PORK LETTUCE WRAPS with AVOCADO and MANGO**

SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 20 MINUTES

½ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided

1½ teaspoons table salt, divided

¾ teaspoon pepper, divided

1 pound ground pork

1 tablespoon sriracha

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 head Bibb lettuce (8 ounces), leaves separated

1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced thin

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and chopped fine

1. FOR THE SOUR CREAM SAUCE Whisk sour cream, mint, water, ¼ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in bowl; set aside.

2. FOR THE COOKED PORK Cook pork in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in sriracha, garlic, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining ¾ teaspoon cumin, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3. TO FINISH Transfer pork to large serving platter with lettuce, avocado, and mango. Serve, passing sour cream sauce separately.

PREP AHEAD

Wash and pick mint
Separate and wash lettuce leaves
Peel, pit, and chop mango

MAKE AHEAD

Refrigerate cooked pork mixture for up to 2 days (or freeze for up to 1 month)
Refrigerate sour cream sauce for up to 1 day

NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

Serve with rice (this page), if you like
Sub Greek yogurt for sour cream
Sub green-leaf lettuce for Bibb
Sub cilantro for mint
Sub Asian chili-garlic sauce for sriracha

**ORECCHIETTE with BROCCOLI, CURRANTS, and PINE NUTS**

SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 35 MINUTES

1 pound orecchiette

Table salt for cooking pasta

1 pound broccoli florets

2 tablespoons oil

½ red onion, sliced thin

½ cup pine nuts, toasted

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup broth

½ cup dried currants

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook for 6 minutes. Add broccoli and cook until pasta is tender, broccoli is bright green, and florets start to break down, about 5 minutes. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and broccoli and return them to pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add pine nuts and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and currants and simmer until reduced slightly, about 4 minutes.

3. Add sauce to pasta and toss to combine (broccoli should break up into bits). Stir in Parmesan and lemon juice and adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

PREP AHEAD

Slice red onion
Toast pine nuts
Grate Parmesan
Juice lemon

NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

Sub any short pasta for orecchiette
Sub 2 large shallots for red onion
Sub Pecorino Romano for Parmesan
Sub walnuts for pine nuts
Sub chopped raisins for currants