The Steam Oven Meal Plan for real people #10

A steam oven meal plan that covers all bases

This week’s plan feels like a good solid all-rounder. A couple of meat meals, some almost-vegetarian, a chicken, a pork and a couple of bakes thrown in for good measure. It’s just the right amount of challenging and comforting rolled into one.

Happy cooking, see you here again soon.

Monday

I could make these Asian style beef ribs every single week and they’d still be enjoyed here. My eldest kiddo would put them in his top three meals, and I think my husband would too.

Last time I made this dish I used the leftovers to make rice paper rolls for lunch the next day, and it was so delicious I think I’ll do it again. I used the Vietnamese rice paper sheets you dip in water to soften, and filled them with cooked rice noodles, the shredded beef, lettuce and a dipping sauce made from the braising liquid and a good amount of fermented chili sauce. I’ll be looking forward to those rolls as much as the dinner itself!

Asian Style Sticky Beef Ribs

Meaty and savory and sticky, beef ribs need long slow cooking but it's so worth the wait. Braised in a mix of soy, ginger, star anise and garlic, they're perfect over steamed rice and greens.

Check out this recipe

I’m out of muffins for lunchboxes but middle kid has declared that he’s tired of muffins. So I think we’ll be having banana bread instead for this week! I won’t get to make this on the weekend so it’ll be a Monday job.

Banana Bread (no refined sugar)

This is the 'leaner' of the two banana bread recipes I use. It's delicious and plush, and – bonus – doesn't need any refined sugar to make it so.

Check out this recipe

Tuesday

It’s risotto weather! I’m not sure anyone else in my house is excited, but I certainly am. I’m going to make something approaching my pancetta, mushroom and zucchini risotto. The method remains the same but I’ll switch out the mushrooms and pancetta in favor of roasted pumpkin and cooked bacon because that’s what I have. I’ll hold back on adding the pumpkin and bacon until the last 5 minutes of cooking. I want them hot but not steamed into submission, given they’re already cooked.

Risotto with pancetta, mushrooms and zucchini

Think of this more as a base recipe; make the risotto but use whatever vegetables, meat or seafood you like. Think about how long the 'add ins' take to cook and add them to the pan so each ingredient gets cooked to perfection.

Check out this recipe

Wednesday

I’m pulling a previously-cooked steam oven sous vide steak from the freezer today. I’ll quickly sear it to get a crust on the outside, then turn it into a warm Thai beef salad. My favorite version comes from the wonderful Nagi at RecipeTin Eats (linked below).

Thursday

I spoke about this recipe in a subscriber email last week (not a subscriber? You’re missing out on exclusive content and discounts when I launch products! Become one here). It’s one of those recipes I used to make all the time that got lost and then re-found, and I love it just as much as always.

Today I’m tweaking the recipe (can’t help myself!). I’m making the maple, lime and ginger sauce for the chicken, but I’m using it to briefly marinate a whole, butterflied chicken before roasting. I’m very optimistic that it’ll be even more delicious than the original version. A simple green salad will turn this into a very passable weeknight dinner.

Maple, Lime and Ginger Chicken

If you want to follow my lead, make up the sauce for the chicken, then marinate a whole butterflied chicken for up to an hour before cooking (no longer, the pineapple and lime will alter the texture of the meat if you marinate it too long). Roast in your steam oven at 400F/200C, medium steam until the chicken is cooked through.

Check out this recipe

Friday

We’ve got a few extra kids coming for dinner and instead of the common Friday night pizza offering, I’m going to make stromboli instead. I think it’ll be the perfect dish of ‘part garlic bread part pizza’ to appeal to them all!

Easy Homemade Stromboli

This recipe can easily be tweaked to include different things. Try ham instead of salami, pesto, thinly sliced vegetables and different types of cheese. None traditional but all delicious!

Check out this recipe

Weekend

If there’s any stromboli left from Friday night’s dinner, I’ll serve that up. And I’m pulling pumpkin soup from the freezer too. I’m linking my pumpkin and cauliflower version here, but my soup this week is simply roasted pumpkin and garlic blended with home made chicken stock. Sometimes simple is better. 😉

On Sunday we’re eating my husband’s barbecue pulled pork, thanks to an enormous batch he cooked recently. It gets thawed and reheated in the steam oven and it’s every bit as good as freshly made.

If the kids and I are inclined, we’ll bake some cinnamon rolls or lemon rolls. Our lemon tree is bountiful with yellow fruit, so I’m hoping to also do a batch of steamed lemon curd (which, yes, I’m likely to eat most of straight from the jar. Don’t judge).

Cauliflower and Pumpkin Soup with Ginger and Lemongrass

This soup is excellent and a great twist on a classic pumpkin soup. You can follow the same method with simplified ingredients if you just want a regular no-frills pumpkin version.

Check out this recipe