I normally share batch cooking freezer meals with you on the channel so today will be a different change of pace. I'm batch cooking fresh for the entire week. When I cook for the freezer, I tend to make heartier fare: casseroles, chilis, heavy sauces and pot pies. These freeze well and feed a crowd with ease.
Today, you will see how I like to cook lighter choices when I make items fresh for the week. Today's video is a collaboration with my friend Kim from Free to Family. Kim is the Queen of batch cooking! She does batch cooking videos every Sunday and when she asked me to collaborate on one, I said an enthusiastic "yes".
In today's batch cooking session, I'm making seared ahi tuna, white dover sole with lemon and butter, roast chicken with onions and rosemary, grilled chicken sausages, acorn squash with maple syrup, basmati rice, and lentils with kale.
I take a nice, thick ahi tuna filet and marinate it for 30 minutes in sesame oil, soy sauce (a few tablespoons), chopped garlic, and green onions. I seared it for 1 1/2 minutes on each side and then slice.
My favorite way to cook fish is in a foil packet. The fish is always moist and never overcooks. I place one pound of dover sole filets in foil sprayed with cooking spray. On top, I put salt and pepper, one tablespoon of butter, sliced lemon, sliced basil, and green onion. Use whatever herbs you have on hand. I baked this at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
I love making roast chicken. We kept this in the fridge and had it sliced cold all week. It was delicious. I have many different ways I make a roast chicken, but here's what I did today: I rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I fill the cavity of the chicken with a full apple. I place sliced garlic under the skin and top with onions and rosemary. I baked this for an hour and a half at 350 F in the roasting pan on the rack. For the last 20 minutes, I raised the temperature to 400 degrees. Just make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
The acorn squash is sliced in half, de-seeded, and placed in a Bain Marie, or water bath. I fill the cavity with butter and maple syrup and cook this alongside the chicken in the oven. As for the lentils, I sauté chopped onions in the Instant Pot on the sauté feature with some oil. Then, after rinsing and draining the lentils, I place two cups in the instant pot and cover with 8 to 10 cups of water along with a heaping tablespoon of boullion and chopped kale from the garden. I cook on high pressure for 15 minute for soft lentils (for al dente lentils, cook for 8 minutes). Meanwhile, I also cook rice in the rice cooker, and grill sausages on the La Creuset grill pan.
The genius of batch cooking is that you get all of the work out of the way, and get the kitchen messy one time, yet enjoy the meals all week. We really enjoyed the meals this week. We ate the fish first and everything tasted great. I would love to know... do you batch cook?
I hope you enjoy today's video.
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