Sheet pan dinner: Roasted white fish and cabbage tacos

The dog days of summer are here in the Northeast and it. is. sweaty. I'm hankering for things that are raw or minimally cooked, so a sheet pan dinner may seem counterintuitive. But the cooking here is very quick, requires very few dishes, and the end product leaves us feeling satisfied, but not stupified because being really hot and really full is like entering the third ring of hell.

(As always, skip to the next photo to avoid the toddler update.)

Speaking of hell (KIDDING), we're in that annoying place where the things our kid does seem SO AWFUL to us, but when I tell others about his behavior, I'm usually met with, "Yeah, that sounds about right for a 3-year-old." For instance, I just about blacked out with rage (though I think I handled it okay), when M aimed his stream directly at the back of the toilet instead of into the bowl, effectively spraying our entire bathroom with pee. He thought this was HILARIOUS, while I floated out of my body and burst into a million pieces. The first person I told about this replied, "If he ever has a brother, they'll probably do it together."

Don't get me wrong, it's VERY comforting when other people are completely unfazed by M's behavior. But I'm still left wondering if I'm the world's least effective parent. It can be hard to process.

But I also get it. When I tell someone else about M's behavior that's driving me crazy, to them, it's an isolated incident. But when I'm asking him to put on his shoes for the 20th time after struggling to get him to do five other things in the past hour, that shoe battle feels so much more intense and difficult.

Basically what I'm saying is that 3 has been a tough age so far and that on exhausting days, the last thing I want to do is fight with dinner too (what a segue, huh?).

This dinner is partly steamed and partly roasted. Roasting the fish with the veggies proved counterproductive because a lot of liquid came out of the fish while it cooked, which led to steamed veggies instead of roasted ones. No thanks. 

Instead, you're going to wrap up the fish on a bed of lemon and lime in parchment bundles and let them steam on top of the cabbage and scallions to achieve the best of both cooking methods while still only using one pan. Because, it's hot. Here is a handy illustration of my favorite folding method:

So! Wrap up the fish and let it steam in the citrus. Chop the cabbage and scallions, toss with some olive oil, and throw the whole mess into the oven. While it's cooking, heat some taco shells, whizz some avocado crema in the blender, and prep any other toppings you might want (cheese, tomatoes, jicama, beans, etc). Tonight's dinner can be ready in about 30 minutes and is a nice departure from the usual taco night.

Roasted cabbage fish tacos with avocado chipotle crema  

½ small head of red cabbage, roughly chopped
½ small head of napa cabbage, roughly chopped (about 6 cups total cabbage)
8 scallions, trimmed and cut in half width-wise
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large lemon
3 large limes, divided
1 ¼ lb cod or other firm white fish (four medium fillets)
1 Tbsp mayo
1 large avocado
Juice of 1 lime (about 1-2 Tbsp)
4-6 Tbsp water
1 small clove garlic
1-2 tsp chipotles in adobo or chipotle hot sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
12 corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 400.

Toss the cabbage and scallions with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and salt and spread onto a baking sheet. Set aside.

Slice the lemon and one of the limes. Spread out four sheets of parchment paper or tin foil on your countertop. Place 2 or 3 slices of the lemon and lime in the middle of the parchment. Place one fish filet onto the citrus bed and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

To fold the bundles, bring the edges of the two longest sides of the parchment together and fold over three or four times until you can’t fold anymore without hitting the fish inside. Next, fold the sides toward the middle until you’ve made a tight rectangle around the fish. Place on top of the veggies, making sure to move the scallions out from beneath the fish and toward the edges of the sheet pan.

Roast until the veggies are wilted and lightly browned and the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes. If desired, carefully remove the fish bundles, being aware of steam that might escape, and roast the veggies for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the chipotle avocado crema. Combine the mayo, avocado, lime juice, water, garlic, chipotles or hot sauce, and salt in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If too thick, scrape down the sides and add more water a little bit at a time and blend again until you've reached the right consistency. 

Toast the corn tortillas and prep any other fixings you might want with your tacos (cheese, more avocado, beans, tomatoes, etc). Squeeze some more lime juice over the assembled tortillas and serve.

Yield: 4 servings of three tacos and 1 fish fillet each

Dole whip popsicles

If Dole Whip isn't your favorite Disney park food, then what's wrong with you? For those of you who don't know, Dole Whip is basically pineapple soft serve. But's it's so so much better than that description implies.

I swear I'm going to tell you how to make it in a minute, but first I need to talk about some parenting challenges we're having. As always, skip to the next photo if you're only here for the food!

Lately, parenting has felt like being on a high ropes course. It's wobbly and scary and you rarely feel surefooted. Occasionally you reach a platform and feel like a badass who has everything figured out. But then you start the next leg of the course and feel even more wobbly because now you're tired and also annoyed at yourself for not learning enough from the earlier stages. And while you're taking all the necessary precautions, what if you prove the tragic exception?

The long and short of it is, M started preschool 2 months ago and isn't adjusting all that well. He's acting out a bit and having trouble sitting still and it's been hard to watch.

I want to chalk it all up to his being three and starting a new school (any school, for that matter), but words like "evaluation" and "sensory issues" have already been floated.

Maybe I'm just taking it too hard. To me, he's still the chubby cheeked baby with long eyelashes and a silly lisp, so to hear anything different is hard to accept. I'm sure most parents go through some form of growing pains the first time they get any negative feedback about their child. But oof, does it feel like a knife to the heart. 

And I'm doing my best not to let the feedback make me feel distant or separate from M. At first, hearing about his behavior made me feel like I didn't know him at all. But some 3-year-old acting out doesn't make him a bad kid and the more empathy I can have for him while we all hang in there and try to figure this out, the more successful he'll be when facing challenges in the future. 

But for now, it's just... rough.

Anyway, this recipe is a great one to make with kids. M loves adding the ingredients and pushing the button on the food processor and that's really the whole shebang. He also calls Dole Whip, Dole "Yip," and it kills me.

If you plan on eating this right away, then you get the true Dole Whip experience (well, a close approximation anyway). If not, and this recipe makes a lot so you won't likely eat it all in one sitting anyway, freezing it as popsicles is the most successful way to enjoy the leftovers. It freezes really hard, so trying to recreate that soft serve texture is nearly impossible later on. But the mixture makes oh-so-refreshing popsicles. Hang on to some for the first 90-degree day (here in CT, anyway) and thank me later.

Dole Whip

2 large bananas, peeled and frozen
1 lb bag of frozen pineapple chunks
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 can full-fat coconut milk

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Eat immediately or pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Yield: 24 small popsicles or about 4 cups of soft serve

Dole whip bowl. Feel no shame about eating this for breakfast.

Carrot flatbread pizza

A quick pesto made from carrot tops and basil gives these quick and hearty flatbread pizzas a kick of herbs and garlic. Carrot flatbread pizza | Me & the moose #meandthemoose #carrots #flatbread #easyweeknightmeals #flatbreadpizza #carrotpizza #carrottoppesto

This easy flatbread pizza uses all parts of the carrot; the tops go into a garlicky green pesto and the meat of the carrots is peeled or shredded as a topping. So, get dinner on the table fast and reduce your food waste!

Take me to the recipe!

A quick pesto made from carrot tops and basil gives these quick and hearty flatbread pizzas a kick of herbs and garlic. Carrot flatbread pizza | Me & the moose #meandthemoose #carrots #flatbread #easyweeknightmeals #flatbreadpizza #carrotpizza #carrottoppesto

A quick pesto made from carrot tops and basil gives these quick and hearty flatbread pizzas a kick of herbs and garlic. Carrot flatbread pizza | Me & the moose #meandthemoose #carrots #flatbread #easyweeknightmeals #flatbreadpizza #carrotpizza #carrottoppesto

A quick pesto made from carrot tops and basil gives these quick and hearty flatbread pizzas a kick of herbs and garlic. Carrot flatbread pizza | Me & the moose #meandthemoose #carrots #flatbread #easyweeknightmeals #flatbreadpizza #carrotpizza #carrottoppesto

A quick pesto made from carrot tops and basil gives these quick and hearty flatbread pizzas a kick of herbs and garlic. Carrot flatbread pizza | Me & the moose #meandthemoose #carrots #flatbread #easyweeknightmeals #flatbreadpizza #carrotpizza #carrottoppesto

I've been thinking a lot about the passage of time lately. Having a sick parent has made me feel more like an adult than any other milestone has, while simultaneously making me feel like a helpless kid. How am I old enough to sleep next to a hospital bed and interact with doctors who seem to think I know what I'm doing? And also, isn't someone else supposed to take care of this stuff? Like, the mom who's in the hospital bed?

Last week was also M's 3rd birthday and while I felt the obligatory, "How is this kid 3 already?" I also felt a little bit like, "How is he only 3?" In the best way possible, it feels like he's always been here.

So yeah, time. It flies and crawls.

M also starts school on Monday. Real school where I drop him off every day and he makes friends and has relationships with teachers and learns things that I don't know. We flirted with this type of setting before we moved last summer, but then we relocated and decided to get on a waiting list for a school we liked instead of jumping right in as soon as we got to Connecticut.

So! This means I'll be actually posting lunchbox meals over on instagram instead of talking about them theoretically.

This carrot pizza is a good place to start! First, it's "pizza" which is appealing to lots of kids. Carrots are also a good gateway vegetable because they're sweet, especially when roasted.

A quick pesto made from carrot tops and basil gives these quick and hearty flatbread pizzas a kick of herbs and garlic. Carrot flatbread pizza | Me & the moose #meandthemoose #carrots #flatbread #easyweeknightmeals #flatbreadpizza #carrotpizza #carrottoppesto

A couple of notes:

• If you need a nut-free pesto for lunchboxes or allergies, swap in pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for the cashews.

• Use 2 packed cups of carrot tops and basil, in whatever ratio you want. My carrot tops usually measure between 3/4 to 1 cup. Be sure to pack the carrot tops and basil tightly.

• Grated carrots cook the fastest, so if you’re concerned about the veggies having too much texture (ie, remaining too raw) in the final product, I would grate them or shred them. I like the long ribbons of peeled carrots for aesthetics, but they don’t cook very much while the cheese melts.

• An alternative method for cooking these would be to use leftover roasted carrots or to roast some carrots specifically for this dish. I use raw because I’m very lazy and also, my kids don’t like carrots so in my house, these are for the grownups anyway.

A quick pesto made from carrot tops and basil gives these quick and hearty flatbread pizzas a kick of herbs and garlic. Carrot flatbread pizza | Me & the moose #meandthemoose #carrots #flatbread #easyweeknightmeals #flatbreadpizza #carrotpizza #carrottoppesto

Carrot flatbread pizza

Time: 15-20 minutes, all active
Yield: 4 flatbreads and extra pesto

Carrot top pesto
1-2 cups leafy carrot tops (see note above)
1/4-1 cup basil (again, see note above)
¼ cup raw cashews, toasted
1 large clove garlic
splash of lemon juice
½ tsp salt, and more to taste
5 cracks of freshly grated pepper
½ cup olive oil

Yield: about 9 oz, or 1.5 cups sauce

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a single layer, toast the nuts until golden and nutty smelling, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the toasted nuts and all other ingredients except the oil to a food processor. With the processor running, add the oil in a thin stream. Blend until well combined.

For the flatbreads
2-3 large carrots
Salt & pepper to taste
4 flatbreads
6 Tbsp ricotta
6 Tbsp carrot top pesto
1-1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
4 Tbsp parmesan

Shred or peel the carrots. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix with your hands.

To arrange the flatbreads: Mix together the ricotta and pesto (or spread them on the flatbreads separately). Spread 2 Tbsp of the cheese and pesto mixture on top of the flatbreads. Top with shredded carrots and then about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of mozzarella.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese has begun to brown and the breads are crispy.

Butternut squash shakshuka

Shakshuka is one of those traditional dishes with as many recipes as there are grandmothers with recipe books. But it’s also been modernized in a million ways and with a million main ingredients. This squash version is a celebration of fall that features a hefty amount of middle eastern spices, lamb, and chickpeas.

Take me to the recipe!

Is it technically a shakshuka if there aren't any tomatoes or peppers? I mean, if we can pretend that swiss chard is the base for shakshuka, then butternut squash is acceptable in my book. Yes? Yes. Moving on.

This week has been a test of how good I am at compartmentalizing. The answer is: not very good. I mean, I'm not terrible at it, but I'm certainly not myself with my mom being sick in the hospital. I think M is reacting by not sleeping and tantruming over some truly insane things.

Being a parent is really freaking hard, especially when your mental tank isn't full.

I keep reminding myself that it's not M's job to take care of me emotionally. It's okay for me not to be 100% all the time, but I also can't get mad at him for not somehow divining that I don't have it all together and being on his best behavior. 

Anyway, M is fed and clothed and bathed and read to and sung to and danced with and we built the international space station out of blocks, so I think I'm doing okay. And he wolfed down this spicy lamb, chickpea, and butternut squash stew, so he's doing okay too.

A couple of notes about this dish: Use harissa spice instead of harissa paste. Some recipes call for the paste, but it's too spicy for my toddler. Don't be intimidated by the harissa or ras al hanout. Both are spice mixes that combine many of the usual suspects like cayenne, garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin.

Our harissa is somewhat old, so if you're concerned about the heat level for your family, taste the spice first and then decide how much to use. You can also skip the Aleppo pepper or substitute 1/4 tsp cayenne if you don't have any.

Butternut squash shakshuka

Time: About 1 hour, mostly active
Yield: 5 servings

1 large butternut squash (1.5-2 lbs, or whatever type of squash you prefer)
2 Tbsp oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 large shallots
2 tsp smoked paprika, divided
1 tsp sea salt, divided
3/4 tsp ras al hanout
1 lb ground lamb
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp fennel seeds
1-2 tsp harissa spice*
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper*
1 can chickpeas, drained
5 eggs
Lemon wedges
Feta cheese (optional)
Fresh cilantro (optional)
Naan or pita for dipping

Preheat oven to 400. Trim the top stem of the butternut squash (but not the bottom), split the squash in half, and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until the neck of the squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and remove the skin (it should slip off easily).

While the squash is roasting, slice and cook the onions and shallots in olive oil until deeply browned, about 30 minutes. Set aside half of the onions.

To the remaining onions, add 1 tsp of smoked paprika, half of the salt, and the raz al hanout. Saute for 1 minute and add to the blender or food processor.

Add the cooked squash to the blender or food processor with the onions and spices and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.

Saute the ground lamb over medium heat until no pink remains, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the excess oil and liquid. Return to the heat and add the remaining smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, harissa, Aleppo pepper, and salt. Cook for one minute.

Add the drained chickpeas and pureed squash to the cooked lamb and stir to combine. Heat over a medium low flame for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.

Make 5 holes in the squash and lamb mixture and crack the eggs into the holes. Turn the flame back to medium, cover, and cook until the egg whites are solid and there is just a bit of jiggle in the eggs when you shake the pan, about 4 minutes.

Garnish with fresh cilantro, feta cheese, the reserved caramelized onions, and a squeeze of lemon (all optional!)

Roasted fennel and salami pasta

Roasting fennel makes it taste super meaty, which means that a little salami goes a long way in this dish. Use your favorite marinara sauce recipe or just dump in some jarred stuff- whatever makes your weeknight meal prep easier! #meandthemoose #pastarecipes #pasta #easydinner #roastedveggies #easydinnerrecipes

Shake up your regular weeknight pasta routine with some roasted fennel and thinly sliced salami!

Take me to the recipe!

Roasting fennel makes it taste super meaty, which means that a little salami goes a long way in this dish. Use your favorite marinara sauce recipe or just dump in some jarred stuff- whatever makes your weeknight meal prep easier! #meandthemoose #pastarecipes #pasta #easydinner #roastedveggies #easydinnerrecipes

If you read my last post, you might be wondering if the turkey did, in fact, knock M out so that he slept away from home. The short answer is, no. The longer answer is, we didn't really let him try. After a disastrous nap attempt, we decided to drive home that night instead of risking another all-nighter.

I was definitely disappointed to head home so early and M was devastated, so it's gotten me thinking a lot about the danger of expectations as we head into the holiday season. Holidays with kids can be tough. They don't care that you've done the same magical thing for 10 years running. If they're tired or hungry or having a day for no reason at all, you just have to adapt.

For the past two years, that has often meant opting out of pictures with Santa and tree lightings because we knew that at 9-months and 21-months, M wouldn't really understand or appreciate them. And I struggled, especially seeing social media postings of others joyfully doing all of the things.

This year, M is older and more aware and so much more of a "kid." He understands holidays and wants to spend time with friends and family, so it feels like we'll be depriving him of something if we pull the plug due to an impending tantrum. He was SO sad to leave my parents' house after Thanksgiving that I worry about changing plans or setting him up by suggesting something if we can't follow through.

I think we'll try our best to be realistic about our plans and only share them judiciously with M. And we'll also try to be gentle with him and ourselves by acknowledging that this a season where everything is heightened in both good ways and bad. The calculus is always shifting about what's "worth it:" Our sanity versus making memories versus M's immediate happiness versus our overall health.

Roasting fennel makes it taste super meaty, which means that a little salami goes a long way in this dish. Use your favorite marinara sauce recipe or just dump in some jarred stuff- whatever makes your weeknight meal prep easier! #meandthemoose #pastarecipes #pasta #easydinner #roastedveggies #easydinnerrecipes

Anyway, back to the food! I love roasted fennel so so much; it’s just a little bit anise-y and roasting it takes away almost all of that medicinal bite. We often put roasted fennel on pizza because its taste is satisfyingly meaty without adding any actual meat.

I guess it's gilding the lily a bit to add meat to the roasted fennel, but the combo of roasted fennel and salami is top notch. I don't cook the meat at all because heat often turns cured meats a bit too gamey for my liking, but if that flavor is your jam, go ahead and saute the salami for 30 seconds to 1 minute. 

I always use Marcella Hazan's famous sauce with a couple of small changes: I halve the butter and slightly brown it and then saute the onion a bit before adding the tomatoes (she tosses everything together). The sauce recipe is a perfect amount for about 10 ounces of pasta (a bit more than half of a box), but if you like a saucier dish, opt for 8 oz instead.

Roasting fennel makes it taste super meaty, which means that a little salami goes a long way in this dish. Use your favorite marinara sauce recipe or just dump in some jarred stuff- whatever makes your weeknight meal prep easier! #meandthemoose #pastarecipes #pasta #easydinner #roastedveggies #easydinnerrecipes

Salami and roasted fennel pasta

Time: About 25 minutes, all active
Yield: 6 adult servings

2-3 large bulbs fennel
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Large pinch of fine sea salt
10 oz dry pasta (a little more than half of a standard box)
2 cups marinara sauce (your favorite jarred sauce or the recipe above from Marcella Hazan)
Salami to taste, thinly sliced or chopped
Parmesan cheese, optional
Chili flakes, optional

Preheat oven to 425. Wash fennel and thinly slice, trying to keep things as equal as possible. This will be difficult, so don’t sweat it too much. Toss with olive oil and a large pinch of saltl and roast for about 15 minutes, until the smaller bits start to brown and the larger pieces have softened.

While the fennel roasts, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.

When pasta is cooked, drain it and return to the pot. Cover with marinara sauce and stir to combine and heat through if the sauce was refrigerated. Add the roasted fennel and chopped salami and stir a few times to incorporate.

Top with parmesan and chili flakes if desired.