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No-Worry Weekend Dinner

While I've always regarded Sunday suppers as a prime time to put more effort and verve into a great meal, sometimes the end-of-the-week blues catch up to you, and cooking in the kitchen on Sunday may not sound all that alluring. Still, making the meal a tad special can still be an easy feat -- particularly with the handy Crock-Pot and microwave.

In another great use of the Crock-Pot, here's a meal that jazzes up a couple of weeknight staples -- a turkey breast and jasmine rice. This Thai twist -- which embraces store-bought ginger dressing and light coconut milk -- is a healthy version that may be your kids' first introduction to Thai food. They'll most likely go for the subtle sweetness of both the meat and rice, and parents will appreciate that the meal also is low-fat.

You can make the rice in a rice cooker, or stove-top, but I actually concocted this recipe because we're between rice cookers at the moment:  one's on the fritz and I can't find the directions for our new one. Fortunately, the microwave provided a speedy, able assist.

If there are leftovers, you can easily shred the meat for "pulled turkey" sandwiches.

Soy-Ginger Turkey Breast
1 3 or 4-pound turkey breast
1 12-ounce bottle soy-ginger dressing*

Rinse and pat dry the turkey breast. Place in an oiled Crock-Pot.
Pour soy-ginger dressing all over the breast.
Cook on low heat for four hours.

*You can find this on the Asian foods aisle of the supermarket, or at specialty stores.

Sticky Coconut Rice
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
1 14 oz. can light coconut milk
1 1/2 cups filtered water

Pour the rice, milk, and water in a glass casserole bowl, and mix together with a spoon. Cover.
Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Then, microwave at 60% power for 20 minutes.
Fluff with a fork, and let rest for another five minutes before serving.