Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Week 4 Menu

I decided to use my original blog for everything instead of keeping things separate. I wasn't sure at first if I wanted people I didn't know reading my personal blog but really it doesn't matter, I don't post things I don't want others to read whether I know them or not!  Eventually I will categorize everything when I get more but for now I think it's just fine!


Monday: Vegetable Chowder

Ingredients:
1 large onion
1/4 cup butter
1 medium sweet potato
1 zucchini
1 cup chopped broccoli
6 cups water
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon
2 potatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 cup evaporated milk

Instructions:
In a large pot, saute onion in extra virgin olive oil until transparent. Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Chop broccoli and zucchini. Add vegetables to onions and cook for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in water and boullion. Simmer for 10 minutes. Peel and shred potatoes. Add potatoes and seasonings. Cook another 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in evaporated milk and heat though.

*recipe from What's for Dinner cook book

Tuesday: Chicken Enchilladas
               Chips and salsa (if you would like)

*serving size: 6

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts
1/2 onion
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
2 cups fat free cheddar cheese
package of whole wheat tortillas
1 can of black beans
1 can rotel
1 can red enchilada sauce
Spices: parsley, oregano, salt and pepper, chili powder, minced garlic

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. cook chicken on the stove ( you can add some of the spices as you are cooking the chicken if you would like)
3. In another pan, cut up the onion and saute (with Pam)
4. In a different pan, bring rotel and black beans to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer a few minutes.
5. Shred the chicken into little pieces with 2 forks, then return to the pan and combine chicken, cottage cheese, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, black beans/rotel mix (spoon out so you don't add the bean sauce), 1/2 can of enchilada sauce, sauteed onion and a pinch of each of the spices, mix all together.
6. Roll mixture into tortillas and lay in 9x13 inch baking dish.
7. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese
8. Bake 20 minutes then enjoy!

*this recipe is not mine but I do not remember where I got it from sorry!

Wednesday: Inside out lasagna
                    Steamed broccoli
                    whole-grain baguette


*Serving size: 4

Ingredients:
8 ounces whole-wheat rotini or fusilli
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves cloves garlic, sliced
8 ounces sliced white mushrooms (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
8 cups baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, spinach and crushed red pepper (if using). Increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring once halfway through, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes.
4. Toss the sauce with the pasta and divide among 4 bowls. Dollop each serving with 3 tablespoons of ricotta.
 
*Recipe from eatingwell.com

Thursday: Salt and pepper Shrimp
                Rice noodles or brown rice

*Serving size: 2

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 cups thinly sliced cabbage, preferably napa (about 1/4 head; see Tips for Two)
1 small red or orange bell pepper, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons rice flour (see Note) or cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder, (see Note)
10 ounces raw shrimp, (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and minced 
 
Instructions:
1. Whisk lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar in a large bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Add cabbage and bell pepper; toss to combine. 
2. Combine rice flour (or cornstarch), salt, pepper and five-spice powder in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring often, until they are pink and curled, 3 to 4 minutes. Add jalapeno and cook until the shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute more. Serve the slaw topped with the shrimp.
 
Notes: 
-Rice flour is made from finely milled white rice. It is often used in Asian cooking for desserts and to thicken sauces. Look for it in Asian markets or the natural-foods section of your supermarket.
-Often a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns, five-spice powder was originally considered a cure-all miracle blend encompassing the five elements (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, salty). Look for it in the supermarket spice section. 

*Recipe from: Eatingwell.com

Friday/Saturday: BBQ Pulled Chicken
                          Cantaloupe
Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicke
bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/2 purple onion, chopped
Rolls

Instructions:
1. Place chicken in bottom of your slow cooker. The chicken should cover the whole bottom then layer the rest. Sprinkle the onion on top of the chicken. Pour BBQ sauce and honey over the chicken (I alternate so the two mix a little). Use a spatula and spread it over all the chicken. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 5 hours.
2. When chicken is done remove from the slow cooker and let it cool for a couple minutes. With two forks shred the chicken into small pieces. Once it is shredded return it to the slow cooker and mix it with the sauce. Serve on Rolls.

Sunday: Chicken Cordon Bleu
             Parsley new potatoes
             Fruit Compote

*Serving size: 6

Ingredients:
6 boneless chicken breasts
6 thin slices of ham
1 slice swiss cheese (1/2" thick)
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Place chicken pieces between sheets of palstic wrap and pound with meat mallet or rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.
2. Cut cheese into 6 one half inch sticks and place on on each slice of ham. Roll ham and cheese and place in center of chicken breast. Tuck in ends and wrap chicken around ham. Fasten edges with toothpicks. Add spices to cornflake crumbs. Dip chicken in melted butter and roll in cornflake crumbs. 
3. Place chicken in greased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 40 minutes or until chicken is browned. Serve with Cordon Bleu Sauce.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
salt and pepper

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour with wire whisk. Gradually pour milk stirring constantly until smooth. Add bouillon to water and stir until dissolved. Stir into milk mixture and bring to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Parsley New Potatoes
8-10 small red potatoes
1 tablespoon parsley
1/4 cup butter or margarine
salt and pepper

Scrub potatoes. Put in large saucepan with 2 inches of water. Bring to boil. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain. Melt butter and pour over potatoes. Add spices and gently toss to coat potatoes.

Fruit Compote:
1 cup mandarin oranges
2 cups chunk pineapple
2 sliced bananas
1/2 cup coconut

Drain fruit and gently toss together. Sprinkle with coconut.

*recipes from Whats For Dinner cookbook

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