January 30 recipes

Sunday
Honey ham sandwiches and chips

Monday
Turkey meatballs and pasta
Ingredients
2 lb frozen turkey meatballs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bottle of marinara sauce
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spaghetti

Directions
1. Thaw meatballs and brown on a cookie sheet in an oven at 400F till brown.
2. Heat oil. Sauté onion till translucent. Add garlic and sauté till for another minute. Then add the sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add meatballs, lower heat, cover and simmer for at least 10 minutes.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water with 1 tsp oil to a boil, and stir in the spaghetti. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the cooked spaghetti. Top with cheese as desired.

Salad
Ingredients
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.

Tuesday
Thai chicken curry
Ingredients
1 small can of Thai Curry paste (I use http://www.maesribrand.com/114g.html Massaman and yellow are milder than red and green is the hottest, you can find these at any Asian grocery store)
2 cans of coconut milk
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1” pieces
1 lb frozen stir fry mix vegetables
1 tbsp julienned basil (optional)
Salt to taste

Directions
In a pan, heat the Thai curry paste. Do NOT add oil, the paste is oil based. Add chicken and sauté till cooked. Next add the stir fry mix and sauté till thawed. Do not overcook. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer covered for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with the basil.

Egg fried rice
Ingredients
3 cups cooked white rice (use a long grain rice like Jasmine or Basmati)
4 eggs
1 bunch of green onions (chopped)
1 Serrano pepper or jalapeno, chopped (optional, adds heat)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy sauce

Directions
Heat oil in a wok for medium heat. Add the white portion of the onions and the pepper and sauté for 2 minutes. Add egg and scramble with salt and pepper. Now add the rice and stir till well mixed with the eggs. Add soy sauce, adjust for taste. Add the green part of the onions. Mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low heat.

Wednesday
Fried fish
Ingredients
1 lb fish (any white meat like tilapia fillets or whiting)
Louisiana fish fry mix (or Zatarains)

Directions
Use the directions on the box to pan fry the fish or roll the fish in the fish fry mix and oven fry in a greased pan at 400F for about 15-20 minutes till golden brown.

Red beans and Rice
Ingredients
1 box Zatarain’s red beans and rice

Directions
Use the directions on the box for the rice.

Collard greens
Ingredients
1 lb frozen collard greens
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp of sugar

Directions
Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic, sauté till brown. Add the greens, salt, red and black pepper and sugar. Cook on medium heat till the greens are heated through and most of the water has evaporated.

Thursday
Green salad with turkey breasts (Asian salad)
(http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/asian-chicken-salad/Detail.aspx )
Ingredients
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 (8 ounce) package dried rice noodles
1 head iceberg lettuce - rinsed, dried, and chopped
4 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded (I will using 1 turkey breast instead)
3 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 large can of Mandarin oranges

Directions
1. Prepare the dressing 30 minutes ahead of time by combining the brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salad oil, and rice vinegar.
2. To prepare the Chinese rice noodles, heat a skillet with a few tablespoons of oil and break off a little bit of the noodles and add them to the skillet and fry them. They will puff up in the skillet, so only add a few at a time. As they begin to puff up, remove and drain them on paper towels. Be sure to cook long enough as the under cooked noodles will be like eating needles.
3. In a large bowl combine the iceberg lettuce, mandarin oranges, cooked and shredded chicken, green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Let chill about 10 minutes, and just before serving add the cooked rice noodles. Serve in salad bowls and offer the dressing in a pourable container so your family can add as much dressing as they want. You can also pour the dressing over the top of the salad, toss, and serve immediately.

Canned soup if you like

Friday
Taco Soup
Ingredients
1 cup mild salsa
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper (capsicum)
1/2 tsp chilli powder (not red pper powder: more like cajun seasoning)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
4 corn tortillas cut into 1/2 inch strips
15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
1 large tomato chopped

Method:
Heat oven to 425 F. Mix salsa, bell pepper, beans,chilli powder and broth in a 2 quart saucepan. Heat to boiling then simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Place tortilla strips in an ungreased pan and bake 5 to 8 minutes until crisp. Put tortilla strips in soup bowls. Pour soup mixture in bowls. Top with tomatoes.

Guacamole
(http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/guacamole/Detail.aspx )
Ingredients
3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
½ tsp sugar
½ cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder

Directions
In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, sugar and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper, cumin and coriander. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.