Sunday
Salmon Croquettes
Ingredients
2 fillets canned salmon, flaked
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons green onions, diced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying
Directions
Over medium heat, heat oil in a
medium skillet. Combine canned salmon, beaten egg, green onions and 1/4 cup
bread crumbs. Form into patties and dust with additional bread crumbs. Fry
until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.
Coleslaw
Ingredients
5 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cups almonds, toasted
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts
1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper
Directions
Combine cabbage, almonds, cranberries, celery, green
onions, and green pepper in a large plastic bowl with a snap-on lid. Combine
all dressing ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate
until ready to serve. Pour dressing over slaw just before serving. Stir well.
Monday
Western skillet eggs
Ingredients
1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
2 large green bell peppers, seeded and cut into
1/2-inch strips
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 pound thinly sliced ham, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 slices sourdough bread, torn into pieces (about 2
cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for
topping
8 large eggs
Fruit of choice
Bread
Directions
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and
preheat to 350 degrees F. Whisk the half-and-half, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt,
and black pepper to taste in a small bowl. Heat the olive oil in a large
ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until just
softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers; cook until the peppers are soft
and the shallots are golden, 5 to 6 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, ham, bread,
parsley and 1/4 cup water and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about
3 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Remove from the heat. Make 8
evenly spaced indentations in the bread mixture with the bottom of a ladle or
small measuring cup. Crack an egg into each indentation. Slowly pour the
half-and-half mixture over the eggs. Bake, rotating the skillet a few times,
until the whites are set, about 15 minutes. Top with parsley. Serve with bread
and fruit of choice.
Tuesday
Black eyed peas
Ingredients:
6 cups water
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 pound dried black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
8 ounces diced ham
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
salt, to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
Pour the water into a slow cooker, add the bouillon
cube, and stir to dissolve. Combine the black-eyed peas, onion, garlic, bell
pepper, jalapeno pepper, ham, bacon, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper;
stir to blend. Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours until the
beans are tender.
Corn bread
Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus butter
for baking dish
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease an
8-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, mix
together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a
separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk, and butter. Pour the
buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and fold together until there are
no dry spots (the batter will still be lumpy). Pour the batter into the
prepared baking dish. Bake until the top is golden brown and tester inserted
into the middle of the corn bread comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove the cornbread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before
serving.
Kickin’ collard greens
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 slices bacon
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pound fresh collard greens, cut into 2-inch pieces
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and return to
the pan. Add onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and
cook until just fragrant. Add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt.
2. Pour in chicken broth, and season with salt,
pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45
minutes, or until greens are tender.
Wednesday
Chili dog nachos
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 pound ground sirloin
Salt and pepper
2 hog dogs, sliced into 1/2- inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 sack yellow corn tortilla chips
1 sack, 10 ounces, shredded yellow Cheddar
Sour cream, garnish
Salsa, garnish
2 scallions, chopped
Directions
Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add oil then
beef, and begin to brown and crumble with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, then add chopped hot dogs and continue browning,
another 3 minutes. Add onions and seasonings, Worcestershire, chili powder, and
cumin. Cook another 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and simmer 5 minutes more.
Preheat broiler. Arrange corn chips on a platter or in a casserole dish. Top
the chips with the cooked chili dog topping. Cover the chili dog sauce with
cheese. Melt cheese under hot broiler, 2 minutes, until melted and bubbly.
Garnish with sour cream, salsa and chopped scallions.
Thursday
Shrimp fried rice
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp, halved
lengthwise
One 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly
sliced into matchstick pieces (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons
dry sake
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Cooking spray
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 cup snow peas, halved
2 carrots, thinly sliced on an angle
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, halved and sliced root to stem
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
Frozen spring rolls, cooked according to direction
Directions
Prepare the rice according to package directions,
adding the cinnamon stick with the water. Fluff the rice, discard the cinnamon
stick and set aside to cool. Toss the shrimp with half of the ginger, 1
tablespoon of the sake, the vinegar and pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Let
marinate 10 to 15 minutes. Mist a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and
heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the shrimp with the marinade and
cook, stirring, until just opaque, 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and set
aside. Mist the same skillet and return to medium-high heat. Lightly beat the
eggs and egg whites and add to the skillet. Cook until scrambled, breaking up
with a spatula and transfer to the same plate as the shrimp. Return the skillet
to medium-high heat, mist with nonstick spray and add the snow peas, carrots,
garlic, onions and remaining ginger. Cook, stirring, until softened and
crisp-tender, 5 minutes. Transfer to the same plate as the shrimp and eggs. Return
the skillet to medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the cooled rice,
toss with the oil and pack in the skillet in a firm layer. Cook, without
stirring, until the bottom of the rice is browned and crusty. Stir the rice and
pack it in another layer. Repeat the process until the rice is well toasted and
browned, and stopping if the rice seems to be getting dry. Add back the shrimp,
eggs and vegetables along with the remaining 1 tablespoon sake and soy sauce
and toss well to combine. Remove from the heat and top with the sliced
scallions. Serve with spring rolls.
Friday
Broccoli cheddar soup
Ingredients
1 bunch broccoli
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium red-skinned potato, diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
One 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Crusty bread
Directions
Separate the stems and the florets from the
broccoli. Trim and discard the bottom of the broccoli stems and peel the tough
outer layers. Finely chop the stems and coarsely chop the florets and set aside
separately. Mist a large pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium
heat. Add the broccoli stems, onions and potatoes and cook, stirring, until
softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly
toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat
to maintain a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until
thickened and the vegetables are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine
the reserved florets and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil,
cover and continue to steam until the florets are bright green and
crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the entire contents of the pot with the
florets to the soup along with the nutmeg. Stir to combine and remove from the
heat. Stir in the Cheddar, Worcestershire and milk. Season with salt and
pepper. Garnish with the scallions and serve with bread. Cook's Note: Leftover
soup should be reheated in the microwave rather than the stovetop, where the
cheese will "break" or separate from the broth.
Saturday
Chicken chettinad
Ingredients:
750 gms boneless chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 tsp mustard seeds
1.5 tsp cumin seeds
2 inch cinnamon sticks
4 black peppercorns
3 green cardamoms
4 - 5 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
3 green chillies, finely chopped
15 curry leaves
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
Coriander to decorate
Method:
Step 1 : Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add the
cinnamon sticks, cloves, black peppercorns, bay leaves and green cardamoms.
Immediately add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds and
saute for a few seconds till they turn brown.
Step 2 : Add turmeric powder. Stir for a few seconds
and add the onion. Do not let the turmeric turn brown. Saute the onions till
they turn brown. Add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and curry leaves.
Stir well, till the ginger garlic paste looses its raw smell. Add tomatoes, red
chilly powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir well. Cook till the
tomatoes are completely broken down and cooked and oil starts to leave the
mixture.
Step 3 : Add the cut chicken and mix well for 5
mins. Cover and cook for 8 - 10 mins or till the chicken is cooked. Stir
occasionally. Add 3/4 cup of water just in case the dish seems too dry. You do
not want to make it runny. Just a thick gravy. Add black pepper powder and mix
everything once. Decorate it with coriander leaves.
Serve hot, with any bread or with rice.
