Sunday
Antipasto-Stuffed
Baguettes Recipe (cheat: Salami with baby spinach and mayo)
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Antipasto-Stuffed-Baguettes
Ingredients
1
can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 tablespoons
olive oil
1
teaspoon lemon juice
1
garlic clove, minced
1/8
teaspoon each dried basil, thyme, marjoram and rosemary, crushed
2
French bread baguettes (8 ounces each)
1
package (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/4
pound thinly sliced Genoa salami
1
cup fresh baby spinach
1
jar (7-1/4 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1
can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
Directions
In
a blender, combine the olives, oil, lemon juice, garlic and herbs; cover and
process until olives are chopped. Set aside 1/3 cup olive mixture (refrigerate
remaining mixture for another use). Cut the top third off each baguette;
carefully hollow out bottoms, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (discard removed bread or
save for another use). Spread olive
mixture in the bottom of each loaf. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Fold salami
slices in half and place over cheese. Top with the spinach, red peppers and
artichokes, pressing down as necessary. Replace bread tops. Wrap loaves tightly
in foil. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Serve cold, or place
foil-wrapped loaves on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or
until heated through. Cut into slices; secure with a toothpick. Yield: 3 dozen.
Editor's
Note: 1/3 cup purchased tapenade (olive paste) may be substituted for the olive
mixture.
Monday
Personal
English Muffin Pizzas
http://www.thomasenglishmuffin.com/Recipes-How-To/Kids/Personal-English-Muffin-Pizzas/Default.aspx
INGREDIENTS:
4
Thomas'® 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins, split and toasted
1-1/2
cups pizza sauce
1
to 2 cups shredded mozzarella or monterey jack cheese
Choice
of Toppings:
Thinly
sliced green pepper, onion, mushrooms, pitted ripe olives, pineapple tidbits,
pepperoni, crumbled cooked sausage, diced smoked turkey
DIRECTIONS:
Spread
2 tablespoons pizza sauce on each muffin half; add desired toppings. Sprinkle
with cheese. Place on large baking sheet. Bake in 400° F oven 10 to 12 minutes
or until heated through.
Fall
Salad with Pears and Candied Pecans
http://www.garnishwithlemon.com/2012/10/03/fall-salad-with-pears-and-candied-pecans/
Ingredients
1
tablespoon unsalted butter
1½
tablespoons packed light brown sugar
½
cup raw pecans
1
small shallot, finely diced
1
teaspoon Dijon mustard
2
teaspoons balsamic vinegar
¼
cup extra-virgin olive oil
2
teaspoons maple syrup
Salt
and pepper
Mixed
greens
1
red pear, sliced thinly
¼
cup shaved Parmesan
Instructions
Candied Pecans: Head a nonstick pan over
medium heat. Add the butter and sugar and stir until melted. Add the pecans to
the pan and stir for about a minute. Pour them onto a cookie sheet lined with
wax paper. Separate the pecans with two forks and let cool.
Salad: Combine the shallot, Dijon and
balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk
continually to emulsify the dressing. Stir in the maple syrup and season with
salt and pepper.
Toss the greens with enough dressing to
lightly coat the leaves. Add the pears, pecans and Parmesan. Toss again and
serve.
Tuesday
Veggie
burgers (cheat use Morningstar burgers)
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/portobello-burgers-10000001036125/
Ingredients
1/4
cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4
cup balsamic vinegar
2
tablespoons olive oil
3
garlic cloves, minced
4
(4-inch) portobello mushroom caps
1
small red bell pepper
Cooking
spray
1/4
cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/2
teaspoon olive oil
1/8
teaspoon ground red pepper
4
(2-ounce) onion sandwich buns
4
(1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
4
curly leaf lettuce leaves
Preparation
Combine
first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add mushrooms to bag. Seal
and marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove
mushrooms from bag; discard marinade. Prepare grill to medium heat. Cut bell
pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves on
grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 15 minutes or until blackened,
turning occasionally. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 10
minutes. Peel. Reserve 1 pepper half for another use. Finely chop 1 pepper
half; place in a small bowl. Add mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon oil, and ground red
pepper; stir well. Place mushrooms, gill sides down, on grill rack coated with
cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side. Place buns, cut sides down, on
grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 30 seconds on each side or until
toasted. Spread 2 tablespoons mayonnaise mixture on top half of each bun. Place
1 mushroom on bottom half of each bun. Top each mushroom with 1 tomato slice
and 1 lettuce leaf; cover with top halves of buns.
Sweet
potato fries
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-sweet-potato-fries-recipe/index.html
Ingredients
Olive
Oil, for tossing
5
sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch long slices, then 1/4-wide inch
strips, using a crinkle cut knife
1 tablespoon House Seasoning (recipe follows)
1/2
teaspoon paprika
Directions
Preheat
oven to 450 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with parchment. In a large bowl toss
sweet potatoes with just enough oil to coat. Sprinkle with House Seasoning and
paprika. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet, being
sure not to overcrowd. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown,
turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before
serving.
Wednesday
Quiche
with spinach and mushrooms
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/mushroom-and-spinach-quiche/
Basic
Pie Pastry (cheat: use frozen pie shells and precook)
2
Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2
Tbs. olive oil
1
medium-sized onion, halved and thinly sliced
1
½ cups thinly sliced mushroom caps
3
cups firmly packed baby spinach
1
clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
3
large eggs
1
cup milk, whole or reduced-fat
1
tsp. Dijon mustard
½
tsp. ground black pepper
¼
tsp. salt
1
½ cups grated Gruyère cheese
1.
Prepare Basic Pie Pastry, and set aside to rest 10 minutes. Grease
9&1⁄2-inch deep-dish pie pan. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Roll pastry into 12-inch circle between two
sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap. Peel off top sheet; invert pastry over pie
pan. Peel off second sheet, then tuck pastry into pan without stretching it,
pinching overhang into an even edge. Chill 15 minutes. Smooth sheet of aluminum
foil over pastry (it should fit like a glove); fill with dried beans or rice.
Bake 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven; lift foil with beans from pan. Using
fork, pierce pastry 6 or 8 times. Reduce oven to 375F, and bake 7 minutes. Cool
on wire rack. Leave oven on.
To
make Filling:
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
Add onion, and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; cover, and cook 3 to 4
minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in spinach and garlic; cover, and cook 2
to 3 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.
4. Lightly whisk eggs in mixing bowl. Whisk in
milk, mustard, pepper and salt.
5. Sprinkle 1/4 cup grated cheese over bottom
of pastry. Bake 2 to 3 minutes to melt cheese.
6. Spread vegetable mixture in pastry shell.
Sprinkle with half of remaining cheese. Slowly pour in egg mixture, then
sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown
and slightly puffy. Transfer to wire rack, and let cool 15 minutes before
serving. Serve with fruit of choice.
Thursday
Shepherd’s
pie
What
You'll Need
1
pound ground beef
1
medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1
can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1
tablespoon ketchup
1/8
teaspoon ground black pepper
1
cup frozen peas and carrots
2
1/2 cups milk
1/4
cup (1/2 stick) butter
2
cups instant mashed potato flakes or buds
How
to Make It
Heat
the oven to 400°F. Cook the beef and onion in a 10-inch skillet over
medium-high heat until the beef is well browned, stirring often to separate
meat. Pour off any fat. Stir the soup, ketchup, black pepper and peas and
carrots in the skillet. Spoon the beef
mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Heat milk and butter in 2-quart saucepan over
medium-high heat to a boil. Remove the
saucepan from the heat. Stir in the
potatoes. The potatoes will be
stiff. Spoon the potatoes over the beef
mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are
lightly browned.
Salad
with pears : same as Monday
Friday
Tacos
http://www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/authentic-carne-asada-street-tacos.html
INGREDIENTS
For
Street Tacos:
Meat
(About 3 lbs)
Orange
juice
One
large white onion
Cilantro
Lime
juice
Ground
Cumin seed
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
White
corn tortillas
MARINADE:
This
marinade is what’s going to ‘make’ these tacos. It gives them the authentic
‘street’ taco flavor without adding globs of other things:
Mix:
3-4
cups of orange juice (Enough to fully cover the meat in a freezer bag.
1
tablespoon of lime juice
1
tablespoon of ground cumin seed
1
tablespoon of minced garlic (Fresh is always best, but sometimes I use the
stuff that comes in a jar)
1
tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro
1
teaspoon salt
1
teaspoon pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Put
marinade in a large freezer bag, along with the meat and get enough air out of
the bag so the meat is completely in the marinade. Now, so far as time, I’ve
sometimes only marinated the meat for a few hours. Mostly though, I like to let
it sit in the refrigerator for two days. I’ve read that the citric acids break down the
meat, and it does seem to be more tender the longer you let it sit.
TOPPING:
There
is nothing more than white onion and cilantro. Dice up a whole onion and mix in
¼ cup of chopped cilantro.
COOKING
THE MEAT:
The
only way to go on this is BBQ. Sear the meat on both sides and turn over
regularly. Skirt steak is sliced pretty
thin, so it doesn’t take long to cook. Usually, you’ll want to cook till about
medium done. You may like you meat cooked a little more, and that’s fine
because after cooking, it does take awhile to chop up the meat (Into fingernail
sized pieces) and the meat cools down. Re-heating the meat, after it’s all
chopped, in the microwave cooks it just a tad more. After all, who wants tacos
with cold meat?
TORTILLAS:
White
corn tortillas (In my humble opinion) are the best for tacos. There are many ways to heat up tortillas and
everyone has their favorite. But for what it’s worth, this is how I do mine. Tear
off two paper towels and fold. Wet the paper towels. Wring enough water out of
them so they’re wet, but not dripping wet. Wrap 4 tortillas up in the paper towels and
heat in the microwave (high) for one minute. They’ll come out hot, moist and very flexible.
I use two tortillas per taco, so you’re getting two tacos out of this. Re-wet
the towels between tortillas. So, you’ve got your tortillas all set, just add
meat and topping and prepare yourself for some awesomely authentic
"Street" tacos! Enjoy!!
Charro
beans (cheat: Stir together canned wahed pinto beans with Rotel, salt, pepper
and cumin, garnish with cilantro)
Ingredients:
1
bag (1 pound) dried pinto beans
5
slices bacon, diced
1
ham hock (mine still had some ham meat around it)
2
cloves garlic, minced
2
teaspoons cumin
Salt,
to taste (you will start with 2 teaspoons)
Pico
De Gallo ingredients:
4
plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2
white onion, chopped
1
jalapeno, seeded and diced (leave seeds in for a spicier pot of beans)
1
small bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Juice
of 1/2 a lime
Directions:
Prepare
your beans the night before you plan on cooking them. Rinse your dry beans well
in a colander. Discard any rocks or shriveled beans. Place beans in a large pot
and cover with water (make sure water level is at least 2 inches above the
beans). Cover with lid and let beans sit overnight. The next day, pour beans
into colander and give it a good rinse under cold water. Return beans to pot.
Add 5 cups warm water. Do not add cold water or else your beans may split.
Set
pot of beans over medium heat. Add chopped bacon, minced garlic, and 2
teaspoons cumin. Stir. Add ham hock. Cover and let beans cook over medium heat
(simmering) for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. While beans are cooking, prepare your pico de
gallo. Remove seeds from tomatoes and chop. Chop up half an onion. Remove seeds
and membranes from jalapeno and dice. Combine tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno in
a large bowl. Add chopped cilantro and lime juice. Stir well. Cover and
refrigerate until ready to use. The pico de gallo can be made up to one day in
advance. After one hour, check on your beans. They should be softened by now.
If not, continue cooking and check every 15 minutes. You want your beans to be
soft enough to eat but not overly mushy. Add entire bowl of pico de gallo and 2
teaspoons salt. Stir well. Cook an additional 20 to 30 minutes over medium low
heat. After 30 minutes, taste the beans. If they are not salty enough for you
add more salt, 1/4 teaspoon at a time. If you will be serving these beans with
chips (like we do), taste test the beans with a chip. The saltiness of the
beans will vary due to the kind of bacon and ham hock you use. I added about 2
1/2 teaspoons of salt.
When
beans are done, remove from heat. Using a 1 cup measuring cup, carefully scoop
out about 1 cup of beans. With the back of a spoon, mash up your 1 cup of
beans. Return to pot and stir well. (The purpose of this is to thicken the
beans). Serve beans immediately with chips.
Refrigerate
leftover beans up to 5 days. Beans can also be frozen in an airtight container
for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Saturday
Biryani
Ingredients:
1
1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 - 2 inch pieces
1/2
cup yogurt
1/2
tspn cayenne pepper, ground
1/2
tspn turmeric, ground
1
tspn fresh ginger root, minced
2
-3 cloves garlic, minced
1
tspn 5 spice powder
pinch
of Kosher salt
5
tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1
large yellow onion, diced
1
tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1
tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1
tspn cardamom, ground
1
tspn chili powder
1
tspn dried coriander, ground
1
cinnamon stick
1
bay leaf
5
cloves
2
cups basmati rice
sour
cream or yogurt
Preparation:
Mix together the
yogurt, cayenne pepper, turmeric, ginger root, garlic, 5 spice, and Kosher
salt. Place the pieces of chicken breast into the marinade being sure to coat
all of the pieces. Refrigerate the chicken and marinade for at least 2 hours. In
a large skillet, heat the olive over medium heat. Cook the diced yellow onion
until some of the onions become crispy and dark brown. Remove the onions from
the oil and retain the oil. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and mix in
the mint, cilantro, cardamom, chili powder, coriander and the oil from the
onions. Refrigerate the chicken mixture for another hour. Add 5 cups of water
to a large pot over medium heat. When the water is about to boil, add the
basmati rice, cloves, bay leaf, and the cinnamon stick. Cover the pot and cook
for 15 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat and strain off any excess water.
Remove the cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick from the rice. Grease the
bottom and sides of the slow cooker. Place
the chicken evenly across the bottom of the slow cooker. Next, cover the
chicken with half of the rice. Top the rice with the onions. Cover the onions
with the remaining rice topped with one fresh mint leaf. Cook on low heat for 4
hours in your slow cooker. Serve the chicken biryani in bowls with a dollop of
sour cream or yogurt.
