7day menu planner
Posted on Wednesday, October 1, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Food/238968/
SUNDAY FAMILY Impress the family with Rosemary Lamb Kebabs With Bell Peppers and Mushrooms (see recipe ). Serve the aromatic lamb with couscous, an arugula salad and flatbread. Buy a lemon meringue pie for dessert. Plan ahead: Save 2 lamb kebabs and some pie for Monday.
MONDAY HEAT AND EAT Use the leftover lamb for Lamb Pitas With Cucumber Dressing. Chop leftover lamb and stuff into whole-wheat pitas. Spoon dressing over pitas. Mix 1 cup plain yogurt and diced cucumber with 1 teaspoon cumin. Add sliced cucumbers on the side. Slice the leftover pie for dessert.
TUESDAY EXPRESS Make it quick tonight with Taco Veggie Burgers on Whole-Wheat Buns. Brush taco sauce on any veggie burgers the last 3 minutes of cooking. Serve more sauce on the side, along with sliced onions and avocados. Add deli potato salad. Enjoy kiwi for dessert.
WEDNESDAY BUDGET Careful, or you’ll lick your plate of Pappardelle With Fresh Tomatoes and Basil, a delicious low-cost dinner. In a large bowl, add 8 large diced seeded and peeled tomatoes (or two drained 14 1 / 2-ounce cans diced tomatoes with Italian herbs ), 1 / 4 to 1 / 3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, 1 clove garlic (minced ), 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 / 4 teaspoon each freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt; mix well. Cover and let stand at room temperature 2 hours. Cook 8 ounces pappardelle pasta or no-yolk extra-wide noodles as directed. Top hot pasta with sauce; garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve mixed greens and Italian bread. How about plums for dessert ? Tip: Quickly peel tomatoes by placing whole tomatoes in boiling water 10 seconds. Remove, run under cold water and peel.
THURSDAY KIDS Cheesy Chicken Crunchers (see recipe ) make a meal kids of all ages will like. Serve with barbecue sauce for dipping. Add oven fries (frozen ) and carrot salad. Pears are your dessert.
FRIDAY MEATLESS Take a meat break and enjoy Vegetable Stew. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium. Add 2 medium zucchini (halved lengthwise then thinly sliced crosswise ), 1 peeled medium eggplant (cut into 1 / 2-inch cubes ), 1 medium onion (peeled and finely chopped ) and 1 / 4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender; stir occasionally. Stir in 1 (26-ounce ) jar marinara sauce, 1 / 4 cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried basil. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes; stir occasionally. Serve over couscous; garnish with crumbled feta cheese. Add garlic bread. For dessert, try red and green grapes.
SATURDAY EASY ENTERTAINING Invite special friends for Seared Salmon With Spinach and Grapes (see recipe ). Serve with basmati rice, green beans and crusty rolls. Spoon lemon curd over angel food cake for dessert.
RECIPES Rosemary Lamb Kebabs With Bell Peppers and Mushrooms 1 / 4 cup balsamic vinegar 3 cloves garlic, peeled, minced 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary 3 / 4 teaspoon EACH cumin and salt 1 / 2 teaspoon EACH ground black pepper and ground coriander 1 1 / 4-pound lamb leg or shoulder, trimmed and cut into 18 cubes 12 medium whole mushrooms 2 bell peppers (any color ) cut into 1-inch pieces 1 large red onion 1 large zucchini, cut into 12 pieces
In a small bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, rosemary, cumin, salt, black pepper and coriander. Thread 6 (12-inch ) metal skewers alternately with lamb, mushrooms, bell peppers, onion and zucchini. Baste with vinegar mixture. Broil 4 inches from heat source 4 minutes per side or to desired doneness, 145 degrees to 160 degrees for medium-rare to medium.
Makes 6 kebabs. Cheesy Chicken Crunchers 1 / 2 cup all-purpose flour 2 egg whites 1 / 3 cup milk 1 / 2 cup crushed shredded wheat 1 / 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 pound chicken tenders
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil. Place a rack coated with cooking spray in baking dish; set aside.
Place flour in a pie plate. In a second pie plate, mix together the egg whites and milk. In a third pie plate, mix shredded wheat with cheese. Coat chicken tenders in flour (shake to remove excess ), then in egg / milk mixture. Roll chicken in cheese / cereal mixture, coating all sides. (Discard any extra coating mixtures. ) Place chicken on rack in baking dish. Bake 15 minutes; increase oven heat to 450 degrees. Turn chicken; bake 10 more minutes or until no longer pink.
Makes 4 servings.
Seared Salmon With Spinach and Grapes 1 / 2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 / 2 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 (5- or 6-ounce ) salmon filets 2 teaspoons honey 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided use 1 (5- or 6-ounce ) package baby spinach leaves 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved 1 / 2 cup dry red wine
Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, combine salt, mustard, thyme and pepper. Drizzle salmon with honey and sprinkle with seasoning mixture. Reserve any remaining seasoning mixture.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil. Brown both sides of salmon on medium-high heat about 2 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, toss spinach with remaining teaspoon oil and arrange in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place salmon on bed of spinach; cover loosely with foil. Bake 8 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.
Cook grapes for 1 minute on medium-high in same skillet used for salmon. Add wine; bring to boil and cook 4 minutes to reduce by half. Season sauce with remaining spice mixture. Serve salmon with wilted spinach, topped with grapes and wine sauce.
Makes 4 servings. Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. E-mail:
menuplanner@mindspring. com