Week of March 26

This week I am going to take advantage of "over baking" I did a while back and eat some delicious meals I have in the freezer. Many pasta dishes make a full 9x13 pan, and my family I just can’t eat it all in one night, and we aren’t big leftover people either. So, I cook once and eat twice by dividing the recipe among 2 smaller baking dishes. Bake and eat one that night, freeze the other!

Monday – California Chipotle Chopped Salad and Stuffed Portabellas
Tuesday – game night….Love my Crock Pot….Santa Fe Chicken
Wednesday – Vegetable Lasagna….fresh from my freezer
Thursday – DIY….busy night!
Friday – Pastitso….fresh from my freezer

CALIFORNIA CHIPOTLE CHOPPED SALAD


Vinaigrette: Puree 3 T EVOO, 2 T apple cider vinegar, 2 T agave nectar, and ¼ cup fresh lime juice. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 T EVOO over medium heat. Sauté 1 15oz can black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 minced garlic clove, ¼ t chipotle Chile powder, ½ t salt for 5 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine 1 head of romaine lettuce (cut into pieces), 1 large tomato (chopped), ½ cup small red onion (chopped), 1 avocado (pitted, chopped), ½ cup cooked quinoa, black bean mixture and 2 T chopped cilantro.

Toss gently with vinaigrette to coat.

from Fitness Magazine

STUFFED PORTABELLOS

Clean 2-3 large portabella mushrooms, scrape out inside gills. Marinate in EVOO, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, mix ½ cup bread crumbs, fresh basil, a little garlic, and grated parmesan cheese.
Remove mushrooms from marinade. Roast at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven. Place one thick slice of fresh mozzarella cheese on each mushroom, top with ¼ cup of bread crumb mixture. Roast in oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Salmon Salad

Looking for something light and healthy? This Salmon Salad fits the bill!

I served it with pitas crisps, topped with a little cheese.

SONOMA CHOPPED SALMON SALAD
¾ C cooked salmon, flaked
1 medium cucumber, chopped
¼ C scallions, thinly sliced
½ C yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 1/3 C seeded tomatoes, chopped
1/4 C chopped onion
2 T ripe olives, chopped
2 t small capers, drained

Lemon vinaigrette (below)

Coat 2-3 large cereal bowls with nonstick cooking spray. Equally divide and layer ingredients in each cup in the flowing order:
Salmon
Scallions
Bell pepper
Tomatoes
Onion
Cucumber
Cover tops with plastic wrap and firmly press mixture into cups with a soup can or similar object slightly smaller than diameter of cup.

To serve, invert salads onto salad plates; carefully lift off cups. Sprinkle with olives and capers; drizzle with Lemon Vinaigrette:

In small jar combine 3 T EVOO, 3 T finely shredded lemon peel, 3 T lemon juice, ½ t sugar, ¼ t kosher salt, and several dashes bottled hot pepper sauce. Shake well.


from Sonoma Cookbook

BBQ Chicken Pizza

My house smelled SOOOO good Friday night. BBQ Chicken Pizza was on the menu. It tasted just as good as it smelled! I topped it with fresh cilantro…YUM!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Begin with prepared pizza dough….or make you own….if you are really crunched for time, use a prepared crust like Boboli.

Season boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Spread with 2 T BBQ sauce. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Let cool and cut into ½ inch pieces, or slice.

Lay dough out in pan. Spread with ½ cup BBQ sauce. Top with cooked chicken, 2/3 cup grated gouda, 2/3 cup grated mozzarella, ½ of a small red onion, thinly sliced. Bake 20-25 minutes.
Top with chopped cilantro.

Week of March 19

It’s Spring Break week! Looking forward to getting some extra baking in this week. Here is what we are eating for dinner:

Monday – Champagne Shrimp and Pasta via allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/recipe/champagne-shrimp-and-pasta/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24
=SR_Title&e11=champagne%20shrimp&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe%20Search%20Results

Tuesday – Greek Night! Trying for the first time Pastitsio, a Greek pasta dish and spinach salad via Food Network magazine: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/pastitsio-recipe/index.html

Wednesday – Salmon Salad with pita crisps

Thursday – DIY

Friday – BBQ Chicken Pizza

Saturday – Out

Sunday – Out


BBQ Chicken Pizza:
Begin with a prepared pizza dough….or make your own….if really crunched for time use a prepared crust like Boboli.
Season boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Spread with 2 T BBQ sauce. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Let cool and cut into ½ inch pieces.
Lay dough out in pan. Spread with ½ cup BBQ sauce. Top with cooked chicken, 2/3 cup grated smoked gouda, 2/3 cup grated mozzarella, ½ of a small red onion sliced. Bake about 20-25 minutes.

Look for Salmon Salad recipe on the right under “pages”.

Week of March 12

Well, I am trying to post these menus by Friday night so ya’ll can shop over the weekend, but this weekend has kept me very busy and away from home. Tonight we were invited to friends for dinner. I felt like a caprese salad, but opted instead to make caprese salad bites….check these out --->


Here is my menu this week: Yes, homemade pizza reappears tomorrow, last Friday night had other plans for us!

Monday - Homemade pizza
Tuesday – Santa Fe Chicken
Wednesday – Avocado Wraps Recipe: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/creamy_avocado_white_bean_wrap.html
Thursday – Chicken Marbella
Friday – Tacos
Saturday – Out
Sunday – Winging it!

Chicken Marbella is something you make the night before….great for our Thursday night this week. A friend passed this along to me years ago….it sounds like a strange mix of flavors, but they all go together so well once cooked.
Chicken Marbella
2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
1 head garlic, chopped
¼ cup dried oregano
Salt and pepper
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup EVOO
1 cup pitted prunes
½ cup pitted green olives
½ cup capers (add a little juice)
6 bay leaves
------------------------------
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine

Marinate all of this overnight. Bake at 350, basting frequently, for 50-60 minutes.

Week of March 5

Monday – Salmon Salad & Corn Soup

Tuesday – Turkey Chili – crock pot Recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/unique-pumpkin-turkey-chili-122314

Wednesday – Pasta Vodka & Arugula Salad

Thursday – DIY

Friday – Homemade Pizza

Saturday – Out
Sunday - Out

Some recipes are found under "pages" on the right of this page.

Arugula Salad: Toss 6-8 cups arugula with shaved parmesan, and chopped dried beef. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice and EVOO.

LIGHTER PASTA VODKACook 1 lb. penne to al dente.
Heat jar of marinara sauce over low-medium heat in saucepan. Slowly add 1 cup skim milk and ½ cup half and half. Stir to combine. Add red pepper to taste. Add ¼ cup vodka. Stir and simmer.
Top cooked pasta with sauce and ½ cup shredded fresh parmesan.


Homemade Pizza: Dissolve 1 tsp yeast in ½ cup warm water. Add 1 ½ cups flour. Knead for 5 minutes. Let rise 1+ hours in warm space. Sauté diced onion and slice mushrooms in EVOO. Add diced green pepper….or toppings of your choice. Once dough has risen, assemble pizza. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.