What's cookin' this week? -- June 21, 2010

Hello everyone! Welcome to this week’s menu! Sorry for the delay posting this week. It has definitely been a crazy weekend! We had a birthday party for the little one and a graduation party for the husband on the same day, then recovery/Father’s Day on Sunday.

When I was planning for the parties, I wanted to find things that were healthy, relatively inexpensive and would quickly feed lots of people. I came across this website called chipotlefans.com. There are recipes for Chipotle-like food that turned out pretty fantastic! This week we are eating lots of Chipotle-esque leftovers in other meals. I will include the recipes we used too because many of you from the party are asking about them!

So what are we eating this week? The hubby is also going to be gone this weekend so we are trying to keep it easy and light.

MONDAY
Taco salad (super easy combination of whatever you have in the cabinets)

TUESDAY
Kind of a crazy day so we are meeting for dinner before going our separate ways

WEDNESDAY
Chicken and veggie stir fry
Fruit salad

THURSDAY
Spaghetti with pasta sauce
Salad and garlic bread

FRIDAY
Cheese quesadillas on the quesadilla maker

RECIPES

Chipotle Grilled Chicken Marinade (modified slightly)
1 tsp. ancho chile powder (can find in the spice section)
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. cumin powder
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano chopped
3 garlic cloves
¼ red onion, quartered
¼ c. vegetable oil
4 chicken breasts

Add all ingredients except meat in food processor. Puree until smooth. Put marinade and chicken in plastic Ziploc bag. Refrigerate at least one hour and up to 24 hrs.

After marinating, heat grill to about 400 degrees or heat small amount of oil in skillet if cooking inside. Grill lightly, turning only once, until done. Cook about four minutes on each side.

Chipotle’s Guacamole
(This recipe is fantastic! We really liked it)
2 avocados
½ of a jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
¼ of a red onion, finely chopped
2 heaping tablespoons of cilantro, finely chopped
¼ of a lime, juiced
¼ tsp. salt

Chipotle Corn Salsa
6 ears sweet yellow corn (frozen corn works well too)2 poblano chilies1/2 red onion2 red jalapenos (not much difference between red and green so get what you can find)1/3 cup chopped cilantro1 tablespoon lime juiceSalt and pepper to taste
Roast the corn and Poblano chilies on a grill or BBQ and let cool. Cut the corn off the cob. Dice the Poblano chilies, onion, and red jalapenos. Combine all the ingredients and season to taste.

Chipotle Rice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
2 tsp. fresh cilantro
2/3 cup white rice
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lime

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
We have leftover chicken and some veggies from a veggie tray that I'm going to mix up with some rice for a yummy, quick and healthy meal. Here is a recipe for chicken stir fry to try with whatever veggies you have or like.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Stir-Fry/Detail.aspx

OWN WHAT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY EATS ONE MEAL AT A TIME