What's cookin' this week? - May 23, 2011

New cookbooks always inspire new menus. This week isn’t any different. I wanted to find a cookbook that encouraged fresh ingredients and were relatively quick to make. The Weight Watchers Cookbook provides just that. I am not a points counter. I just wanted healthy recipes. Here is the menu we are going to try this week. I haven’t made any of these meals before, so it should be fun! Let me know what you think of the recipes. Remember, own what your family eats one meal at a time.

Happy cooking!

MONDAY
Orange-crumbed baked chicken
Mixed vegetables
Wheat rolls

TUESDAY
Shrimp Scampi
Wheat pasta
Garlic Bread

WEDNESDAY
Cheese-stuffed manicotti
Salad
Fresh fruit

THURSDAY
Grilled Sirloin Teriyaki (this one takes a little longer)
Grilled asparagus
Brown rice

RECIPES
Orange-crumbed baked chicken
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. orange juice
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup whole-wheat cracker crumbs
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
1 shallot, finely chopped
¼ tsp. ground pepper
4 (3-oz) boneless skinless chicken thighs

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine orange juice, mustard and salt. On a sheet of wax paper, combine the cracker crumbs, orange zest, shallot, and pepper. Brush the chicken on both sides with the mustard mixture. Dredge in crumbs firmly pressing the crumbs to coat both sides. Place the chicken on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes and turn over. Bake until cooked through, 15-20 minutes longer.

Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
4 tsp olive oil
1 ¼ lbs medium shrimp, peeled (tails left on) and deveined
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup and 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
¼ tsp salt
¼ ground pepper
4 lemon slices

Instructions
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil. Sauté shrimp until just pink (2-3 minutes). Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly (about 30 seconds). With a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a platter; keep hot.

In the skillet, combine broth, lemon juice, ¼ cup parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Boil uncovered until sauce is reduced by half. Spoon over shrimp. Serve garnished with lemon slices and sprinkled with remaining parsley.

Cheese-stuffed manicotti
Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 ½ oz) can tomato puree
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp finely chopped fresh basil or ½ tsp dried
¼ tsp ground pepper
1 ½ cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 ¼ cups part-skim mozzarella cheese
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
12 manicotti shells
- I like to add spinach to the mix. Use frozen spinach, wring out excess water and pat dry

Instructions
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Saute garlic until golden, about 2 min. Stir in tomato puree, oregano, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

In medium bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg and parsley (and spinach – optional). Fill manicotti shells with cheese mixture. Place in baking dish. Pour sauce over shells. Bake until browned and bubbling (30-40 minutes)

NOTE: As a time saver, stuff manicotti shells the night before and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Pour sauce over top and cook as instructed.


Grilled Sirloin Teriyaki (this one takes a little longer)
Ingredients
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
1 lb. boneless sirloin steak (1/2 inch thick and trimmed of visible fat)

Instructions
Prepare grill for direct heat cooking or heat a grill pan

To make marinade, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic and red pepper. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely (about 15 minutes). Transfer teriyaki sauce to larger bowl and add steak, turning to coat. Marinade 30 minutes.

Grill the steak directly over the heat or on the grill pan, 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from heat, lightly tent with foil, and let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 12 slices and serve.

What's cookin' this week? May 22, 2010

After being gone for two weeks and practically clearing out the entire refrigerator, I’m back at it and ready to cook this week. I actually missed it while I was gone! This week I had some extra time to work on the menu early so it starts Saturday and goes through Friday giving you a few more menu options to enjoy.

This week has a few familiar favorites and some easy recipes to enjoy the grill while easing back into the swing of things. Between the refrigerator survivors and the happy box, I tried to pick menus that used as much of what we have as I could. I’ve included some of the recipes below for you to try out so apologies for the long post.

SATURDAY
Spinach and Asiago Cheese Chicken Sausages (they are basically brats and they are fantastic!) – Sam’s Club
Mustard Potato Salad
Baked Beans
Mangos

With a church picnic tomorrow, I am also making a fantastic macaroni salad and a strawberry pie. I will also whip up the marinade for tomorrow’s dinner.

SUNDAY
Chicken with Mediterranean marinade
Couscous
Grilled avocado

MONDAY
Greek salad with warm pitas

TUESDAY
Manicotti
Salad
Garlic Bread

WEDNESDAY
Leftovers

THURSDAY
Eggplant, prosciutto and mozzarella cheese “sandwiches”
Hummus and pitas

FRIDAY
Leftovers

Hope you enjoy a few recipes from this week and remember…

OWN WHAT YOUR FAMILY EATS

RECIPES FOR THIS WEEK

Macaroni Salad (Aunt Mary’s recipe)
If you are worried about being outside, this is the perfect macaroni salad. It doesn’t have much dressing and is packed with veggies! It is really tasty. This recipe doesn’t really have measurements so you have to just cut and see.
Small box macaroni, cooked
Cauliflower, chopped
Celery, chopped
Colby jack cheese, cubed or grated
Broccoli, chopped
Onions, chopped
Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar

Directions
Use amount of vegetables as desired, same for cheese and bacon. Dressing can be multiplied to desired creaminess

Mediterranean marinade (from Weber’s Real Grilling™)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Mix ingredients – makes about ¼ cup

Greek Salad with warm pitas (adaptation from Rachael Ray’s 365: No Repeats recipe)
This is one of my husband’s favorite meals. We’ve adapted it slightly.
1 ½ lbs. chicken tenders
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
2 pitas split open
1 large garlic clove minced and mashed to a paste
Zest of 1 lemon and juice of 2 lemons
1 seedless cucumber sliced into half moons
4 vine-ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
1 small red onion (if desired)
½ cup fresh parsley leaves coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves coarsely chopped
1 cup pitted kalamata olives coarsely chopped
Feta cheese (crumbled)
Romaine lettuce coarsely chopped

Directions
Cook/grill chicken and season with oregano and grill seasoning. Grill the split pita halves for a minute. Remove when crisp, break or tear into large pieces and reserve. Combine garlic with zest of lemon and juice of 1.5 lemons in bottom of a large shallow bowl. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, parsley, mint, olives, romaine lettuce and reserved bread. Add olive oil and lots of salt and black pepper. Toss salad with hands to combine well. Top salad with grilled chicken and feta cheese.

Option – instead of tearing up pitas, put salad into pitas and eat.

Spinach and Cheese Manicotti (modified from Aunt Mary)
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (you can also use fresh spinach)
1 15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarella
¼ c. shredded parmesan cheese (I’ve also used the grated parmesan)
1 egg
2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. pepper
Manicotti shells
2 jars spaghetti sauce of your choice

Directions
Mix together ingredients. Stuff uncooked 8 oz. package of manicotti with filling. Combine two 28-oz. jars spaghetti sauce with 1 ½ c. water. Spread 1 c. sauce into 13x9x2” pan. Arrange stuffed shells over sauce and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with more mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until heated through.

Eggplant, prosciutto and mozzarella cheese “sandwiches” (from Weber’s Real Grilling™)
2 medium red bell peppers
Extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 globe eggplants (about 1 pound each, trimmed)
8 thin slices prosciutto
8 slices mozzarella, each ¼ inch thick
8 medium fresh basil leaves

Directions
Grill the bell peppers over direct medium heat until they are blackened and blistered all over (12-15 minutes) turning occasionally. Place the peppers in a medium bowl and cover with plastic to trap steam. Set aside for at least 10 minutes, then peel the skin and discard the stems and seeds. Place peppers in a food processor with 1 Tbsp. oil and salt and pepper. Process until smooth scraping down the sides as needed.

Cut each eggplant crosswise into 8 slices, each about ½ inch thick. Lightly brush or spray both sides with oil. Grill over direct medium heat until the underside is well marked (3-4 minutes). Transfer half of the slices to a tray with the grilled sides facing up. Turn the remaining slices over and grill until well marked on both sides (3-4 minutes)

Place a Tbsp. of red pepper mixture in the center of the grilled side of each eggplant slice on the tray. Place a slice of prosciutto, slice of mozzarella and basil leaf on top of red pepper mixture. Top each “sandwich” with a slice of eggplant that has been grilled on both sides. Place uncooked side of sandwich onto grill over direct medium heat until cheese is softened and the sandwiches are heated through (2-3 minutes).

Serve warm with remaining pepper mixture spooned, if desired.