7day menu planner
Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Food/225030/
SUNDAY FAMILY If my mother were still here, she would like the Almond-Chocolate Baked French Toast (see recipe ) for its flavor and simplicity. Serve the pretty baked dish with fresh fruit sprinkled with toasted coconut and Canadian bacon. Happy Mother’s Day to moms everywhere ! MONDAY BUDGET Serve economical Black Bean Chicken Chili (see recipe ) tonight. Add a romaine salad and corn bread (from a mix ). Pears are good for dessert. Plan ahead: Save enough chili and corn bread for Tuesday. TUESDAY HEAT AND EAT The Leftover Chili will be even better the second time around because the flavors have blended. This time, serve the chili over brown rice and garnish with sour cream. Add a mixed green salad and the leftover corn bread. Fresh pineapple makes an easy dessert.
WEDNESDAY EXPRESS Chicken Satay is quick and full of flavor. Whisk 1 / 4 cup EACH creamy peanut butter and water with 1 tablespoon EACH fresh lime juice, soy sauce, grated ginger and brown sugar until smooth. Skewer 1 1 / 4 pounds chicken tenders; brush with canola oil, then grill 5 minutes, turning once, until cooked through. Serve chicken with the peanut butter sauce and lime wedges. (This recipe is adapted from Woman’s Day magazine. ) Add corn on the cob and bread sticks. Buy tapioca pudding for dessert.
THURSDAY KIDS Call the kids for Pizza Burgers and let them take part in the cooking. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brown 1 pound ground beef. Meanwhile, stir 1 / 2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 / 4 cup grated parmesan cheese into 1 to 1 1 / 2 cups pizza sauce. Spoon beef and sauce over halves of whole-wheat English muffins. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake until cheese bubbles. Add baby carrots to munch on. Fudgsicles make a dandy dessert. FRIDAY MEATLESS Forget meat and enjoy Horseradish-Stuffed Potatoes for an easy meal. Bake 4 (8-ounce ) potatoes. For the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup sour cream, 1 / 4 cup prepared horseradish, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives and 1 / 4 teaspoon ground white pepper. Cut tops from potatoes. Scoop out pulp and mix with horseradish sauce and 1 / 4 cup chopped red bell pepper. Spoon mixture back into potatoes, garnish with snipped chives and serve. Add a spinach salad with red-onion rings and hard-cooked egg wedges and multigrain rolls. For dessert, top vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries. Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday. SATURDAY EASY ENTERTAINING Pork Medallions With Red-Onion Marmalade (see recipe ) is a special meal for guests. Serve with lemon rice. (Stir some butter, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest into hot cooked rice. ) Add snow peas, a Boston lettuce salad and baguettes. For dessert, make caramel sundaes with leftover vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. Top the sundaes with whipped cream.
RECIPES Almond-Chocolate Baked French Toast 1 (16-ounce ) unsliced loaf bread (sourdough, Italian OR wholewheat ) 1 1 / 2 cups milk 3 eggs 1 / 4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 / 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 / 4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 / 2 teaspoon orange zest (orange part only ) 1 / 3 cup chocolate chips, roughly chopped 1 / 2 cup toasted sliced almonds
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick foil. With a serrated knife, cut bread into 1-inch-thick slices. Remove crusts. Cut each slice in half on a slight diagonal. Cut each piece into a triangle shape.
In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. Dip both sides of bread into milk mixture; place on prepared baking sheet. Spoon some of the remaining milk mixture over bread and sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Top with almonds and serve warm.
Makes 6 servings. Black Bean Chicken Chili 1 tablespoon canola oil 3 / 4 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced 2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon dried oregano 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 / 4 teaspoon salt 3 cups chopped or shredded
cooked chicken 1 (28-ounce ) can diced
fireroasted tomatoes, undrained 2 cups chicken broth (see note ) 1 (10-ounce ) package frozen
corn, thawed 2 (15-ounce ) cans black beans,
rinsed Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
and sour cream, for garnish Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or Dutch oven on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin and salt. Cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and broth. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Stir in corn and beans; cook 5 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Garnish with cheese and sour cream, as desired. Makes about 8 1 / 2 cups. Note: If chili becomes too thick, add extra broth or water to desired consistency. Pork Medallions With Red-Onion
Marmalade Onion marmalade: 1 teaspoon butter 2 medium red onions, peeled, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 / 4 teaspoon salt Pork medallions: 1 (1-pound ) well-trimmed pork tenderloin 2 teaspoons lemon zest (yellow part only ) 1 / 4 teaspoon salt 1 / 4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 1 teaspoon butter
To make the onion marmalade: In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add onions and cook about 15 minutes or until soft and golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar, lemon juice and salt. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Spoon mixture into small bowl; cover to keep warm.
To make medalions: Cut tenderloin lengthwise in half. Cut each half crosswise into 4 pieces. Place pork pieces between 2 sheets plastic wrap. Flatten to a 1 / 2-inch thickness.
In a small bowl, mix lemon zest, salt and black pepper. Rub mixture on 1 side of each medallion.
In same skillet used for marmalade, melt butter on medium heat. Add medallions, lemon-mixture side up. Cook 6 to 7 minutes or until pork is barely pink throughout, turning once. Serve with onion marmalade.
Makes 4 servings. Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. E-mail: menuplanner@mindspring. com