Weekly Menu for Jan. 21 - 26, 2013

Breakfast
Oatmeal or whole wheat bread; Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries; and Oranges

Lunch
Egg salad sandwich; cucumbers or apples; sliced cheese; and kiwi
Spinach salad with tomatoes, black olives, cucumbers, shredded cheese, and almonds
Leftovers

Dinner
Spicy acorn squash with black beans (2 stars)

I did learn that I can bake an acorn squash whole at 350 degrees Fahrenheit -- much easier than trying to cut it raw and takes up less space when baking. All you do is place the whole squash on a baking sheet or in a glass pyrex with few pokes of a fork and cook till tender (about 45 to 60 minutes.)

I didn't add in the jalapeno, cilantro or lime juice (I didn't have those on hand). The dish overall was simple to make, but not memorable or special. It would work better as a side dish than a main dish.  

Eggplant Parmesan (4 stars)

I loved this dish and it was super easy to throw together. Next time, I will either double the recipe or make it in my smaller pyrex so it is thicker and even more awesome.

Chorizo quesadilla with Fries (4 stars)

I just used the picture as inspiration. I cooked 1 package of soy chorizo, added about 2 cups of frozen corn and wilted in several handfuls of spinach. I chopped black olives and shredded pepper jack, cheddar, and mozzarella cheese. As the quesadillas cooked, I fried three eggs to put on top.  

UPDATE: Brian must have loved this because he requested it for the following week. 

Acorn squash and portobello mushroom pizza with garlic bread and a salad (2 stars)

Eh, this was ok. Our mushrooms were stringy and not a great texture for Cam to chomp on. 

Shrimp pasta with tomatoes, lemon, and spinach (3.5 stars)

On a day that was super busy, this was a quick and yummy meal that I tossed together with no effort. Nothing spectacular but good flavors and little effort.

Disclaimer: Photos are from linked sources; not my own work.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Source: http://www.mangiodasola.com/2009/11/broccoli-cheddar-soup.html


Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1/2 chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup flour
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken stock (I used bouillon cubes + boiling water)
1/2 lb fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup carrot, shredded and chopped
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot Sauce (optional)

Directions
Sauté the onion (and garlic) in the butter over medium heat. Remove the onions (you can actually leave the onions in there) and add in the flour, stirring constantly. Add in the half and half, milk, and chicken stock. Bring to almost a boil.

Add the onions back in, along with the broccoli and carrots. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

Season the soup with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the cheese (and you can play around with the amounts; use however much or little you like) and let simmer for 10 minutes longer before serving.

Grape, Mozzarella, and Pinenut Pizza

Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Source: http://honestfare.com/grape-pecoro-romano-pine-nut-flatbread/

Ingredients
1 ball pizza dough (store bought or homemade)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
¾ cup red seedless grapes halved
¾ cup mozzarella
2 sprigs diced fresh rosemary (or a few sprinkles of dried)
¼ cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Light sprinkle red pepper flakes
Sliced deli ham or prosciutto (optional) (we did salami)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Cut your grapes in half. Slice fresh mozzarella into thin pieces. Cut or tear slices of salami. Toast pine nuts on a pan on low heat, tossing frequently, until they’re toasted golden brown. Set aside.
3. Roll out your first fist-sized ball of pizza dough as thin as possible without tearing. Place it on a baking sheet that’s sprinkled with a little flour or semolina so it doesn’t stick. Repeat with remaining dough. (I just sprayed it with cooking spray).
4. Dice rosemary. Combine olive oil, rosemary and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and beat with a fork. Slater top of dough with it using a brush or back of a spoon. Bake until dough begins to puff up and bottom is toasted golden brown. Remove from oven. (I didn't bake at this step)
5. Apply generous layer of cheese(s). Place grapes (cut side down) with about ½ inch space between. Apply ham and black pepper. Bake until grapes blister and crust become firm and crispy.
6. Remove from oven and add toasted pine nuts (and optional red pepper flakes) while flatbread is still piping hot.

Baked Tilapia with Spicy Tomato-Corn Relish

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Source: http://www.joybauer.com/healthy-recipes/baked-tilapia-with-spicy-tomatopineapple-relish.aspx

Ingredients
4 fish, tilapia, (6-ounce) fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt, Kosher
1/2 cup of corn
1 tomato, diced
1 teaspoon chili paste, Oriental, hot, such as siracha (or more to taste)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat the foil with oil spray.
2. Place the tilapia fillets on the prepared baking sheet and season them with the salt.
3. In a small bowl, combine the corn, tomato, and chili paste. Divide the topping evenly among the tilapia fillets.
4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tilapia flakes easily with a fork.

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Enchiladas

Rating: 4.5 out 5
Source:  http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2011/02/chorizo-sweet-potato-enchiladas-908.html

Ingredients

2 TBSP Vegetable oil
1 Sweet potato
1 Poblano pepper
2 Garlic cloves
3 Links or about 1lb Chorizo
10 Tortillas
1 - 15 oz. Enchilada sauce
1.5 cups Shredded cheese

Instructions

STEP 1: Peel the sweet potato and cut into a half inch cubes. Remove the stem and seeds from the poblano and also dice into half inch pieces. Mince the garlic.

STEP 2: In a large skillet, cook the sweet potato, poblano and garlic in vegetable oil, over medium heat until they begin to soften (about 10 minutes). Squeeze the chorizo out of it's casing into the skillet. Break up the meat and cook until thoroughly browned (about 5 minutes).

STEP 3: Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick spray and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Scoop about 3/4 cup of the chorizo sweet potato filling into each tortilla. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla up around the filling. Place the filled and rolled tortillas in the baking dish. They should fill the dish and fit tightly against each other to prevent unrolling.

STEP 4: Pour the enchilada sauce over the the rolled tortillas and top with shredded cheese. Bake in the oven until the edges begin to bubble (about 20 minutes). Serve hot.

Optional garnishes: green onion, cilantro, sour cream.

Nacho Cheese Chicken Chowder

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Source: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/nacho-cheese-chicken-chowder/      

       Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 14 1/2 ounce cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 10 3/4 ounce can condensed nacho cheese soup
• 1 10 ounce package frozen whole kernel corn (2 cups)
• Shredded Mexican-style or cheddar cheese
   
  Instructions
   
  In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, stir together chicken, undrained tomatoes, soup, and corn.

  
  

  Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Sprinkle each serving with cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Cheesy Ham Potato Soup

Rating: 4 out of 5


Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-cheesy-ham-potato-soup-345953#ixzz1hTpykhKK

Ingredients

3 cups cooked ham , diced

1 celery rib , chopped (ew, I omitted) 

1 onion , chopped

2 carrots , chopped

5 potatoes , cut in cubes

2 (15 ounce) cans creamed corn

2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth

2 cups milk

2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded

salt and pepper

Instructions

Place ham, celery, onion, carrots, potatoes, corn and chicken broth in crock pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. (The ham will provide some salt.) If cooking stovetop, cook until potatoes are done. Turn crock pot to low and cook 3 to 4 hours.

During last 10 minutes of cooking add milk and cheese. Heat only-do not boil. Str lightly to allow cheese to melt.