Thursday, September 30, 2010

Take Two: Almond Chicken

"Breaded" chicken doesn't do so well when it is cooled, stored and reheated. So, I came up with this option for my husband's lunch the next day. Mind you, it was difficult to keep enough away from the children to even have something leftover!{Cobb Salad}
South Beach Diet-friendly
fresh lettuce
cheddar cheese
cucumbers
leftover Almond Chicken
hard-boiled egg
tomatoes
turkey bacon
sliced olives, if you have them

Layer together in a large to-go container. At lunch time, top with dressing and shake. Yumm!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Baked Ziti with Hearty Meat Sauce

We ate this a lot last fall and winter. I used my own Meat Sauce and the kids ate it up. So, far this is my favorite Ziti recipe, and with Meat Sauce tucked away in your freezer it is really easy to put together! {Baked Ziti with Hearty Meat Sauce}
adapted from this recipe
2 1/2 - 3 C Meat Sauce (from this recipe here)
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 lb of penne pasta
1 1/2 C ricotta
1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella, divided
1/4 C parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
1/2 T parsley
1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix together meat sauce and tomato sauce, and simmer on stove. Prepare pasta by under cooking by 4 minutes, based on the box's directions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the ricotta, 1 C mozzarella, 2 T parmesan, egg, parsley and black pepper. Mix 1/2 half of the cheese mixture with the cooked pasta.
In your baking dish layer: 1 C of the meast sauce, 1/2 of the pasta, remaining cheese mixture, 1 1/2 C meat sauce, remaining pasta, remaining meat sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes. If your baking dish is VERY full, you will want to place something under it to catch the bubbling over that may occur.
Serve with a vegetable, green salad and bread. Such a comforting fall meal!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

This Week's Dinner Menu

Sunday - Baked Ziti with Hearty Meat Sauce (recipe coming), asparagus, green salad
Monday - Taco Salad
Tuesday - Canary Lentil Soup, bread for the boys
Wednesday - Almond Chicken, broccoli, bread
Thursday - Hotdogs a la Rose, something green
Friday - Aunt Susan's Minestrone, homemade rolls, honey butter and homemade jam
Saturday - I'll have to check my list, maybe it was Portabella Caps with Marinara and Warm Goat Cheese

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Almond Chicken

In an effort to broaden our low-carb, South Beach-friendly recipe collection, I came up with this twist on my sister-in-law's Parmesan Chicken Tenders. We substitute ground nuts for the bread crumbs. My kids ate it up! The littest one ate two chicken tenders by himself, which is unheard of for my children.{Crunchy Almond Chicken Tenders}
1 C whole almonds
1/3 C grated parmesan cheese (in this case, from a can works great)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 C egg substitute
8 - 10 chicken tenders, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and grease a cookie sheet. Place almonds in a food processor, and chop into crumbs. Mix in cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place in a shallow dish. Pour egg substitute into another shallow dish. Pat chicken dry, then place in egg substitute. Transfer to crumb mixture for "breading." Place on a cookie sheet and repeat with remaining tenders. Bake at 400 degrees for 13 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 8 minutes.

Serve with a green salad and a side of vegetables. Leftovers are great diced over a Cobb-style Salad.

Monday, September 20, 2010

This Week's Dinner Menu

Sunday - grilled salmon, brown rice & barley pilaf, zucchini, green salad
Monday - Taco Salad
Tuesday - Tomato Bisque
Wednesday - Almond chicken, green salad
Thursday - Arugula Pesto Linguine
Friday - Grilled Portabello Caps
Saturday - thinking . . .

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Black Bean Soup

Everyone loved this soup. My husband, who normally shys away from black beans, enjoyed it so much that he ate it for lunch the next day. I think my kids enjoy anything that involves cheese, sourcream and tortilla chips - whether they put them in their soup or not!{Black Bean Soup}
adapted from this recipe
1 T olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3/4 C diced carrots (about 2 med carrots)
3/4 C diced celery (about 2 ribs)
1 C diced onion (about 1 sm-med onion)
4 C homecooked black beans
1 3.5oz can green chilies
2 C water
2 tsp beef boullion
1 t kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t cumin
1/2 t dry oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
Optional Toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

Place olive oil in a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes.
Add in the black beans, chilies, water, and beef boullion. Stir to combine and then add seasonings.
Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender.
Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf from soup. Puree soup with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender.
Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired.

Monday, September 13, 2010

This Week's Dinner Menu

Sunday - Chicken Quesadillas with Fruit Salsa and Avocado Cream, Cilantro Rice, Black Beans, Aunt Terri's Salad
Monday - Going out for our Anniversary
Tuesday - Mexican Black Bean Chili
Wednesday - Baked Cheese Crepes, Broccoli, green salad
Thursday - Black Bean Soup
Friday - Homemade Pizza night
Saturday - Coconut Chicken

Sunday, September 5, 2010

This Week's Dinner Menu

Sunday - Gnocchi with Proscuitto & Basil Cream Sauce (adapted from this recipe), salad, broccoli
Monday - beef brisket, pulled pork, spinach salad, brownies sundaes with chocolate and raspberry sauce
Tuesday - Chicken Quesadillas with Fruit Salsa and Avocado Cream (The birthday boy requested "quesadillas with just cheese.")
Wednesday - Shepherd's Pie, salad, fruit
Thursday - Mexican Black Bean Sausage Chili (an old favorite),
Friday - Risotto with Asparagus, fruit salad
Saturday - homemade pizza night

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