Meals for Apr 9-16

  1. We have some new tart pans, so this Asparagus tart sounds like a good way to inaugurate them. Or maybe this one.
  2. Quinoa with Corn and Zucchini.
  3. Ginger pear chicken with corn on the cob.
  4. Caribbean-Spiced Ribs with grapefruit juice, with baked zucchini fritters.
  5. Baked Falafel and salad.
  6. Pasta with chicken and mushrooms in creamy wine sauce…kind of along the lines of this.

Sausage and rice stuffed portabellas

The Publix Arpon meal last week sounded really good: Sausage and rice stuffed portabellas. We mostly followed the recipe, but cooked the rice from scratch, actually we had several meals that used brown rice, so I made a big batch on Sunday and put it in the fridge to use during the week. To up the veggie content, I added a pack of frozen spinach, thawed and drained. We also used cheddar cheese in place of the Gorgonzola, I am sure that would have been good, but thee kids aren’t that adventurous…

Whole-Grain Spaghetti with Garlicky Kale and Tomatoes

Wow, what a colorful dish! This one was a great, healthy and fast meal! The recipe is from Real Simple.

We added some sun dried tomato sausage, though the original was veggie. You could also add some white beans or garbanzos instead. I think I would increase the garlic a bit. And the spaghetti was a bit hard to mix everything together…maybe a smaller noodle would work better with this.

Blueberry Yogurt Muffins

Somehow our family of 4 managed to finish off 2 gallons of milk this week, so when I went to make breakfast, the options were a bit more limited than normal. We had about 1 cup of yogurt leftover from the Chickpeas and Pita Casserole (which the parents really liked, but the kids found a bit garlicky), so I figured I could use that in something. We have tons of frozen blueberries still, so when I found this recipe at For the Love of Cooking, I knew I had a winner! I changed it up a bit, partially based on what we have in the kitchen. One thing I am always trying to add is flax seeds. Our oldest has fish allergies, so there goes one source of omega-3s. Flax seeds are another great source, and the Flax Paks make it really easy to throw into recipes.

Blueberry – Yogurt Muffins:
Adapted from For the Love of Cooking

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Flax Pak
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup juice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup yogurt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 400. Mix the try ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients and stir into the dry. Spoon into greased muffin pan. Cook 18-20 min.

Rotini with Butternut Squash

I adapted this recipe from this post at Former Chef’s blog, which was in turn adapted from Giuliano Hazan’s 30 Minute Pasta book. It’s a really fast, really good meal, especially if you cut up the squash in the morning so it’s ready to go a dinner time.

Rotini with Butternut Squash and Bacon
(Adapted from Former Chef and Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty Minute Pasta

1 yellow onion, diced
3 Tbsp. butter
3 oz Pancetta, cut into 1/4″ pieces (could use bacon)
1 medium butternut squash, diced into 1/2″ cubes
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb pasta
3 oz Grated parmesan cheese

Boil water for the pasta. Add the butter to a large saute pan and add the diced onion. Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Add the panceta and cook until it starts to crisp, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the squash and season with salt and pepper. Add the  water, stir and cover with a lid for 10 minutes until the squash is soft. Check after 5 minutes and add more water in 1/4 cup increments if it’s drying out, until the squash is soft enough to mash with the back of a spoon.

Cook pasta and reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.

Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the sauce, smashing the butternut squash with the back of a large spoon. If it seems too thick, add the other 1/4 cup. Toss the sauce with the cooked pasta and the grated cheese and serve.

 

Anna’s Sausage, Bean, and Kale Stew

This was really good and FAST to make: a real winner for weeknight healthy meals!

From the recipe at Dinner A Love Story: Anna’s Sausage, Bean, and Kale Stew.

  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • Package of Italian sausage (we used Turkey sausage)
  • 32oz Low-sodium chicken broth
  • 14.5 oz Can diced tomatoes
  • 2 14oz Cans Cannelli Beans rinsed and drained.
  • 1 bag (or bunch) of kale
  • Parmesan cheese

Saute the onion in a large pot until softened. Add the garlic, pepper and shake of red pepper flakes. Remove sausage from casings adding to the pot and cook, crumbling, until cooked through. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and beans. Bring to a boil. Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.