Week Menu 6/20-7-10

I have a really short week this week, because I am going to Boise for the weekend, then we have a pretty busy week next week and will be on vacation for the week after the Fourth of July. So these meals cover a two week period and then my vacation, but I will be back on 7/11, so get excited.

Meal One: Black bean garden burgers with corn on the cob

Meal Two: Balsamic Steak and Portabello mushroom salads

Meal Three: Rosemary Turkey burgers with Rosemary Garlic mayo

Meal Four: Grilled Maple Salmon with corn on the cob and couscous

Meal Five: Shredded Beef Burritos

Recipes:

Black Bean Burgers:

Well, these are fairly self explanitory, but here you go. I am just going to BBQ the garden burgers and put cheese on some, then top with red onion, tomato and lettuce. I will most likely just grill the corn on the cob at the same time. I either just throw the entire corn, husk and all, on or I shuck them and wrap them in foil with a little butter, salt and pepper for about 15-20 minutes turning once.

Balsamic Steak and Portabello Mushroom Salads:

In separate bags marinate steak and mushrooms in a mixture of equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar and about 1-2 tsp of montreal steak seasoning. Let them set for at least 15-30 minutes. On a hot grill sear steaks about 4 minutes per side for medium rare, and sear mushrooms about 2-3 minutes per side. Once meat/mushrooms are finished set them aside to rest.

To assemble salad start with a bed of your favorite salad greens, I like wild greens, but my husband likes iceberg or romaine, so I compromise and make a nice mix of field greens with romaine and we both are happy. Then top with thinly sliced red onion and grape tomatoes.

Slice both the steak and the mushrooms and place atop salads then sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles. If you feel like you would like additional dressing I would choose either blue cheese or a nice balsamic vinegrette. Then serve with crusty bread. Sometimes I omit the steak altogether, the mushrooms are plenty hearty for this dish.

Rosemary Turkey Burgers:

Mix together 1 c mayo, 1/4 c fresh rosemary and once minced garlic clove. In a seperate bowl combine 1 lb turkey burger and 1/2 of mayo mixture along with salt and pepper. With clean hands form mixture into four patties and place on a hot grill and cook for about 7 minutes per side. Then set aside. Meanwhile spread a small amount of mayo mixture on buns and then grill those for about 1-2 minutes. To assemble, top buns with turkey burgers and then wild greens. Enjoy

Grilled Maple Salmon:

I heard this recipe from a friend the other day and thought it was worth a try.

Place salmon fillet in a plastic bag and cover with real maple syrup, let set about 20 minutes. Then place salmon on a foil sheet or bbq fish rack, and grill for about 20 minutes (or you can bake at 400 for about 20 minutes). Serve with small amount of couscous and grilled corn on the cob.

Shredded Beef Burritos:

I like to place equal parts shredded beef and either black or refried beans along center of large tortilla. Then place a small amount of shredded cheese and pico de gallo on top of meat and beans (pico de gallo is just diced tomato, diced onion, small amount minced jalapeno and cilantro and lime juice). Once burrito is rolled I place it in a skillet pan over med-high heat that has been sprayed with pam and sear each side until lightly browned. Then I top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onion, sour cream and salsa.

For shredded beef I take a piece of beef, either roast or sirloin steaks, and place them in a pressure cooker, on high searing all sides, then I cover the meat with water and pressure cook it for about 40 minutes. Then once cooled I shred it and freeze small amounts so that I can pop them out of the freezer on nights for a quick meal.

Shopping List

Black bean burgers

ground turkey burger

salmon fillet

sirloin steaks or steaks and roast

portabello mushrooms

corn on the cob

field greens

romaine lettuce

red onion

tomatoes both roma and grape

fresh rosemary

blue cheese crumbles

couscous

burger buns

tortillas

crusty bread

real maple syrup

black or refried beans

pico de gallo

Menu Week 6/13-19

Meal One: Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Meal Two: Grilled Flank steak with soba noodle salad

Meal Three: Glazed Pork chops with macaroni salad

Recipes:

Pulled pork sandwiches:

These can be done in either the crockpot or the pressure cooker, you decide. Take about 2-3 lbs of pork, any style (chops, tibs or roast) season with seasoning salt and pepper then cover with water. Crockpot on low 8 hours or pressure cook for about 40 minutes. Once the meat is cooked through, shred all the meat then season it with bbq sauce of choice. This is very simple and can be seasoned any way you like, but this is one of my favorites. I also like to serve the sandwiches with spicy mustard and tangy coleslaw (see week of 5/16 for recipe)

Grilled Flank Steak:

Marinate 2 lb flank steak with montreal steak seasoning and yoshidas sauce, for at least 15 minutes. Then on med-high heat use either a grill pan or the bbq, grill steak 5 minutes on each side for med rare or 7-8 minutes per side for medium well doneness.

Soba noodle salad:

3T rice vinegar

1 T low-sodium soy sauce

2T canola oil

2 t toasted sesame oil

2t sugar

2 red jalapenos, thinly sliced and seeded

1 T honey

3/4 lb soba or whole wheat noodles

3 geen onion, thinly sliced

3 T cilantro chopped

Whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, jalapeno, honey and canola oil. Meanwhile bring large pot of water to a boil then add salt and spaghetti, cook until just tender. Drain well and place in the bowl with the dressing, add the green onions and cilantro and mix until well combined. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Glazed Pork chops

glaze
1/2	cup distilled white vinegar or cider vinegar
1/3	cup light brown sugar
1/3	cup apple cider or apple juice
2	tablespoons Dijon mustard
1	tablespoon soy sauce
	Pinch cayenne pepper
Chops
4	boneless, center-cut pork loin chops , 5 to 7 ounces each, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
1	tablespoon vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Combine all glaze ingredients in medium bowl; mix thoroughly and set aside. Following illustrations below, trim chops and slash through fat and silver skin with sharp knife, making 2 cuts about 2 inches apart in each chop (do not cut into meat of chops). Pat chops dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper.

2. 2. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add pork to skillet and cook until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn chops and cook 1 minute longer; transfer chops to plate and pour off any oil in skillet. (Check internal temperature of thinner chops; see note above.) Return chops to skillet, browned side up, and add glaze mixture; cook over medium heat until center of chops registers 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; transfer chops to clean platter, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.

3. 3. When chops have rested, add any accumulated juices to skillet and set over medium heat. Simmer, whisking constantly, until glaze is thick and color of dark caramel (heatproof spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 2 to 6 minutes. Return chops to skillet; turn to coat both sides with glaze. Transfer chops back to platter, browned side up, and spread remaining glaze over chops. Serve immediately.

   
   

Macaroni Salad:

8 oz macaroni noodles

salt

1 c small diced broccoli

1 stalk small diced celery

1/4 c light mayo

1/2 c italitan dressing

salt and pepper to taste

boil pasta noodles to al dente, in salted water. Mix together italian dressing and mayo, then pour over noodles, celery and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipes:

Pork chops

Lean cut of pork

Flank steak

coleslaw (if you are adding this to the pulled pork meal)

Burger buns

yoshidas

apple juice

macaroni noodles

broccoli

celery

italian dressing

soba noodles/whole wheat spaghetti

2 red jalapeno

cilantro

scallions

sesame oil

rice wine vinegar

Week Menu 6/6-12

Meal One: Taco Salads

Meal Two: Meatloaf with faux mac and cheese

Meal Three: Baked Salmon with tomato/basil relish, quinoa and green beans

Meal Four: Chicken Tandoori with rice

Recipes:

Taco Salads:

Cook one lb of burger seasoned with taco seasoning, and either add black beans to meat to heat through, or heat desired type of beans in another pan. If you have a taco salad pan, bake tortillas in the oven on 350 for about 15 minutes, otherwise you can just top salad with tortilla chips. Fill taco shell with meat, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, olives, jalapenos, salsa and sour cream.

Mini Meatloaves

2lb ground burger (you can use any meat, but my freezer is full of moose and elk)

1 med onion diced

palmful each of grated Parmesan and breadcrumbs

2 eggs beaten

3T Worcestershire

2clv garlic

2T fresh parsley

salt/pepper

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1/3 c red wine

2t tomato paste

4 slices prosciutto

4 slices of swiss or provolone

mix equal parts bbq sauce, ketchup and A1 for a delicious topper to the meatloaves

In sauce pan drizzle small amount of olive oil and heat over medium. Add onion and thyme and saute about 5-10 minutes, until tender. Mix together all ingredients, except prosciutto, swiss and sauce topper. Now you can choose to do one large or 4 individual loaves, but use the same method. On wax paper lined sheet pan, form meat into a rectangle. Layer with prosciutto and cheese. Roll-up meatloaf like a burrito removing wax paper as you roll, sealing edges. Place roll-side down on sheet pan and cover with sauce. Place in 350 oven for 1hr 15 min for large loaf, and 45 min for mini loaves..internal temp should be 16o. Let rests about 10 minutes before serving.

Fauz Mac and Cheese:

• 12 ounces multigrain elbow macaroni
• 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 4 slices multigrain bread, torn
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar (6 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup 1 percent milk
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the cauliflower during the last 3 minutes of cooking time; drain.
2. Meanwhile, pulse the bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Add the parsley, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and pulse to combine; set aside.
3. Return the pasta pot to medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the onion, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, just until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Mix in the pasta, cauliflower, cheese, sour cream, milk, and mustard.
4. Transfer to a shallow 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Baked Salmon with tomato/basil relish:

Season salmon fillet with lemon pepper or old bay then bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. While salmon is baking, mix together diced tomatoes, sliced basil and a couple spoonfuls of capers, with liquid, then add a little pepper.

Cook quinoa according to package directions and steam frozen green beans and season with small amount of olive oil, pepper and spike.

Tandoori Chicken

8 skinless chicken thighs (2.5 lbs)

juice of 1 lemon

kosher salt

1/2 c plus 2 T plain yogurt

1 T veg oil

1/2 small red onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 2inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

4 teaspoons tomato paste

2 t ground coriander

1 1/2 t ground cumin

1 3/4 t hot paprika

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

cooked rice, for serving beside

Preheat the broiler. Make shallow cuts in the chicken thighs with sharp knife. Toss the chicken with the lemon juice and 1 1/2 t salt in a large bowl. Pulse 2 T yogurt, the veg oil, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, 1 1/2 t paprika and 1/2 t salt in a food processor to make a paste. Toss the chicken in the mixture and let marinade 15 minutes.

Place chicken on a foil lined broiler pan, broil turning once, until slightly charred and they are at 165 degrees internally, 5-6 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 c yogurt and 1/4 t paprika, the cilantro and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Top the chicken with yogurt sauce and serve with rice, if desired.

Shopping List:

ground burger, both for meatloaf and taco salads

salmon

chicken thighs

proscuitto

black or refried beans

cheese, swiss slices and shredded cheddar

plain yogurt

sour cream

garlic

fresh ginger

cilantro

parsley

basil

thyme

tomatoes

cauliflower

lemon

lettuce

onions

olives

frozen green beans

salsa

tomato paste

red wine

multigrain bread

macaroni noodles

rice