Menu Plan Monday

I'm trying to get on track with planning meals in advance so I only have to make one trip to the store every week. So...maybe I'll be better at it if I actually write it down...that usually helps, right?!?!

Monday - Broccoli and Cheddar-Stuffed Potato Skins with Avocado Cream

Tuesday - Confetti Chili on baked potatoes with roasted asparagus

Wednesday - Linguini with Spinach Pesto (I use this recipe with pasta instead of chicken) with roasted asparagus - a very green meal :)

Thursday - Take-out

Friday - Grilled chicken and Carmelized Butternut Squash

Saturday - Company Pot Roast

Let's see how I do...

CEiMB: Linguini with Shrimp

This week's Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe was chosen by Confessions of a Novice Baker. It's not too often that I make a recipe exactly as written. For this one, I did, and it was awesome (well I did use whole wheat linguini but we won't count that). Loved the asparagus, the lemon, and even the tomatoes!

Linguini with Shrimp

Courtesy of Ellie Krieger

• 3/4 pound linguini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 bunch asparagus stalks, trimmed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 container cherry tomatoes, halved

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguini and cook according to the directions on the box. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high flame. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add the lemon juice, white wine, and the reserved cup water to the skillet. Let simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half. Salt and saute the asparagus. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Return the shrimp to the pan and stir in the parsley. Add the drained linguini to the shrimp mixture, tossing to combine. Add asparagus and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serves 4

CEiMB: Tuscan Vegetable Soup

My second Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe was hosted by Lobster and Fishsticks. I made a couple of changes to this recipe. First, when I realized at the last minute that my spinach had gone bad, I threw in some asparagus into the hot soup for about 4 minutes...perfect. I also threw in some egg noodles, mainly for the hubs who doesn't think soup is a meal. While this soup was really healthy, it didn't do a whole lot for me. Although if there's a next time, I'll make sure to add the parmesan (I forgot...it was a rough week) which makes everything better!

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

Courtesy of Ellie Krieger

• 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.

BB: Cheddar Corn Chowder

This month's first Barefoot Bloggers recipe was chosen by Jill of My Next Life. I've made this soup before. I didn't like it...thought it was too watery, especially for a chowder. So, after reading some of the reviews on Food Network's website, I decided to make a few changes in addition to halving the recipe...this recipe makes a TON. I added about a cup more corn, didn't skimp on the potatoes, and used about a cup and a half less chicken stock (and remember, I had halved it to begin with). Now I love this soup!

Cheddar Corn Chowder

Courtesy of Ina Garten

• 8 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 12 cups chicken stock
• 6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
• 10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Serves 12

CEiMB: Chicken Chop Suey

So I'm blogging again! I hope somebody is still reading! I also joined a new cooking group -- Craving Ellie in My Belly. Belonging to these groups means less time spent deciding what to make for dinner :) In addition, there are leftovers for lunch and we try many things we wouldn't normally try.

My first CEIMB recipe was chosen by The Healthy Hostess. Even though I used a store bought roasted chicken which I shredded and 3 minute frozen brown rice from TJ's, I still thought this recipe required quite a bit of work (or maybe just a few too many ingredients) for what it ended up as. I would make it again, but add in some more spice since I thought it was a little bland. But don't get me wrong, I did take it for lunch the following day!

Chicken Chop Suey

Courtesy of Ellie Krieger

• 8 (3 by 3-inch) packaged Chinese wonton skins, separated
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 scallions, greens included, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 4 cups sliced napa cabbage
• 3/4 cup celery, thinly sliced (about 4 celery hearts or 2 long stalks)
• 1 (8-ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained and julienned
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 6 ounces) (I used asparagus)
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cooking sherry
• 2 cups cubed or shredded cooked turkey or chicken
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush a baking sheet and the wonton skins lightly on both sides with 2 teaspoons of oil. Season with salt and bake for 10 to 12 minutes (mine only needed about 7 minutes - I burned the first batch), or until browned and crisp. Transfer to a cooling rack and reserve.

In a large heavy skillet or wok, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the scallion, garlic, cabbage, celery, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms and stir-fry until cabbage is soft and wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sugar, 3/4 cup of the chicken broth, soy sauce, and sesame oil and cook for 3 minutes. Add the sherry-cornstarch mixture and, if the mixture is a little dry, the additional 1/4 cup chicken stock. Add the turkey or chicken and heat through. Serve the chop suey over the cooked brown rice and top with sesame seeds and reserved crushed wonton skins.

Yield: 4 servings (1/2 cup brown rice, 1 cup chop suey, 2 wonton skins)

BB: White Pizzas with Arugula

So, I think nearly 2 months without blogging is a little much. I hope I still have some readers out there. I certainly haven't given up cooking but...geez...where does the time go? So here's the first of many catch-up posts.

In August, Barefoot Bloggers (well, technically Andrea of Nummy Kitchen) brought us White Pizzas with Arugula. The pizza was fabulous. I'm not into making my own pizza crust when the Trader Joe's crust is so good...so I skipped that part. The pizza itself was great, I'm not really into the arugula. Thus, the second time I made it...yes there was definitely a second time...I just ignored the arugula part! You can find the recipe here.

BB: Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Cat of Delta Whiskey chose this recipe for Barefoot Bloggers. I wasn't looking forward to making it since it has three of my most disliked ingredients - tomatoes, capers, and olives - ewww...especially on the olives...and the capers. I am, however, known to eat tomatoes here and there - think caprese, tomato soup, and panzanella - yes, I'm strange.

So, while I was willing to leave the tomatoes in, especially since the hubs loves them, I wasn't at all willing to add in capers or olives. I thought about subbing something else in but was running short on time and forgot about it.

I finally made it - without the capers and olives of course - and it was fabulous! In reading the reviews online, many people said there wasn't enough pasta. I thought there was plenty. People also complained that there was too much cheese. However, really? Can you ever have too much cheese? I thought it was perfect! Thanks to Barefoot Bloggers for making me try something I NEVER would have made on my own.

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Courtesy of Ina Garten

• 1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
• Kosher salt
• Olive oil
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
• 3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
  

For the dressing:

• 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 teaspoon capers, drained
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish