Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
7day menu planner
SUNDAY: Prepare a heat-and-serve baked ham for the family dinner. Add a special dish such as Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Apples With Pecan Streusel Topping (see recipe), along with green peas and dinner rolls. You’ll love how easy Raspberry Shortcake can be using sliced poundcake with fresh raspberries and whipped cream for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough ham and raspberries for Monday; save enough cake for Tuesday.
MONDAY: Use the leftover ham for Grilled Ham and Swiss Cheese Sandwiches on rye. Serve with tomato basil soup and a lettuce wedge. Munch on leftover raspberries for dessert.
TUESDAY: The kids will be all over Tortilla Casserole tonight. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a 7-by-11-inch baking dish, mix 1 (10- to 13-ounce) package refrigerated cooked carved chicken breasts, 1 (14.75-ounce) can cream-style corn, 1 (15-ounce) can black beans (rinsed), and 2 medium tomatoes (chopped and seeded) until well blended. Smooth top. Cover and bake 35 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle top with ½ cup coarsely crushed baked tortilla chips and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese. Bake 2 more minutes or until tortilla chips are toasted and cheese is melted. Serve with a chopped lettuce salad. Slice the leftover cake for dessert and top it with sliced peaches.
WEDNESDAY: Skip meat for Fettuccine With No-Cook Tomato Sauce for an easy meal. In a medium bowl, combine 12 plum tomatoes (chopped and seeded), ¼ cup balsamic vinaigrette, ¼ cup chopped fresh basil and 1 teaspoon minced garlic; mix well. Toss with hot fettuccine and serve. Add a spinach salad with hardcooked egg wedges and garlic bread. Try fresh tropical fruits for dessert. THURSDAY: Layered Beef Salad is on the menu tonight. In a glass serving bowl (straight-sided, if available), layer shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, canned artichokes (drained), and strips of deli roast beef and any cheese (repeat layers once). Top with ranch dressing. To serve, spoon through all layers. Serve with deli minestrone soup and flatbread. Buy tapioca pudding for dessert. FRIDAY: It’s low cost and has lots of flavor, two good reasons to put Santa Fe Rice and Beans (see recipe) on the menu tonight. Serve with a sliced avocado salad and corn tortillas. Plums are good for dessert.
SATURDAY: Invite friends for the spring flavors in Grilled Lime-Butter Salmon (see recipe). Add roasted potatoes, green beans, a bibb lettuce salad and baguettes. For dessert, buy a coconut cream Grilled Lime Butter Salmon pie.
THE RECIPES
Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Apples With Pecan Streusel Topping
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 tablespoons softened butter,
divided use
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
extract
1½ teaspoons ground cardamom, divided use ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
For the topping: ¼ cup packed light brown sugar ¼ cup chopped pecans Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, combine potatoes and apples and cover with 1 inch cold water. Bring to boil on medium-high; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well; return to pan. Add 2 tablespoons butter, vanilla, 1 teaspoon of the cardamom and salt; mash until potatoes are well-blended and smooth. Spoon into a 1½-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray.
For the topping, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and remaining ½ teaspoon cardamom until coarse crumbs form. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle mixture over sweet potatoes. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned and heated through. Makes 8 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 216 calories, 2 g protein, 8 g fat, 34 g carbohydrate, 15 mg cholesterol, 174 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 2½.
Santa Fe Rice and Beans
1 tablespoon canola oil 1 medium green bell pepper,
diced
1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (14-ounce) can unsalted
chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 (15-ounce) can black beans,
rinsed
1 (16-ounce) can pinto beans,
rinsed
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1 (10-ounce) package frozen
shoepeg corn
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 3 cups cooked brown rice (I used boil-in-a-bag rice cooked in the microwave for 10 minutes)
Sour cream and chopped fresh
cilantro for garnish
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium; add bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook 6 minutes. Stir in broth and cumin. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add both beans, tomatoes, corn and vinegar. Simmer 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice. Garnish as desired. Makes 5 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared using reduced-sodium beans and no salt added tomatoes) contains approximately 334 calories, 14 g protein, 4 g fat, 62 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 242 mg sodium and 12 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 4
Grilled Lime Butter Salmon
4 (4- to 6-ounce) salmon filets Coarse salt and pepper
2 small zucchini, sliced
2 small yellow squash, sliced 1 pound of trimmed asparagus 1 small red onion, cut into
chunks
1 red bell pepper, sliced 2 tablespoons of butter, melted 1 tablespoon of lime juice Zest of one lime
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges Fresh parsley for garnish
Heat grill to medium heat or heat oven to 400 degrees.
Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper to taste.
Cut 4 heavy-duty foil sheets (each foil square should be double the length of the salmon), large enough to wrap the salmon and veggies. Place salmon in center of aluminum foil and divide the vegetables into each packet.
In a small bowl, add melted butter, lime juice and zest of lime and mix. Pour evenly into each packet. Add lime wedge in each packet and bring up 2 sides of foil over salmon so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight ½-inch fold; fold again, allowing space for heat circulation and expansion. Fold other sides to seal.
To grill: Place salmon packets onto grill and grill for 13 to 15 minutes, flipping at about 7 minutes.
To bake: Place packets on oven rack (with a baking sheet on the rack below) and bake 15 to 20 minutes.
To serve, carefully open packets away from your face and garnish with parsley. Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 262 calories, 28 g protein, 11 g fat, 13 g carbohydrate, 68 mg cholesterol, 148 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.