Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
7day menu planner
SUNDAY: Present Lamb Skewers With Mint Yogurt (see recipe) for family day. Serve it with Herb-Roasted Potatoes: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together 5 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic and ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning. Add 2 pounds red potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks; toss to coat. Spoon into a shallow baking pan lined with nonstick foil. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until fork tender; stir occasionally. Toss halved cherry tomatoes and broccoli florets with a light vinaigrette. Add dinner rolls. For dessert, top slices of angel food cake with peaches and vanilla ice cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough lamb, tomato-broccoli salad and cake for Monday. Save enough peaches for Tuesday and enough ice cream for Tuesday and Friday.
MONDAY: Make Lamb Sandwiches. Brush the bread with olive oil and layer it with leftover lamb, roasted red peppers, goat cheese and arugula. Serve with leftover tomato-broccoli salad. Drizzle chocolate syrup over the leftover cake for dessert.
TUESDAY: Prepare Tomato Soup With Orzo for a flavorful no-meat entree. In a medium pot, cook 1 large onion (chopped), 1 small green bell pepper (chopped), 2 cloves garlic (minced) and 1 teaspoon dried oregano in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 6 minutes or until softened. Add 1/3 cup orzo, 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano and their liquid, 1 (15-ounce) can white beans (rinsed), 2 (14-ounce) cans unsalted vegetable broth, coarse salt and ground black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 7 to 9 minutes or until orzo is tender but still firm. Stir 3 tablespoons parmesan into the soup and ladle into bowls. Serve with grilled-cheese sandwiches. For dessert, spoon leftover peaches over leftover ice cream. WEDNESDAY: For this week’s wild card, use your microwave to help prepare Tuna Casserole. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Cook 6 ounces medium egg noodles according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, combine 1 teaspoon butter, 1 small red bell pepper (chopped), ½ medium onion (chopped) and 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms in a large microwavable container. Microwave on 100 percent power for 5 minutes or until softened; drain. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons flour and 1 ¼ cups 1 percent milk until smooth. Stir into vegetable mixture; cover and microwave on high 2 minutes. Stir, then cover and cook 1 minute. Stir and continue cooking in 30-second increments until thickened. Remove from microwave, add ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Stir in 1 (9-ounce) can drained water-packed light tuna (flaked), ½ teaspoon coarse salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and the cooked noodles; spoon into baking dish. Bake, covered, 25 minutes. Mix together 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon melted butter; sprinkle over casserole and bake 5 more minutes or until bubbly. Serve this update of a family favorite with a romaine salad and wholegrain bread. Pears are good for dessert. THURSDAY: Pick up a rotisserie chicken and serve it with stuffed potatoes (from frozen) and broccoli with cheese sauce (from frozen). Add mixed greens and whole-grain rolls. Stop by the bakery for peanut butter cookies for a sweet finish.
Plan ahead: Buy an extra rotisserie chicken for Friday or save 2 cups chopped chicken breast. FRIDAY: Let the kids help prepare Chicken Pot Pie (see recipe) with the extra rotisserie chicken. The whole family will enjoy it with a lettuce-and-tomato salad. Then, everyone will line up for warmed deli brownies topped with leftover ice cream and chocolate sprinkles. SATURDAY: Serve your guests Walnut Crusted Salmon Filets (see recipe) and add rice, fresh green beans and baguettes. For dessert, buy a cheesecake to keep it simple.
THE RECIPES
Lamb Skewers With Mint Yogurt
Mint Yogurt:
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt 2 tablespoons fresh mint
1/8 teaspoon cumin Lamb:
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried rosemary 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 teaspoon garlic powder ¾ teaspoon coarse salt ½ teaspoon coarse ground
black pepper
2 pounds lean boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
8 ounces cherry tomatoes 2 small onions, cut into
wedges
For the mint yogurt: Combine yogurt, mint and cumin in a small bowl; refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the skewers: Mix juice, oil, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve half for basting. Place lamb in large resealable plastic bag. Add half marinade; toss to coat. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
Meanwhile, if using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare grill for mediumhigh heat.
Remove lamb; discard marinade from bag. Alternately thread lamb, tomatoes and onion wedges onto skewers. Grill on medium-high heat 10 to 12 minutes or until desired doneness, turning occasionally and brushing with reserved marinade. Serve with mint yogurt.
Makes 8 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 186 calories, 23 g protein, 8 g fat, 6 g carbohydrate, 66 mg cholesterol, 197 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: ½.
Chicken Pot Pie
2 burrito-sized flour tortillas 1 (10 ¾-ounce) can condensed
cream of mushroom soup 2 cups cooked chopped
chicken
1 (16-ounce) package frozen vegetables for soup, thawed and drained
1 (4-ounce) can chopped mild green chiles 1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll the tortillas in damp white paper towels and microwave on 100 percent power for 20 seconds or until warm.
Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate with 1 warm tortilla.
In a large bowl, mix soup, chicken, vegetables, chilies and cilantro. Spoon into tortilla lined pie plate. Top with the other warmed tortilla. Coat with cooking spray. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 25 more minutes or until top is golden and filling is hot. Cut into 6 wedges and serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving prepared with reducedfat soup contains approximately 209 calories, 19 g protein, 3 g fat, 26 g carbohydrate, 42 mg cholesterol, 649 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1 ½.
Walnut Crusted Salmon Filets
1 ½ cups walnuts 3 tablespoons dry
breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons finely grated
lemon zest
1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh
dill
Coarse salt and ground black
pepper to taste
6 (3-ounce) skin-on salmon
filets
Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon
juice
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place walnuts in food processor; coarsely chop. Add breadcrumbs, lemon zest, oil and dill; pulse until crumbly (mixture should stick together). Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Arrange salmon, skin side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with mustard. Spoon 1/3 cup walnut mixture over each filet; gently press mixture into surface of salmon. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate up to 2 hours.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until salmon flakes with a fork. Just before serving, sprinkle each piece with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 327 calories, 23 g protein, 24 g fat, 8 g carbohydrate, 40 mg cholesterol, 145 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: ½.