My sister's flights got cancelled last week, so we're back to the drawing board with meals this week! Last week we managed to not eat out ONCE except for Friday night and Saturday night. Friday night we went to our favorite burger joint for beer, nachos, wings and burgers. We LOVE going there and can always get a table even though it's in the hot meatpacking district in NYC. Saturday night we went to our favorite Indian place and had some amazing chicken and lamb dishes with a side of garlic naan.
Before I go into this week, I wanted to let you know that i wasn't a fan of my catfish sticks from last week and frankly, we ended up throwing the last portion away. I didn't like how the batter formed a cage around the fish. I also don't like to take things to work for lunch that require an oven or toaster oven to heat up. So, I won't be making that again! Also, the shrimp stir-fry wasn't a huge winner either. I felt it needed more vegetables and a thicker sauce. Sorry about that folks! Live and learn. Chicken pot pie was a HUGE winner and definitely one to keep around for a while.
Anyways, this week since my sister will be here, we'll probably have the lasagna I'm making today for dinner tonight and when she arrives on Wednesday night. She's requested sushi and dim sum, so Thursday afternoon for lunch we'll take her to one of our favorite (cheap) sushi places in soho and then we're off to see a live taping of Jimmy Fallon! We'll be heading to dim sum on Saturday morning, location TBD (i.e. that's the hubby's job). She leaves on Sunday with will allow me time for another round of cooking!
This week, I got inspired to bake a loaf of bread. I've never baked bread before, even in a bread machine. I recently purchased some whole wheat flour so Taylor can make multigrain pancakes and there was a bread recipe on the package. It didn't call for anything complicated, and I had everything on hand (including the beer) so I figured I'd give it a whirl.
Onward and upward!
Whole Wheat Bread
from the recipe on the back of the whole wheat flour package
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 can (12oz) beer (I used a pale ale)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 375
1. Grease 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. In lare bowl, mix flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add beer all at once and stir just until blended; do not beat. Spoon better into prepared loaf pan and brush top with melted butter.
2. Bake 50-55min until bread tests done with a wooden skewer. Cool 5 minutes in pan. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Adapted from the Pioneer Woman blog
Made in my dutch oven on Saturday and we had it for lunch. had enough leftovers for 4 more servings, so it makes about 6 servings.
Ingredients
2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1-½ teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
1 cup Diced Onion
1 Small Green Bell Pepper, Diced
1 Small Red Pepper, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 can Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
2 cups Hot Water
1 cans Black Beans, Drained
3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.
2. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Add shredded chicken and stir.
4. Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.
5. Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Turn heat off and let sit 10 minutes. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.
We used toppers like sour cream, diced avocado and grated cheddar cheese. Use whatever you have to garnish!
Beer and Beef Stew
Also adapted from the Pioneer Woman blog (love that blog!)
Made in my dutch oven on Sunday. SUPER easy and could be made in a crockpot.
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 pounds Stew Meat (I used a pot roast and cut it into pieces)
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 can Beer, 12 Ounce Can (I used a pale ale, but I’ve heard of people using a Bud)
4 cups Beef Stock
2 cups Water
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
½ teaspoons Paprika
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1-½ teaspoon Sugar
4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, And Roughly Sliced
4 whole New Potatoes, Quartered
1. Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half. Set aside.
2. Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer, beef stock, and water, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
3. Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. (If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid.)
Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce
Adapted from life123.com
We've made this version before and it's a huge hit!
Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups skim milk
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups low-fat ricotta
Veggie Filling (you can use any veggies you want):
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small zuchinni, diced
1 ½ cup raw carrots, thinly sliced
1 packaged frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
1 no-bake package lasagna noodles (or boil regular whole wheat noodles!)
8 ounces grated Mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350
1. Start by making the white sauce. First, take the butter, and melt it in a large saucepan. Then stir in the flour to make a paste, and add the milk. Continue to stir until this mixture begins to thicken. Add the Parmesan cheese and ricotta. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Next, sauté the onions, garlic and zuchinni in some olive oil. Next add in the carrots and spinach. Sauté until the veggies become soft, and then remove from the heat.
Stacking the Lasagna
Put a little sauce on the bottom of the pan, and cover it with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/3 of the veggie mixture, more sauce and a layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat until you get to the top layer of the lasagna. Then spread the last layer of sauce, and load up with the rest of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle grated parmesan over it. Finally, cover the lasagna with aluminum foil, and bake for about 30 minutes.
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