Dinner Magic Menus January Week 2

Winter Lentil Stew

Spaghetti Pie

Chicken Marsala
Whole Wheat Egg Noodles
Quick Glazed Carrots
Black Bean Soup in the Slow Cooker
Homemade Bread and Dinner Salad

Moussaka in the Slow Cooker

Ranch Style Potato Leek Soup
Mixed Green Salad
Crusty French Bread in the Bread Machine

Easy Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Lemony Broccoli

Sonora Style Chicken Enchiladas
Smashed Pintos and Peppers

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Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Dinner Magic Shopping List January Week 2

Meats:
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
¼ pound deli sliced ham

Dairy:
16 ounces Mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound Parmesan cheese
¼ pound sliced Provolone
½ pound Cheddar cheese
¼ cup feta cheese
16 ounces low fat cottage cheese
Eggs
Real butter (not margarine)

Fresh Produce:
1 sweet potato
4 russet potatoes or 8 new potatoes
6 more russet potatoes
2 parsnips
1 turnip
2 pounds carrots
4 yellow onions
1 bunch celery
2 leeks
1 head broccoli
1 eggplant
1 head red leaf lettuce
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 head romaine lettuce
2 tomatoes
1 small cucumber
1 lemon
1 head of garlic
1 bunch Italian parsley
1 bunch cilantro
8 ounces crimini mushrooms

Canned Food:
1 jar pasta sauce, unless you made my All Day Spaghetti Sauce
1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
3 quarts low sodium chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounce) enchilada sauce, red or green
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced green chili peppers
2 cans evaporated skim milk
1 small can sliced black olives

Dry Food and Staples:
16 ounces lentils (any color)
8 ounces split peas (any color)
16 ounces black beans
Spaghetti
Whole wheat egg noodles
1-2 dozen corn tortillas
Croutons
Flour
Italian herb bread crumbs
Olive oil
Yeast

Spices and Condiments:
Salt and pepper
Thyme, sage, basil, oregano, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon
Brown sugar
Salad dressing, any flavor
1 package of dry ranch style dressing mix
Marsala wine

Other items for your own personal shopping list:









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More great recipes are at my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner website.

Ranch Style Potato Leek Soup

Mixed Green Salad
Crusty French Bread in the Bread Machine

Potato leek soup is a popular winter soup because it is filling and tasty. This recipe takes things a bit further by adding ranch flavor to the mix.

Soup ingredients:

• 6 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 leeks, washed and chopped (include the green parts)
• 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of evaporated skim milk
• 1 package of ranch style dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon salt

Bread ingredients:

• Flour
• Butter
• Yeast

Salad ingredients:

• Red leaf lettuce
• Iceberg lettuce
• 1 hard boiled egg, chopped
• ¼ cup of grated cheese, any kind
• 1 tomato, sliced
• ½ cucumber, sliced

In the morning:
Place the potatoes, leeks, broth, milk, ranch style dressing mix, and salt in the crockpot.
Stir together and cook on low 8-10 hours.
Put the ingredients for the bread in the bread machine. Set to the delay bake option.

In the afternoon:
Prepare the salad.
Remove the bread from the machine and allow it to cool a few minutes.
Smash the potatoes and leek with a potato masher before serving.

My family enjoys grated cheese on top of the soup.

Photo/Penguincake on Flickr

Never miss a post. Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Moussaka in the Slow Cooker

I adapted this traditional Greek recipe to the crock pot so I can have it cook slowly several hours to bring out the flavors. Using ground turkey or ground chicken makes it a lighter recipe, cutting the fat and calories. The cinnamon gives it a slightly spicy flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant, peeled and cubed.
• 1 pound of ground turkey or chicken
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup of feta
• ¼ cup of Italian bread crumbs
• Romaine lettuce
• Red leaf lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Sliced black olives
• Croutons

How to make Moussaka in the crock pot
Spray the slow cooker crock with nonstick cooking spray.
Lay the cubed eggplant in the bottom of the crock.
Cook the turkey or chicken, onion, and garlic until the meat is well done.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices. Mix well.
Spread the meat mixture over the eggplant.
Mix the feta cheese and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the top.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Serve with a dinner salad made from the lettuce, tomatoes, and olives. Top with croutons and/or feta cheese.

Never miss a post. Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Sonora Style Chicken Enchiladas

Smashed Pintos and Peppers


There is an ongoing discussion at my house as to whether or not these qualify as enchiladas, since they aren't rolled. I say they are a casserole, my DH says they are enchiladas. He was born in New Mexico, and he says this is how they cook them. He may be on to something. The New Mexico chiles are out of this world delicious. Whatever you decide to call this enchilada/casserole, it tastes delicious. They are so simple to make, they're perfect for a weeknight.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 package fajita spice mix
• 2 cans (16 ounces) enchilada sauce, red or green (Hatch is a New Mexico company that makes some terrific sauce. You can order peppers from them, too.)
  
• ½ pound grated cheddar cheese
• 12-18 corn tortillas
• Sour cream and salsa for topping
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can diced green chili peppers

How to Make Sonora Style Enchiladas
Cook the meat, onion, and garlic with the spice mix.
Warm one can of enchilada sauce on the stove in a pot.
Spread a large spoonful of the sauce over the bottom of a baking dish.
Dip a tortilla in the sauce and lay in the baking dish.
Do this until you have 3-4 of tortillas in the baking dish.
Spoon 1/3 of the turkey mixture over the tortillas.
Sprinkle ¼ of the cheese over the turkey.
Spoon some of the enchilada sauce over the cheese and meat.
Make another layer, then another, till you have three layers.
Lay one more layer of tortillas on top and cover with the remaining cheese.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees.
Just before the enchiladas are ready, warm the beans in a pot on the stove.
Add the green chilis to the beans.
Smash with a potato masher.
Serve the enchiladas and beans with extra enchilada sauce, salsa, and sour cream.

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Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Who would think something so easy could taste so good. Use the broccoli stems from the Chicken Cordon Bleu if you saved them. Otherwise, use 2 packages of chopped broccoli.


Ingredients:

• 1 small package frozen chopped broccoli
• 1 onion, chopped
• Stems from one head of broccoli (they may be leftover from the Chicken Cordon Bleu)
• 1 large can of cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cans of cheddar cheese soup
• 1 can of evaporated skim milk
• 1 can of chicken or vegetable broth
• ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese
• Fresh baguette or sourdough bread.

How to Make Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Steam the broccoli stems and the onion in the microwave till tender.
Place the chopped broccoli, the cooked onion and stems, and the broth in the blender.
Blend until mostly smooth.
Put the blended ingredients in a soup pot.
Add the 3 cans of soup and the can of evaporated skim milk.
Heat through till warm. Top with grated cheddar cheese.
Serve with a fresh baguette or sourdough bread.

Photo/Virtual Ern on Flickr

Never miss a post. Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Easy Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Steamed Lemony Broccoli

Chicken Cordon Bleu sounds so rich and fancy that you might want to serve it to guests. With this recipe, you can prepare this treat even on a weeknight.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 slices of provolone
• 8 slices of deli thin ham or 4 slices of lunchmeat ham
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup of bread crumbs
• 4 russet potatoes or 8 new potatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup of parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 head of broccoli
• 1 lemon

How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Lay the chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper and pound with a mallet until they are ¼ inch thick.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Lay the ham and one slice of provolone cheese on each breast.
Roll up and secure with picks.
Dip the rolled chicken breasts into the bread crumbs, coating all sides.
Place in a baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Slice the potatoes.
Toss the potatoes with the garlic, parsley, and olive oil.
Lay the potatoes evenly on a baking dish.
Place the potatoes and chicken in the oven  bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, flip the potatoes with a spatula. Turn the chicken to get it to brown on all sides. Bake another 30 minutes.
15 minutes before the chicken and potatoes are ready, heat water in a pot.
Chop the broccoli florets. (Keep the stems to use in a recipe for Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup.)
Boil the broccoli 3-4 minutes.
Slice the lemon and squeeze the juice over the broccoli.
Garnish with a lemon slice.


Photo/Kimberly KV on Flickr

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Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Chicken Marsala Dinner

Whole Wheat Egg Noodles
Quick Glazed Carrots

This Chicken Marsala has been lightened up by cooking the chicken on an indoor grill instead of cooking the chicken in oil. Marsala is an Italian wine that can sometimes be hard to find. If so, try making the recipe with white wine. It will taste a bit different, and the sauce may need thickening, but it will still turn out delish.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¼ cup of Italian herb bread crumbs
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces of sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup Marsala (If you don’t have Marsala, try a white wine.)
• 1 pound of whole wheat egg noodles
• 4 cups of sliced carrots
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

How to make Chicken Marsala Dinner

Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper until they are ¼ inch thick.
Set up two plates, one with the beaten egg and one with the bread crumbs.
Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the bread crumbs.
Grill on the indoor grill until well done, about 2-3 minutes. Keep warm in the oven.
Boil the egg noodles in a pot of water according to package directions.
Place the carrots in a microwave safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. Cook for 4 minutes.
Add the butter and brown sugar to the carrots and stir. Return to the microwave for another 2 minutes.
Spray a saucepan with cooking spray.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook and stir until they begin to turn brown.
Add the broth and the marsala and cook with the mushrooms another 3 mintues.
Add the chicken to the pan and spoon the mixture over the chicken.
If the sauce needs thickening, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of broth and stir into the pan.
Drain the water off the egg noodles.
Arrange the Chicken Marsala on top of the egg noodles with the carrots on the side.


Photo/Sea Turtle on Flickr

Never miss a post. Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.