This week's menus are a celebration of the first fruits of the garden. Spinach, artichokes, radicchio, and mint are featured in almost all of the dinners. If you have a garden, wonderful! If not, find a good farmer's market and pick up the freshest vegetables you can. The flavor of spring will come through in your cooking.
Meats:
1 pound chicken breast tenderloins
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound salmon steak
1 roasted deli chicken (or buy a roaster and cook it at home)
4 lamb chops
1 pound bay scallops (Bay scallops are the smaller ones. Just remember that the sea is bigger than the bay, so sea scallops are bigger than bay scallops.)
Dairy:
Plain Greek yogurt
Grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces of grated Jack cheese
8 ounces goat cheese
Frozen Food:
1 loaf frozen whole wheat bread dough (or make your own)
Fresh Produce:
4 romaine hearts
1 head of radicchio
1 bunch of escarole (about 4 cups)
½ pound fresh asparagus
2 bags of baby spinach (about 8 cups)
3 tomatoes
2 large yellow onions
1 bunch green onions
2 portobello mushroom tops
1 cucumber
1 bunch parsley
1 sprig of mint
1 head of garlic, or a jar of crushed organic garlic
2 lemons
6 red potatoes
1 head of broccoli
Canned Food:
1 can chopped black olives
1 can (13 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 small (8 ounce) jar of pesto
1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
Dry Food and Staples:
½ cup bulgur wheat
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 pound fettucini
1 pound angel hair pasta
Burrito size whole wheat tortillas
Olive oil
Croutons
Italian style bread crumbs
Spices and Condiments:
Salt and pepper
Dill, ground oregano, red pepper, lemon pepper
Italian dressing, Ceasar salad dressing
Other items for your own personal shopping list:
Preparation:
Pound the chicken breasts with a kitchen mallet between two sheets of plastic wrap.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the garlic.
Cook the onion and escarole in the oil until tender.
Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Place the portobello mushrooms in the pan and cook until brown around the edges.
Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Mix the Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a zip top plastic bag.
Place the chicken breasts in the bag and shake to coat.
Cook the chicken breasts in the pan over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side.
Cover the chicken with the spaghetti sauce.
Add the escarole, onions, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan and simmer over low heat about 15 minutes.
While the chicken and sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to package directions.
Serve alone or with a tossed salad.
Making this pizza with frozen bread dough makes it fast enough for a weeknight.
Ingredients:
1 loaf of frozen whole wheat bread dough, softened
1 small jar of pesto
1 large yellow onion, sliced thinly into rings
1 tomato, sliced thin
8 ounces goat cheese
1 small jar of artichoke hearts
2 cups of fresh baby spinach
Preparation:
Knead the bread dough on a floured surface.
Roll the dough out to a 16 inch circle and place on a pizza pan.
Allow the pizza dough to rest for twenty minutes.
Spray a pan with cooking spray and cook the onions over medium high heat for 20 minutes or until they caramelize.
Spread the pesto sauce over the pizza dough.
Cover the pesto with the caramelized onions, goat cheese, artichoke hearts, and spinach.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Preparation:
Cook the scallops in the olive oil just until they turn color, about 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, spices, and broccoli. Simmer over medium heat ten minutes.
Cook the fettucini in boiling salted water until al dente, about 9 minutes.
While the fettucini and scallops cook, toss the romaine lettuce, salad dressing, and croutons.
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top of the salad.
Serve the simmered scallops over the fettucini with the salad on the side.
This salad celebrates spring alongside the lamb chops.
Ingredients:
6 small red potatoes, washed and scrubbed
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cups of baby spinach
¼ cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
4 lamb chops
½ cup Greek yogurt
4 mint leaves
Zest of ½ lemon
Preparation:
Place the lemon zest and mint leave in a small food chopper and pulse.
Add the yogurt and whip until blended. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces.
Microwave the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of water for 3 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet.
Remove the potatoes from the microwave and saute in the oil until tender and brown.
Toss the potatoes with the spinach, walnuts, and balsamic vinegar.
Preheat an indoor grill.
Sprinkle the lamb chops with sea salt and pepper and grill until well done.
Serve the lamb chops with a dollop of lemony mint yogurt and the salad.
