Menu Plan Monday: Week of July 27, 2009

More ingredients from the farmer's market this week. Nothing terribly fancy though. Lots of PB & J and Hot Cereal throughout the week. Very budget friendly! Also, I will have some dinners out later in the week (which will balance out that money I saved).

Monday

Breakfast: Hot Cereal

Lunch: PB & J

Dinner: Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and White Corn

Tuesday

Breakfast: Hot Cereal

Lunch: Tuna Salad with Crackers and Avocado Salad

Dinner: Spaghetti with Chicken

Wednesday

Breakfast: Hot Cereal

Lunch: Spaghetti

Dinner: PB & J

Thursday

Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito

Lunch: PB & J

Dinner: Out

Friday

Breakfast: Bagel
Lunch: Turkey Sandwich

Dinner: Indian with the ladies!

Recipe of the Week: Penne with Beets, Beet Greens, Goat Cheese and Walnut

I have been so excited to use my fresh produce from the farmer's market. I started off the week by using a recipe from the association that coordinates my local farmer's market. It is a great pasta dish that uses my new favorite thing in the world, goat cheese, and something I've never really known what to do with, beet greens.

Just a forewarning, this makes A LOT of pasta. Be prepared to feed an army or have leftovers for days, maybe even weeks.

Penne with Beets, Beet Greens, Goat Cheese and Walnuts

2 bunches beets, with greens, trimmed and scrubbed - Save the beet greens (side note: I didn't actually get my beets at the farmer's market, I know....but they didn't have the beets with the greens still attached, so I had to go to my local supermarket.)

8 oz whole wheat penne

1/4 extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tbsp chopped tarragon (I couldn't find this so I used basil instead)

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)

3/4 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake beets wrapped in foil for about 45 minutes. In the meantime, wash the beet greens and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips, set aside. When the beets are done, cool them under cold water and peel skin off. Trim ends and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.

Cook pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes.

In a skillet, heat oil. Add garlic, basil, and pepper flakes, cook about 1-2 minutes. Add beets and greens, until the greens are wilted.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Stir in goat cheese and creme and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Serve immediately.

By the way, I've been fine with eating beets from a can. It just seemed like too much work to cook them in the oven. But, it was so worth it. They smelled so good! No more canned beets for me.

Should you eat a sizable portion of this beety meal, just be prepared for a health freak-out the next day. Just a warning. You're probably not hemorrhaging. But, who am I to say? I'm no doctor.

And here's my kitty. She does not eat beets. She's cute, isn't she? Sweet? Well....

Menu Plan Monday: Week of July 20, 2009

I made a little trip to the farmer's market yesterday and got some fresh goods. I picked up some very fresh tomatoes, peaches, zucchini, basil, cucumber and goat cheese (I have recently developed a fondness for goat cheese). Now I'm excited to prepare some meals with these ingredients.

Monday

Breakfast: Mini bagel with PB, plus a few slices of Cheese and Apples

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich

Dinner: Avocado Salad with Red Onion and Cucumber, and White Corn on the Cob with butter, Parmesan cheese, lime and chili pepper

Tuesday

Breakfast: Chai Latte and breakfast burrito
Lunch: Leftover Beet and Goat Cheese Pasta (Recipe soon to be posted)

Dinner: Birthday dinner for a friend

Wednesday

Breakfast: Bagel with Vegetable Cream Cheese

Lunch: Leftover Beet Pasta (I will be eating this for days)

Dinner: Pizza with friends

Thursday
Breakfast: Chai Latte and breakfast burrito

Lunch: Avocado Salad and PB Sandwich

Dinner: Mini Pizzas with Goat Cheese and Zucchini

Friday

Breakfast: Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich

Lunch: Leftover Mini Pizzas

Dinner: Out

For your enjoyment

LOLcats....in place of an actual post. :)

Recipe of the Week: Cheese Enchiladas with Salsa de Mancha Manteles

I'm very excited, I recently bought The Tassajara Recipe Book. Tassajara is the name of a Zen Mountain Center in Northern California. All of the recipes are vegetarian and pretty healthy as well. Everything is really great for the soul.

Of course, I had to try the new cookbook out right away! So I decided to make dinner for my beau last weekend. Here is what I made for the tasty meal.

Cheese Enchiladas with Salsa de Mancha Manteles

The Salsa

8 New Mexico chilies - I could not find these so I didn't use them

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup almonds

2 Tbsp sesame seeds - the recipe calls for both these and the almonds to be roasted, but I did not roast them

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Small clove of Garlic, minced

1 oz Dark Chocolate (that's right, don't be afraid)

a pinch or two of Cinnamon

1/2 - 1 1/2 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar

Salt

Tomato Paste (optional) - I used this because there wouldn't have been much of a salsa without the chilies

Grind the almonds and sesame seeds.

Heat oil, add garlic and cook briefly. Add raisins and the blended almonds and sesame seeds. Add chocolate, cinnamon and sugar. Season to taste with vinegar and salt.

Add tomato paste and some water.

Cheese Enchiladas

1/2 Yellow Onion, diced

Olive Oil

8 oz Jack Cheese, grated

1/2 cup pitted Olives (optional) - I did not use these

2 oz canned Green Chilies, minced

Corn Tortillas

Garnish:

Sour Cream

Cilantro

Saute the onion in olive oil, set aside to cool. Add the cheese and chilies.

Line a 9" x 13" pan with 1/2 cup of the salsa from above. Heat tortillas to make them pliable. Dip both sides in some of the sauce on a plate. Add the cheese mixture to the tortilla and roll. Place in the baking dish. Do this until the pan is full. (The recipes calls for 12 tortillas, but I only fit 6).

Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. I sprinkled some cheese on top before baking it.

Garnish with Sour Cream and Cilantro.

I also made the Excellent Apple Salad and Green Beans with Sesame Paste and Garlic. Perhaps I'll post those recipes another time. Or you could just go and buy the book yourself.