Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Weekday Recipe Roundup

Hello my lovelies...I'm back with another recipe roundup! 

My Menu:
Sunday: Roast Beef Dinner with Roasted Vegetables and Mashed Potatoes
 James whipped up this Sunday feast which made it taste even better...There's just something about food that someone else cooks right?!
For the beef:
What you'll need:
Inside round cut of beef
Flour, garlic salt, rosemary, pepper

Directions:
Dry the meat with paper towels and roll it on a cutting board covered in flour, garlic salt, rosemary, and pepper.
Sear it on all sides in a cast iron pan for about 3 minutes per side. (Our smoke alarm went off several times) 
Bake it in the oven uncovered for 425 for the first half hour and then turn the oven down to 375.
Cook for 14 minutes per pound if you want medium rare.

For the veggies:
Roast in an oven safe dish tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper for about 45 minutes or until desired tenderness.
Serve with mashed potatoes.

Monday: Roasted Trout with Beet Salad
 Last Christmas James' Aunt gave me a little recipe book with all her best soups and salads and this is one of them.  Isn't that just the nicest gift?  I was touched... : )
 I added pecans in my version and served with roasted trout.

Tuesday - Ditali Tomato Chick Pea Pasta
 This recipe is a great one and satisfied my intense longing for PASTA!
What you need
2 tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups (750 mL) sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) tomatoes, chopped
3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried oregano
1-3/4 cups (425 mL) ditali pasta or penne or macaroni
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup (60 mL) grated parmesan cheese
Parsley sprig

Directions:
-In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook mushrooms, garlic and onion, stirring
occasionally, until no liquid remains and mushrooms are browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
-Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, salt, pepper and oregano; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer
until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
-Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook ditali until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain
and return to pot. 
-Add sauce and chopped parsley; toss to coat. 
-Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese; garnish with parsley sprigs.

Wednesday - Roast Beef Sandwiches with Arugula and Mushroom Salad
For yoga night I used the left over beef from Sunday's roast to throw together some beef on a bun topped with cheese, onion, and horseradish and then broiled to perfection..quick and easy so we can get out the door fast.  In an effort to give this meal some nutritional benefits I served it with a tasty arugula salad...

For the salad you'll need:
Arugula
White mushrooms
Parmesan Cheese
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

-Toss the arugula with sliced mushrooms and shaved parm
-Mix a 1/4 cup each of lemon juice and olive oil or to your personal taste and add salt and pepper to season
-Voila!

Thursday - Chicken Goulash on Crushed Potatoes
 When LCBO's Food and Drink Magazine claims something is quick and easy they are almost always lying and this recipe was no exception.  It was tasty but way too lengthy of a process for a weeknight...
Ingredients:
2 lbs small boiling potatoes
1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion diced
2 large garlic cloves minced
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup juice drained from canned tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp hot paprika or sweet paprika with 1/4 tsp of cayenne
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 pound parsnips peeled and sliced lengthways
1 large carrot thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 green pepper diced (I used a zucchini instead)
1 cup of drained canned tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
Several grindings of black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
-Cover whole potatoes in cold water in a pot with cold salted water.
-Bring to a boil, partially cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until tender
-Keep warm.

-Cut chicken into one inch squares.
-Toss with flour
-Heat oil and butter over medium high heat in a large pan until hot and bubbly.
-Add chicken all at once, increase heat a little bit and wait 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken is brown on the bottom.
-Stir around when the pink is just gone for about 2 minutes.
-Remove to a plate.

-Reduce heat to medium and add the onion and garlic to the pan and sautee for 2 minutes.
-Meanwhile mix up broth, tomato juice, tomato pasta, paprika, and caraway seeds.
-Add to the pan slowly scraping up the brown bits.
-Stir in parsnips, carrots, green pepper and bring to a boil
-Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
-Return chicken to pan and cover and simmer for another 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked thru.
-Stir in tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste.
-Heat.

-Divide the drained potatoes to plates and crush with a fork or masher.
-Spoon goulash overtop with a dollop of sour cream and chopped parsley
-Serve!

That's it for my meal plan for the week but how lucky were we to get invited over to Ron and Sarah's this weekend for a feast of epic proportions! Not having to do any of the cooking I made sure to capture the festivities on film...

Check it out!

Happy feasting!
xo
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