Menu for March 5th - 9th

I like to try to eat more vegetables than meat a la Michael Pollan's instructions in his great book: In Defence of Food.  I don't always succeed. This week I included one all veg recipe and the pizza is up to you. You can also switch the taco recipe for a black bean enchilada (recipe from a previous week) to make it vegetarian.  Hopefully these recipes will have something that will appeal to everyone.

Monday:

Fettuccine with Walnuts, Zucchini Ribbons, and Parmesan.

In this recipe I find the zucchini ribbons make the zucchini more palatable for kids and the Vegetable Resistors. This is a recipe that serves SIX so if you think that is way too much, cut down on the ingredients as required.

2 1/2 pounds small zucchini

1 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 anchovy fillets, minced (about 1 tablespoon) (optional but don't be afraid to try)

1/2 teaspoon (scant) dried crushed red pepper

1 pound fettuccine

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for serving

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup (packed) thinly sliced fresh basil

1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh mint

Place 1 zucchini on work surface. Using vegetable peeler and firmly holding zucchini by stem end, shave zucchini lengthwise into long ribbons. Discard scraps. Repeat with remaining zucchini. Place ribbons (about 10 cups total) in large colander set over large bowl; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fleur de sel. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse zucchini under cold running water; drain well. Spread on 2 large kitchen towels; roll up in towels to absorb excess water. Set aside.

Meanwhile toast the walnuts:  There are two ways to toast walnuts, they both work very well and they both require that one pays attention – walnuts go from being toasted to being burnt fast!

In the Oven

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lay walnuts on a baking sheet (you can line it with foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up). Roast walnuts until they start to brown and smell toasted, 5 to 10 minutes.

On the Stove

Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add walnuts to the hot, dry pan and cook, watching constantly and stirring frequently, until walnuts starts to brown and they smell toasted, about 5 minutes.

Combine garlic, anchovy fillets, and crushed red pepper in very large serving bowl. Using pestle or wooden spoon, crush mixture until paste forms.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Transfer pasta to bowl with garlic mixture. Add 1/3 cup oil and 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid; toss. Add zucchini, walnuts, 1/2 cup cheese, basil, and mint; toss. Season with salt and pepper, adding more pasta cooking liquid if mixture is dry. Drizzle with additional oil. Serve with remaining cheese.

* Recipes modified from epicurious.com and http://localfoods.about.com/od/preparationtips/qt/How-To-Toast-Walnuts.htm

Tuesday

 Asian Chicken Salad with Roasted Peanuts

This is a Busy Mom quickie. I have a couple of recipes like this that I use. Buy a Rotisserie Chicken on the way home from work and dress it up like this:

3/4 cup bottled Asian-style dressing (your choice!)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

1 6-ounce package baby spinach leaves

2 cups mixed sliced red, yellow and green bell peppers

1 2- to 2 1/2-pound rotisserie chicken, meat torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts

1 mango, peeled, pitted, sliced (frozen, bottled, or canned mango will do fine here too)

Mix dressing, cilantro, and ginger in small bowl. Toss spinach, peppers, chicken, and nuts in large bowl with enough dressing mixture to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad among 4 plates. Top with mango and serve.

If Asian isn't your thing you could sub romaine lettuce and caesar dressing and add fresh parmesan and homemade croutons for a quickie Chicken Caesar Salad.

Wednesday

Tacos

This is something I throw together when it is the end of the week and my fridge and cupboards are starting to be a little bare. Left over peppers, left over lettuce, left over onion, and leftover tomatoes... this is a good way to use up the vegetables in your fridge from your other recipes.

The amounts below are merely suggestions; it really depends on what is left in your fridge, how big your family is and everyone's tolerance for spice so adjust as you go.

Here’s the gist of it:

Ingredients:

½ pound Ground beef

½  onion chopped

½ green pepper

½ red pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1tbsp cumin

1tbsp chili powder

Lettuce shredded or chopped

Tomatoes, chopped

Avocado

Grated cheese

Flour tortillas

Salsa

Greek yogurt or sour cream

Fry lean ground beef in a pan with chopped onion and peppers. Add garlic powder, cumin, chili powder to taste (start with a teaspoon at a time and work your way up). I also throw in a little salsa once the meat is browned.

Meanwhile chop lettuce, tomatoes, avocados and anything else you like. Grate your favourite cheese, I like cheddar or mozza.

Put out all the toppings and meat on the centre of the table in bowls or on a cutting board and let everyone dig in and build their own using soft fajitas or hard taco shells if you prefer.

Serve with salsa and sour cream or my favourite: Greek Style yogurt.

I sometimes serve Tortilla Chips with this and you could put all the toppings on a bed of lettuce if you wanted make a taco salad version.

Thursday

Naan Bread Pizzas

Easiest pizza crusts ever! I keep these frozen in my fridge all the time. This is another 'wing it' recipe. My favourite version is to toss grape tomatoes in herbes de Provence and broil until they pop. I crush with the back of a spoon for a pizza sauce, add some caramelized onion, fresh basil, pitted kalamata olives, and goat cheese, bocconcini or feta on to my store bought Naan bread. Then I bake it until everything is warm and melted in the oven. But that's a grown up version, for kids you need to pick what suits your child's tastes. Buy canned pizza sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni and have a very straightforward version, or ask your kid what they want and then let them help you make the grocery list. Lots of things I have read say involving kids in the grocery shopping and cooking processes helps them be interested in trying new things.

Some other ideas: store bought basil or sundried pesto, peppers and steak, prosciutto and camembert with Portobello mushrooms and onion. (Fry toppings up first.)

I usually put the oven on 450 to 475 and put the Naan bread in by itself first to crisp it up before putting the toppings on.

Friday

Roast Chicken and vegetables

Modified from the Roast Chicken with Herb Butter recipe By Mark Bittman From the How to Cook Everything® app

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, tarragon, parsley, thyme, or basil leaves or try a mixture

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat

½ cup dry white wine or water, plus more if needed

1 clove garlic, lightly smashed (optional)

Chopped fresh parsley or other herb leaves for garnish

For Veg:

•  New ruby potatoes

•  Carrots (preferably the smaller ones with the green tops)

Steps:

Heat the oven to 450°F. Use a fork or mini food processor to combine half the butter with the herb(s) and some salt and pepper. With your fingers, loosen the skin of the chicken wherever you can without tearing it and spread some of this mixture between skin and meat. Put a little in the chicken cavity and spread the remainder on top of the breast. Sprinkle the outside of the bird with salt and pepper.

Peel carrots and trim ends. Peel carrots to the point that they are a mostly uniform length and width so they will cook evenly and at the same speed. You may want to cut them to achieve this, but the whole carrots look pretty. :)

You can also cut the potatoes in half if you like them a little crispy.

Toss carrots and potatoes in a tablespoon of olive oil. Place on roasting pan. Half way through cooking the chicken put the vegetables in the oven alongside the chicken - about 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Put the remaining butter in a cast‐iron skillet or roasting pan and put the pan in the oven. When the butter has melted and its foam subsided, add the wine and the garlic if you're using it. Put the chicken, breast side down, on a rack in the pan and return to the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, spoon some of the butter mixture over it, then turn the bird breast side up. (If, at any point, the pan juices are beginning to stick to the pan, add a little more liquid.) Baste again, then again after 10 minutes; at this point the breast should be beginning to brown (if it hasn't, roast for a few more minutes). Turn the heat down to 325°F, baste again, and roast until an instant‐read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads at least 155–165°F. Total roasting time will be under 1 hour.

Before removing the chicken from the pan, tip the pan to let the juices from the bird's cavity flow into the pan (if they are red, cook for another 5 minutes). Transfer the bird to a platter and let it rest for about 5 minutes before carving. Garnish with minced herbs and serve with the pan juices.

·         Sometimes I find this recipe takes longer than the cooking time stated, so check the chicken carefully before serving. You may need to leave it in 10 minutes longer.