Posts tagged ‘easy lunch’
Recipe of the Week – Watermelon Salad
(From the Salad Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Watermelon Salad
Do you love watermelon but just think it may be time to try it in a different way? This recipe is for those who are looking for a refreshing salad to serve on a hot summer’s eve or maybe an easy lunch on the deck served with some homemade muffins. Either way it is a great way to get the kids eating salads and good enough to serve as a surprise for guests. Quick to make and easy to serve this is one I know is a keeper.
Watermelon Salad
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Salad |
| Meal: | Summer’s Night (Quick Meals Planner) |
| 0.33 | cup | pine nuts, toasted |
| 7 | cup | watermelon,seedless |
| 1 | cup | cheese, feta |
| 0.5 | medium | onion, red |
| 1 | cup | arugula |
| 0.33 | cup | cilantro, chopped |
| 0.25 | cup | oil, olive |
| 2 | Tb | lemon, juice of |
| 0.5 | tsp | pepper, fresh cracked |
| 1 | pinch | salt to taste |
Toast pine nuts, Seed and cut watermelon into bite size pieces. Thinly slice onion, crumble feta and place in bowl with all other ingredients. Mix well, serve very cold.
For those watermelon “freaks” out there try the Watermelon Gazpacho with Crab Salad at emealsforyou.com
Recipe of the Week – Fresh Ginger Sauce
(From the Misc Category at www.emealsforyou.com)
Ravioli in Fresh Ginger Sauce
Trying to come up with something different for lunch reminded me that ravioli are not just for tomato sauce. It was time to put together a meal that was unexpected. I wanted something that was substantial yet easy to prepare. I remembered I had a some fresh ginger and decided to make the Fresh Ginger Sauce and serve it over some ravioli. Checking on the other ingredients on hand it was a go.
We serve pasta with many meals and ravioli is one of the easiest as it freezes well and is fairly inexpensive. Simply take a handful or a bag out of the freezer, heat it in boiling water for a few minutes and plate with any number of sauces or toppings. Add some sliced mushrooms or fresh spinach at the last minute to enhance the meal. Your family will think they are at an expensive restaurant, your budget will like you and the smiles you receive will brighten your day.
Fresh Ginger Sauce
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 2 |
| Category: | Misc |
| Meal: | Other (General) |
| 24 | oz | chicken broth |
| 2 | medium | scallions, sliced |
| 3 | Tb | carrots, sliced |
| 2 | Tb | ginger, fresh, minced |
| 0.5 | medium | lemon, juice of |
| 2 | tsp | cornstarch |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
| 1 | Tb | cheese, Romano, grated |
Place chicken broth (you may substitute vegetable broth) in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Slice scallions and carrots as thinly as you can, on the diagonal, add to pan. Add ginger and lemon juice and cook until carrots are tender, about 8 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove about 4 oz of the liquid from the pan, allow to cool and add cornstarch, stir to blend. Return the cornstarch mixture to the pan, increase heat slightly and stir until thickened. Serve over pasta or chicken, sprinkle with grated Romano.
Recipe of the Week – Chicken Soup
(From the Soup Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Chicken Soup
It’s the flu and cold season and there is nothing that takes the edge off the aching feelings like a bowl of homemade chicken soup. All of us grew up with some form of chicken soup on those days when mom would bring a tray with soup and crackers to our room. Maybe it was the white and red can variety or maybe that somehow good, but strangely green-yellow soup with those thin noodles. Everyone of us can immediately identify that smell from memory.
I am here to tell you that there is real chicken soup, much better than those cans or packets and it is almost as easy to make. The broth should be darker brown, rich in taste and full of veggies. The color and flavor comes from browning the chicken parts, hopefully with skin on, before adding the vegetables and then the liquid. I use some chicken broth from cans to make this soup all that richer. Be careful to hold off on putting too much salt until just before the soup is finished. You will be reducing the stock while cooking it and any salt you add will be stronger in less broth at the end.
Soup’s on, enjoy!
Old Fashioned Chicken Soup
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Soups |
| Meal: | Weekly 8 (Quick Meals Planner) |
| 3 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 5 | lb | chicken, whole, cut up |
| 2 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 2 | medium | onions, chopped |
| 1 | cup | carrots, diced |
| 4 | medium | celery ribs |
| 50 | oz | chicken broth |
| 70 | oz | water |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
| 0.5 | recipe | spaetzle |
This recipe makes a lot of soup and you will have extra cooked chicken leftover for another use. Heat a large soup pot, add the olive oil, when it begins to shimmer add the cut up and dried chicken. Brown, don’t burn, the chicken on both sides. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, and stir. Lightly brown the vegetables; add the broth and water and stir. Cook on a low boil for 20 -30 minutes; until the chicken is fork tender. Remove the chicken to a platter and taste the broth. Depending on the chicken, the broth may need to be reduced to concentrate the flavors. Cook on the boil until the broth is tasty. In the meantime, remove the chicken from the bones. Cut half the chicken into small pieces and add back to the soup pot. Once the soup is done adjust the salt and pepper to taste. (It is important to not add the salt prior to reducing; as the soup will become too salty)
Bring the soup back up to the boil. Drop the spaetzle batter into the boiling soup to form small dumplings.
Use the remaining chicken in chicken salad or tacos.
Recipe of the Week – Black Bean Burritos
(from www.emealsforyou.com Meal Plans/Theme Meal/Veggie – 14 Across…Healthy)
Black Bean Burritos
Warning, this post gets close to being a Rant. Beyond the cost savings of planning and cooking meals for your family there is the “healthier food” aspect to consider. Take for instance the Black Bean Burrito shown at the bottom left side of this post. Even if you don’t like or think you don’t like black beans you have to give me it looks pretty appetizing. This is especially true when you compare it to the “Taco Hell” burrito above the made-at-home burrito. Is this, the one on the top, what you want your family eating a couple of days a week? Think of all the time you will save on “wash day” not having to get the grease stains out of the kids’ shirts, ’cause you know it is impossible to eat a greasy taco in the car without a little spillage.
I knew the “Taco Hell” burrito was going to be bad for me; knew it like you know it is going to rain just after washing your car. What I didn’t expect was just how bad. Here are the numbers: The bean burrito has 350 calories but more importantly 1190mg of Sodium, just under half your daily recommended amount. If you step up to the plate to the Grilled Stuft Burrito- Chicken, as I did; then you are looking at 640 calories with 2160 mg Sodium; add a diet coke and you are over the limit.
The made-at-home bean burrito comes in at 192 calories with only 293 mg of Sodium.
Planning and cooking at home allows you to take charge of what you are eating. You can control the ingredients; want less salt, just read the label on the beans and buy the no or low sodium brand. Want low fat, get the low or non-fat sour cream. Don’t like white flour buy the whole wheat tortillas. See, it is about just re-directing your hand in the grocery store to foods that are better for you; and if it is better for you, you will feel better about feeding it to your family.
Black Bean Burritos
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 2 |
| Category: | Vegetarian Entrée |
| Meal: | Veggie – 14 Across…Healthy (Theme Meal Plans) |
| 1 | 14 oz. can | beans, black |
| 4 | medium | tortillas, whole wheat |
| 1 | medium | tomatoes, whole |
| 1 | medium | scallions, sliced |
| 2 | Tb | sour cream |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
Warm beans in a pan, lightly toasted tortillas. Place beans on tortillas, slice tomato and scallion, place on top. Add ½ Tb of sour cream to each burrito.
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