04 March 2013

Menu Monday

Playing catch up today since I missed last week's Menu Monday.  LOTS of good recipes over the past 2 weeks.  Enjoy!

I used mozzarella instead of Swiss and added some red pepper flakes to the kale, but otherwise no changes. M is just not a big fan of kale, so I served this with warmed marinara sauce {also with red pepper flakes} for dipping.  Very easy, very healthy, and {I thought} very tasty.  If the dough is already made {or store-bought} it takes hardly any time to put together. A Meatless Monday-friendly meal!

Beef with Broccoli {Rainy Day Gal}
The quest is over {for now}. I have finally found my perfect make-your-own-take-out recipe!  It was even more enjoyable than getting beef with broccoli from a take-out place because I knew I was controlling the quality of the ingredients. SO SO SO tasty! 

Three notes: First, I used flatiron steak instead of flank steak.  This is a recipe where I think you could really use whatever looked good to you or was on sale.  Second, make sure you drain the marinade from the beef thoroughly and pat the beef dry. I kind of skimped on these steps and the beef steamed instead of searing and the residual marinade turned into a super-freaky texture when it hit the heat.  No bueno.  Last, even using low-sodium soy sauce, this is REALLY salty {and I say that as a total sodium fiend}. I served this with fried rice I picked up from our local Chinese place, but next time, I'll serve with totally unseasoned steamed rice.  

Love, love, loved this.  Simple, healthy, and cheap. What's not to love?! I used jasmine rice because it's what we had in the fridge, but in the future, I would use brown rice.  Honestly, the soup is so flavorful that you could pretty much use any rice.  It's really just there for texture and body.  I would also add a little more lime and cilantro than called for.  Otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing!

 Bow-Tie Lasagna {Tasty Kitchen}
Meh. I had high hopes for this popular recipe, and while M loved it, it kind of fell flat for me.  I think it's because I made the mistake of using a jar of sauce I have never tried before.  I didn't love it {Trader Joe's Organic Tomato Basil Marinara}.  It might be good on its own, but it was not tasty in this dish.  I liked the concept of it and it was easy, so I think I may play around with it á la Kate in the future and use ground turkey, whole wheat pasta, and our tried-and-true Bertolli Tomato and Basil Sauce or something homemade.

By far my favorite meal of the past 2 weeks. This was so unbelievably tasty.  A few things: I kept the skin on my chicken thighs.  I know that adds fat/calories, but it also adds flavor and I think it went a long way in boosting the flavor of this dish.  I used the quick method and added quartered mushrooms to it during the last 30 minutes of cooking {with the lid off}.  I served this over linguine.  Can't wait to make this again!

Enchilada Soup {family friend's recipe}

2 cans of Green Giant Niblets corn {not necessary to drain}2 cans Del Monte Mexican style stewed tomatoes {may want to chop these up more}1 can of black beans 1 can of Old El Paso enchilada sauce 3 to 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Combine all ingedients and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with nacho chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream if you like. 
This definitely isn't my all-time favorite Mexican-style soup recipe, but it's easy and filling and makes a TON of soup.  I would definitely use hot enchilada sauce to up the flavor.

Bon appétit! 


4 comments:

The enchanted home said...

Wow! Good ones...have to try the beef and broccoli my kids love that!! And black bean and enchilada soup are both faves of mine though for my diet think the black bean would be a better choice:) Any of the recipes I have tried from you have been FANTASTIC!

Victoria said...

I have made the chicken cacciatore too and was really surprised at how delicious it was! My expectations were super low.

I also love that Iowa Girl Eats BB soup. I credit it for keeping me out of Chipotle for 38 days and counting.

Unknown said...

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Portuguese Prepster said...

oo the kale pizza looks great!