LITTLE ROCK — SUNDAY: Rosemary Orange Chicken (see recipe) makes family day special. Enjoy the nutty flavor of brown rice and tiny green peas. Add crusty rolls. For dessert, buy a blackberry cobbler.
Plan ahead: Save enough chicken and cobbler for Monday.
MONDAY: Use the leftover chicken and make nontraditional Grilled Chicken and Cheese Sandwiches. Chop the 4 leftover chicken breasts and mix with◊cup golden raisins, ¼ cup thinly sliced celery and◊cup mayonnaise. Coat one side of 12 whole-grain bread slices with cooking spray. Place 6 slices, coated side down, on a nonstick skillet or griddle.
Top 6 of the slices with a thin slice of Monterey Jack cheese.
Spread chicken on bread. Top with another thin slice of cheese and remaining 6 bread slices (coated side up). Cook on medium 3 to 4 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Serve with delicatessen carrot salad.
Warm the leftover cobbler and top it with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Wednesday.
TUESDAY: Kids welcome the tried-and-true, so make your own tacos. Serve with a chopped lettuce salad and add cornbread muffins. Try applesauce for dessert.
Plan ahead: Freeze enough muffins for Friday.
WEDNESDAY: No matter the season, an easy, hearty soup, such as Winter Squash and Chickpea Soup (see recipe), is welcome dinner fare at our house. Add a romaine salad and whole grain rolls. Leftover ice cream is dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough soup for Thursday.
THURSDAY: It’s soup and sandwich night. Serve the leftover soup with your favorite delicatessen sandwich. Add a packaged Caesar salad. For dessert, make vanilla pudding and stir in sliced banana.
FRIDAY: Be economical and serve Spicy Oven-Baked Catfish (see recipe) tonight. Serve with oven fries, delicatessen coleslaw and leftover cornbread muffins. Plums are dessert.
SATURDAY: These Onion and Cherry Glazed Pork Chops would please any guest. Season 4 (¾-inch-thick) well-trimmed boneless pork chops with garlic-pepper seasoning. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high.
Cook chops 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Remove chops from skillet; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Cook 2 small onions (sliced into thin rings) in the oil, covered, 12 to 14 minutes or until onions aretender. Stir occasionally. Stir in 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar. Increase heat to medium and cook 3 or 4 minutes more or until onions are lightly browned. Meanwhile, stir together 1 teaspoon cornstarch,◊cup water, ¼ cup sweetened dried cherries and 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.
Add to skillet; cook and stir until bubbly and slightly thickened.
Add chops (and accumulated liquid) back to skillet and heat through. Serve with mashed sweet potatoes, fresh zucchini, a spinach salad and sourdough rolls. Fruit tarts are a good winter dessert.
THE RECIPES Rosemary Orange Chicken 8 boneless skinless chicken
breasts (2 to 2 ½ pounds),
divided use Coarse salt and ground black
pepper to taste 4 ½ teaspoons vegetable oil,
divided use ¼ cup finely chopped shallots 1 clove garlic, minced ¾ cup fresh orange juice ½ cup chicken broth 1 teaspoon butter 1 teaspoon chopped fresh
rosemary ½ teaspoon white wine
vinegar
Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat 1½ teaspoons oil in large skillet on medium-high. Add 4 chicken breasts and sear 3 minutes per side or until well browned. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Heat another 1½ teaspoons oil in skillet; add 4 more chicken breasts; sear on both sides as above. Reduceheat to medium and continue to cook 4 more minutes or until cooked through. Remove from skillet; cool slightly, and then refrigerate for Monday.
Add another 1½ teaspoons oil to skillet; add shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add orange juice and broth and bring to simmer.
Cook 3 minutes or until reduced by half. Return the 4 partially cooked chicken breasts to skillet; reduce heat to low.
Simmer until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees. Transfer cooked chicken to warmed platter. Stir in butter, rosemary and vinegar to sauce. Season with salt and pepper and spoon over chicken.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 200 calories, 25 g protein, 8 g fat, 7 g carbohydrate, 75 mg cholesterol, 249 mg sodium and 1 gram fiber.
Winter Squash and Chickpea Soup 2 medium onions, chopped 2 pounds butternut, acorn or
other winter squash, peeled
and cut into chunks 1 cup seeded and diced
tomatoes (fresh or canned) 1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas,
rinsed ½ teaspoon coarse salt ½ teaspoon ground black
pepper 2 cups vegetable broth 3 cups water 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Chopped fresh cilantro, mint
or flatleaf parsley
In a slow cooker, combine onions, squash, tomatoes, chickpeas, salt and pepper. Add broth and water. Cover andcook on high 4 hours or low 8 hours or until squash is very soft and falling apart. Blend with immersion blender for a chunky soup. Add butter; serve hot and garnish with herbs.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving prepared with low-sodium broth contains approximately 175 calories, 5 g protein, 5 g fat, 30 g carbohydrate, 10 mg cholesterol, 401 mg sodium and 7 g fiber.
Adapted from The Mediterranean Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013Spicy Oven-Baked Catfish 4 catfish filets (about 1 ½
pounds) ½ teaspoon coarse salt 1 tablespoon hot sauce ½ cup cornmeal Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Sprinkle fish with salt and drizzle evenly with hot sauce on both sides. Lightly coat fish with cornmeal; shake off excess. Place on a rack coated with cooking spray placed in a baking dish. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until fish is opaque throughout. Heat broiler. Broil 3 inches from heat 2 minutes or until lightly browned.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 208 calories, 29 g protein, 5 g fat, 11 g carbohydrate, 99 mg cholesterol, 337 mg sodium and 1 gram fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail:
Food, Pages 34 on 02/20/2013