SUNDAY: The family will like the flavor of Cumin-Rubbed Steaks With Avocado Salsa Verde, and you’ll like how easy it is to prepare. Press 2 teaspoons ground cumin into 2 (1-inch thick) beef top loin strip steaks.
Heat a large skillet on medium.
Add steaks and cook 12 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally, for medium-rare to medium; let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine ¾ cup jarred tomatillo salsa, 1 small avocado (diced) and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Carve steaks into slices; season with coarse salt as desired. Serve steak with the salsa, rice, tomato wedges and crusty rolls. For dessert, blackberry cobbler is a summertime treat, especially when it’s topped with whipped cream.
Plan ahead: Cook an extra steak and save some cobbler for Monday.
MONDAY: Use Sunday’s leftovers for Taco Salad.
Combine ½ cup chunky salsa, ¼ cup mayonnaise and ¼ cup sour cream; mix well. In a large bowl, toss together 8 cups torn romaine, 1 pint grape tomatoes (halved), 1 to 2 cups thinly sliced leftover steak, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, ½ cup pitted, sliced or halved black olives and 1 ripe avocado (cubed). Add the salsa mixture and toss gently. Top with 1 ½ cups slightly crushed baked tortilla chips. Add pinto beans on the side. Warm the leftover cobbler for dessert and top it with vanilla ice cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Wednesday.
TUESDAY: Make it a fast meal tonight with Fettuccine Caponata. Cook 8 ounces fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, mix together 1 (6- to 8-ounce) container eggplant appetizer (caponata), 1 (15- to 19-ounce) can garbanzo beans or chickpeas (rinsed) and 2 cups marinara sauce, and cook just until heated through. Toss with drained fettuccine. Serve with a packaged green salad and Italian bread. Make instant pistachio pudding for dessert.
WEDNESDAY: Serve this delicious and low-cost Clam Chowder (see recipe) with a lettuce and tomato salad and crackers. Make brownies (from a mix) for dessert and add a dollop of leftover ice cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough brownies for Thursday.
THURSDAY: The kids got it right when they said they deserved hamburgers with all the trimmings for Independence Day. Enjoy Raleigh, N.C., friend and cookbook author Debbie Moose’s Potato Salad With Buttermilk Chive Dressing (see recipe). Add baked beans and prepared coleslaw to your feast.
Serve chilled watermelon and leftover brownies for dessert.
FRIDAY: Savory Lentils skips meat but has plenty of flavor.
In a large pot, bring 6 cups water to boil. Add 2 cups lentils; boil 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally; drain. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add 2 cups chopped red onions and ¼ cup finely chopped garlic cloves; cook and stir 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the cooked lentils, 2 cups chunky salsa, 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, 1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning mix and ¼ teaspoon coarse salt; mix well.
Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and add 1 cup chopped cilantro; mix well.
Serve over couscous. Add a spinach salad and pita bread alongside. Fresh pineapple is dessert.
SATURDAY: Your guests will swoon over the flavor of Chicken Breasts Florentine (see recipe). Serve the chicken with orzo tossed with freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Add a Boston lettuce salad and whole-grain rolls.
Fruit sorbet (any kind) with butter cookies is an easy, light dessert.
THE RECIPES
Clam Chowder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
2 (6.5-ounce) cans whole or chopped clams, with liquid
1 pound red potatoes, cut into ½ -inch pieces
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups milk or as needed
1 (16-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
In a Dutch oven, heat oil with burner on medium-high. Add onion, celery, salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes, or until vegetables are softened; stir occasionally. Add clam juice, clams with liquid and potatoes.
Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
In a 2-cup spouted measuring cup, whisk flour into 1 1/2 cups milk until smooth. Add milk mixture and vegetables to pot; bring to boil over medium-high heat 1 minute. If mixture is too thick, thin to desired consistency with additional milk. Stir in lemon juice and ladle into bowls.
Makes about 8 cups.
Nutrition information: Each cup, prepared with 2 percent milk, contains approximately 147 calories, 8 g protein, 3 g fat, 24 g carbohydrate, 18 mg cholesterol, 607 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.
Potato Salad With Buttermilk Chive Dressing
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 pounds yellow potatoes
¾ cup chopped celery
¼ cup cubed dill pickle, drained
In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard and horseradish until smooth. Stir in chives, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. (Refrigerate overnight if desired.) Cook potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes or until a sharp knife passes easily into them. Drain; let cool until you can handle, then peel and cut into ¾ -inch chunks.
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with celery and pickles.
Pour the dressing over all and toss to combine. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or until chilled.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving, prepared with nonfat buttermilk and reduced fat mayonnaise, contains approximately 215 calories, 6 g protein, 1 g fat, 46 g carbohydrate, 2 mg cholesterol, 332 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.
Recipe adapted from Buttermilk: A Savor the South Cookbook by Debbie Moose (The University of North Carolina Press, 2012.)
Chicken Breasts Florentine
6 slices bacon 6 (5- or 6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
¾ cup crumbled garlic and herb feta cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
Paprika for garnish
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil and place a rack over the foil.
Partially cook the bacon by microwaving on 100 percent power for 3 minutes or until limp but fat is rendered; set aside.
Cut a pocket into each chicken breast; set aside.
Combine spinach with cheese, mayonnaise and garlic;
mix well. Divide mixture and stuff into chicken pockets.
Sprinkle top of chicken with paprika. Wrap each breast with 1 strip bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Place breasts on rack in prepared pan. Bake uncovered 50 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving, prepared with reduced-fat mayonnaise, contains approximately 295 calories, 38 g protein, 12 g fat, 8 g carbohydrate, 112 mg cholesterol, 763 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail:
Food, Pages 33 on 06/26/2013