SUNDAY: The family won’t be able to resist Glazed Lamb Chops (see recipe) today. Serve them with fresh green beans and Mediterranean Market Salad. In a large skillet, cook 1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli florets, 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic and 1 teaspoon pepper in 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat 5 to 6 minutes or until broccoli is softened. Add 3 cups water and the seasoning packets from any 2 (6.5-ounce) packages wild mushroom (or another flavor) couscous; bring to boil. Remove from heat; stir in couscous from the packages and cover. Let stand 7 minutes.
Sprinkle with ½ cup quartered kalamata olives. Buy bread pudding for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough lamb, Mediterranean salad and bread pudding for Monday.
MONDAY: Make Stuffed Pitas from Sunday’s leftovers. Chop leftover lamb and combine with the leftover Mediterranean Market Salad. Mix with plain yogurt. Line whole-grain pitas with lettuce leaves and fill with lamb mixture. To accompany the pitas, make this Cucumber Salad: Peel, halve lengthwise, remove seeds and slice 2 medium cucumbers. Combine ½ cup plain yogurt, ½ teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint and 3 tablespoons golden raisins; mix well. Spoon over cucumbers and toss to coat. Warm the leftover bread pudding for dessert.
TUESDAY: There were no complaints at our house when Linguine With Goat Cheese and Tomatoes arrived at the table. Cook 12 ounces linguine according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, toss 2 (8-ounce) containers grape tomatoes (halved) with ½ teaspoon sugar and coarse salt to taste in a bowl to release the juices. Toss the cooked pasta with 1 (4- or 5-ounce) package crumbled goat cheese in a warmed serving bowl until the cheese is melted. Add the tomatoes and their juices,◊cup sliced kalamata olives, ½ cup shredded fresh basil leaves, coarse salt and pepper to taste. Toss to mix and serve immediately. Serve with a romaine salad topped with sliced hard-cooked eggs and Italian bread. Enjoy plums for dessert.
WEDNESDAY: Treat the kids to chicken nuggets (frozen) for an easy entree. Add honey-mustard sauce on the side. Serve with oven fries, tiny green peas and dinner rolls. For dessert, make Kiwi Mint Lemonade. In a medium pan, heat 1 cup water with ½ cup sugar on medium, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat;
stir in ½ cup packed mint leaves.
Let stand 20 minutes to cool.
Meanwhile, peel 3 kiwi fruit;
cut into chunks. Puree in food processor or blender. Place in pitcher; strain cooled syrup into pitcher; discard mint. Refrigerate until cold. When ready to serve, add juice from 2 or 3 lemons according to taste. Pour into glasses; top with sparkling water.
Garnish with a slice of kiwi.
THURSDAY: To continue a delicious pasta week, we added Fettuccine With Peppers and Sausage (see recipe) to our list of favorites. Serve with a mixed green salad and garlic bread. For dessert, strawberries are colorful and tasty.
Plan ahead: Save enough strawberries for Friday.
FRIDAY: Take it easy tonight and prepare Boca Burgers (or another brand of vegetable patties). We always jazz them up with pepper jack cheese, lots of sliced dill pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Serve on toasted whole-grain hamburger buns.
Add baked chips. Angel food cake with leftover strawberries is dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough cake for Saturday.
SATURDAY: Invite your guests for a melt-in-your-mouth Almond-Crusted Pork With Mango Relish (see recipe).
Serve with rice tossed with fresh chopped parsley, fresh sugar snap peas and baguettes. For dessert, top leftover cake with sliced peaches and whipped cream.
THE RECIPES Glazed Lamb Chops ¾ cup dry red wine◊cup orange juice 4 garlic cloves, minced 4 shallots, minced 2 tablespoons minced fresh
rosemary 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano 3 tablespoons olive oil 18 (2- to 3-ounce) lamb rib
chops 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1 teaspoon ground black
pepper 2 tablespoons honey Whisk together wine, juice, garlic, shallots, rosemary, oregano and olive oil. Reserve ¼ cup. Pour remaining marinade into resealable plastic bag; add lamb chops. Chill 2 hours.
Heat broiler.
Remove chops from marinade; discard marinade.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place chops on rack of roasting pan coated with cooking spray.
Stir together reserved ¼ cup marinade and the honey. Broil chops 3 inches from heat 5 minutes on each side or to desired doneness, basting with honey mixture after 3 minutes on each side.
Makes 18 rib chops.
Nutrition information: Each chop contains approximately 84 calories, 10 g protein, 4 g fat, 2 g carbohydrate, 32 mg cholesterol, 158 mg sodium and no fiber.
Fettuccine With
Peppers and Sausage 12 ounces fettuccine 12 ounces hot or sweet Italian
turkey or other sausage,
casings removed 2 large red, yellow or orange
(or mixture) bell peppers,
cut into strips 2 medium onions, thinly sliced 2 large cloves garlic, minced 2 cups dry white wine Salt and ground black pepper Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium high heat 5 minutes or until light brown, breaking up clumps.
Reduce heat to medium. Add peppers, onions and garlic and cook 12 minutes or until softened. Add wine; simmer 6 minutes or until liquid is slightly reduced. Add cooked pasta to skillet; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving prepared with turkey sausage contains approximately 361 calories, 16 g protein, 6 g fat, 50 g carbohydrate, 48 mg cholesterol, 461 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Almond-Crusted Pork With Mango Relish 2 large mangoes, peeled,
pitted and diced ¼ cup minced red onion ¼ cup minced red bell pepper 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon fresh chopped mint ½ teaspoon coarse salt,
divided use ¼ teaspoon ground black
pepper, divided use ¾ cup toasted almonds, finely
chopped, divided use 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil Arugula, for garnishIn a medium bowl, combine mangoes, onion, bell pepper, vinegar, mint and half the salt and pepper; set aside.
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
In a shallow container, mix well ½ cup almonds, brown sugar, cumin, coriander and cinnamon.
Brush pork with olive oil;
season with remaining salt and pepper. Roll tenderloins in almond mixture; place on a foil-lined rimmed baking pan.
Coat them with cooking spray.
Roast pork 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches at least 145 degrees.
Let stand 5 minutes. Place on serving platter; top with mango mixture and remaining almonds. Garnish with arugula.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 355 calories, 33 g protein, 14 g fat, 26 g carbohydrate, 80 mg cholesterol, 226 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail:
Food, Pages 31 on 05/29/2013