7-day menu planner

Consomme Rice With Mushrooms
Consomme Rice With Mushrooms

SUNDAY: The family will give their approval for Baked Walnut-Coated Chicken. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 4 chicken cutlets in a mixture of 3 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; then dip into 2 beaten egg whites. Next, roll chicken in 1 cup finely chopped walnuts. Bake on a foil-lined baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Serve with baked sweet potatoes sprinkled with cinnamon and add fresh green beans. Crusty rolls round out the feast. Buy a berry cobbler for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough cobbler for Monday.

MONDAY: Everyone at our house liked the sloppy-Joe vibe of Barbecue Turkey and Beans for Slow Cooker Night. Place 2 pounds bone-in skinless turkey thighs in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Separately, combine 1 (28-ounce) can baked beans, 1 1/2 cups chopped onion, 1 cup barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon spicy brown or other mustard, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon coarse salt; mix well. Pour over turkey. Cook 8 hours on low or 5 to 6 hours on high. Remove turkey and shred with 2 forks. Discard bones. Return meat to cooker and mix well. Serve open-faced over toasted whole-grain buns. Add baked sweet potato fries and celery sticks. Leftover cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream makes a good dessert.

Tips: Most turkey thighs are sold with skin on, but it's easy to remove with a slight tug. Adults might want to add sliced jalapeno peppers to their sandwiches.

Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Friday.

TUESDAY: Buy and heat bratwurst for a fast meal. Smear it with spicy brown mustard. Serve with roasted or steamed red potato wedges and sauerkraut (rinsed) tossed with caraway seeds. Add pumpernickel bread. How about pears for dessert?

Plan ahead: If time permits, assemble tomorrow's lasagna tonight; cover and refrigerate.

WEDNESDAY: This Lazy Lasagna (see recipe) is an easy entree. Serve with a mixed green salad and Italian bread. Have canned peaches for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save half the lasagna for Thursday night.

THURSDAY: You've done the work, now relax and reheat the leftover lasagna for an easy dinner. Serve with a bagged Italian salad and garlic bread. Add refreshing lemon sherbet for dessert.

FRIDAY: It's easy and inexpensive, so naturally 10-Minute Tuscan Soup was on my "to-make" list. In a blender or food processor, combine 1 (24- to 26-ounce) jar red pasta sauce, 1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans (rinsed), 1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red peppers (drained), 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and 1 clove garlic; process until smooth. Pour into medium saucepan along with 1 3/4 cups unsalted chicken broth. Stirring often, bring to a simmer on medium-high. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly ground pepper to taste. We like the soup with tuna salad sandwiches on whole-grain bread and a choice of pickles on the side. Make hot fudge sundaes by spooning warmed low-fat hot fudge sauce over leftover ice cream.

SATURDAY: For your lucky guests, prepare Lamb Loin Chops With Madeira and Cherries (see recipe). Serve the delicious chops with Consomme Rice With Mushrooms (see recipe), roasted asparagus spears, a Boston lettuce salad and sourdough bread. For dessert, accompany peach sorbet with chocolate wafer cookies.

THE RECIPES

Lazy Lasagna

2 (15-ounce) containers part-skim ricotta cheese

4 egg whites, beaten

2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided use

4 cups red pasta sauce, divided use

12 cooked lasagna noodles, divided use

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine ricotta cheese, egg whites, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese; mix well.

In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup pasta sauce. Layer 4 noodles, 1 cup pasta sauce and half the ricotta mixture. Repeat layers, ending with remaining 4 noodles and 1 cup sauce. Cover with foil; bake 1 hour (add 10 minutes if lasagna was assembled ahead and refrigerated). Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup parmesan. Bake 10 more minutes; let stand 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 357 calories, 20 g protein, 11 g fat, 41 g carbohydrate, 39 mg cholesterol, 786 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 3.

Lamb Loin Chops With Madeira and Cherries

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use

2 1/2 teaspoons dried tarragon, divided use

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 lamb loin chops, cut 1 1/4 inches thick, trimmed (about 1 pound)

2/3 cup Madeira (or dry port, Marsala or sherry) or red grape juice

2/3 cup finely chopped dried cherries

1 cup unsalted chicken broth

2 tablespoons lemon zest, plus extra for garnish

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, halved

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, garlic, salt and pepper.

Place chops in resealable plastic bag and pour in marinade; turn to coat. Remove chops and discard marinade. Pat chops dry with paper towels.

In a large skillet with a lid, heat remaining oil on medium-high. Brown chops for 2 minutes on each side. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 2 to 6 minutes, turning twice or until desired doneness. Remove from pan, cover and let stand for 10 minutes; pour off liquid from skillet. Add Madeira and cherries to skillet; stir and cook 3 to 4 minutes, scraping browned bits from skillet, until liquid is almost absorbed. Stir in broth, remaining 1 teaspoon tarragon and lemon zest; cook another 2 minutes. Mix in butter and stir until sauce looks shiny. Spoon sauce onto plates and top each plate with a chop. Garnish with grated lemon zest.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 306 calories, 14 g protein, 13 g fat, 22 g carbohydrate, 56 mg cholesterol, 411 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1 1/2.

Consomme Rice With Mushrooms

1 cup uncooked white rice

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 1/2 cups chopped button mushrooms

2 (10-ounce) cans beef consomme

2 teaspoons soy sauce

5 tablespoons chopped flatleaf parsley

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse rice under cold running water; drain.

Melt butter in a medium skillet on medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until tender. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in the consomme and soy sauce. Transfer to a 2-quart casserole dish; cover and bake about 1 hour or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe adapted from What Can I Bring? by Elizabeth Heiskell, (Time Inc. Books)

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 165 calories, 5 g protein, 6 g fat, 23 g carbohydrate, 15 mg cholesterol, 529 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1 1/2.

Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email:

[email protected]

Food on 04/25/2018

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