NOTES:
• Three of the five recipes this week have fresh baby spinach in them so buy a big container rather than the bags.
• If you're a new visitor to this blog, please read "how to use this blog" off to the right-hand-side.
• Check NOTES under each meal for ahead-of-time preps.
• By clicking on “older posts” at the bottom of this page, you can look back at previous week’s recipes.
• If you are looking for a particular recipe, use the search box at the right-hand-side then scroll to the top of the page to see search results.
RECIPE 1: Four Cheese White Pizza with Spinach
Recipe Adapted from Family Circle
NOTES:
• This pizza is super delicious!
• For a homemade pizza dough, see my post from April 6, 2010: http://weeknightmeals.blogspot.com/2010/04/homemade-pizza-dough.html
INGREDIENTS
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 6-8-oz bag baby spinach, chopped
• 1 pizza dough (see note above for homemade recipe)
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella
• ½ c. shredded provolone
• ½ c. shredded Asiago
• ¾ c. ricotta (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 500 and coat a 14-inch pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add garlic with oil (before oil is hot) to get maximum flavor from the minced garlic. Once garlic begins to sizzle, let cook about 30 seconds until very fragrant. Add chopped spinach and cook until wilted, stirring continuously.
3. Roll our your crust on a lightly floured countertop to fit pizza pan and place on oiled pan.
4. In a large bowl, mix mozzarella, provolone and Asiago cheeses. Spinrkle half of cheese mixture over the dough, spread spinach over cheeses (drizzling any leftover oil/garlic in pan over spinach), then sprinkle remaining cheese mixture over spinach. If using ricotta, dollop spoonfuls over pizza. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over pizza.
5. Bake at 500 for about 13-15 minutes or until pizza is nicely browned.
RECIPE 2: Spaghetti with Hidden Veggie Sauce
NOTES:
• Add shredded carrot, eggplant, chopped zucchini, bell peppers and onions to your traditional spaghetti sauce! Use a store-bought sauce and sauté the veggies in a little olive oil until tender. If your family doesn’t mind chunky veggies, mix them in the sauce and serve over spaghetti. If the chunky veggies might scare away a picker eater, puree them and mix in with spaghetti sauce – they’ll never know they’re there!
• The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.
INGREDIENTS
• Veggies to add to sauce (any of the following – or all of them!): 1-2 carrots, shredded; 1 zucchini, cut into ½-inch pieces; eggplant, cut into 1/2 –inch pieces; any color bell pepper, chopped; onion, chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 cloves, garlic (minced)
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
• 16 oz spaghetti noodles
• ½ lb ground beef
• 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
• 1 small can chopped tomatoes (in Italian seasoning or with garlic/basil, etc.)
• Parmesan cheese, for topping
DIRECTIONS
1. Chop/shred the veggies that you’re going to add to your sauce in sauté in olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Add basil, oregano, pepper, and garlic; stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Puree veggies if desired (see note above). Remove from pan and set aside. Cook hamburger over medium heat in same saucepan until cooked through. To cooked hamburger, add 1 jar of pasta sauce, sautéed veggies (left chunky or pureed), 1 jar chopped tomatoes. Heat through.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to box directions.
3. Top cooked drained spaghetti with the hidden veggie sauce (pureed or chunky) and enjoy!
RECIPE 3: Spinach and Bacon Hash Brown Quiche
Adapted from: Taste of Home
NOTES:
• What a great idea using hash browns for a quiche crust. This was really yummy!
INGREDIENTS
• 3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 4 bacon strips, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded Asiago (or swiss)
DIRECTIONS
1. Press thawed hash browns between paper towels to remove excess moisture and toss with melted butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes or until edges are browned.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon over medium heat until bacon begins to crisp. Add chopped onions and sauté with bacon for 3 minutes or so until softened, reducing heat as necessary to prevent scorching. Remove from heat, add the spinach and stir until spinach is wilted. Remove mixture to paper towels to drain.
3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Stir in the cheeses and bacon mixture and pour into crust.
4. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes then bump up temp to 375 for another 5-15 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and top of quiche is browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
RECIPE 4: Crispy Salmon with Risotto and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
From Cooking Light
• The risotto, like all risottos, is a little fussy. You can easily make the risotto the night before you actually want to eat it while you’re in the kitchen doing dishes (it requires adding ½ broth at a time and stirring often). Feel free to substitute chicken-flavored rice instead. But definitely do the tomatoes – they’re yummy and full of flavor! I roasted the tomatoes the day before we ate them and then just put in microwave to warm them up. Worked well!
• This is a great "company's coming" meal or just a fabulous meal for your family.
• If you're just interested in making the salmon, do that! It only takes about 10 minutes to pan fry and you can serve with a salad and rice of choice.
• I divided the three parts to this recipe up by 4.1, 4.2, 4.3.
INGREDIENTS
Roasted Tomatoes (4.1):
Cooking spray
9 plum tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
Risotto (4.2):
4 1/2 cups fat free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/4 cups (1/2-inch-thick) sliced leek
1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups torn arugula or spinach
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salmon (4.3):
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salmon fillets (enough for your family)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. To roast tomatoes: preheat oven to 350° and coat a foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray. Place tomatoes, cut sides up, on baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and garlic. Bake at 350° for about 1 hour or until very soft and slightly shriveled, turning occasionally.
2. To make risotto: bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add leek; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add rice; cook 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds or until liquid is nearly absorbed. Stir in 1 cup broth; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes). Stir in arugula or spinach, half-and-half, cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3. To prepare salmon, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place fillets, skin sides up, in pan; cook 5 minutes. Turn fillets over, and cook an additional 2 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
4. To serve: Arrange 3 tomato halves, cut sides up, in a spoke-like pattern in center of each of 6 plates. Mound 2/3 cup risotto in center of each plate (leaving about a 1 1/2-inch edge of tomatoes uncovered). Arrange fillets on risotto. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.
RECIPE 5: Fiesta (Leftover Thanksgiving) Turkey Soup
Adapted from: Southern Living
NOTES: 
• A delicous way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey and so easy!
• I would suggest doubling the recipe if you want leftovers.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken
• 1 (15-ounce) can chili beans
• 4-5 cups chicken or turkey broth (or a combination of broth and water with chicken bouillon cubes)
• 1 (11-ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Toppings: sour cream, shredded Mexican four-cheese blend, chopped green onions
DIRECTIONS
1. Sauté onion in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in turkey and next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.
SHOPPING LIST:
NOTES:
• The shopping list is organized by category and then within each category by meal. After each item you’ll see a number in parenthesis which corresponds to the meal number. That way you can easily pick which recipes you want to try and then find those items (or cross items out) on the list.
• Under Veggies/Fruit I have italicized anything that is a veggie or fruit but NOT found in the fresh fruits and veggie area of the supermarket.
• Recipe (4) is divided up by 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3. See Recipe and NOTES under Recipe to decide what/how you want to prepare.
Meat/Fish
• Bacon – 4 strips, diced (3)
• ½ lb ground beef (2)
• Salmon fillets (preferably wild-caught), enough for your family (4.3)
• 3 c. cooked turkey (or chicken if you don’t have leftover Thanksgiving turkey)
Veggies/Fruit
• Garlic – 3 cloves (1), 2 cloves (2), 4 cloves (4.1), 1 (5)
• Onion – 1 (1), 1 (5)
• Baby spinach - about 8 oz (1), 2 c. (3), 4 c. (4.2)
• Veggies for hidden spaghetti sauce (2): (any of the following – or all of them!): 1-2 carrots, shredded; 1 zucchini, cut into ½-inch pieces; eggplant, cut into 1/2 –inch pieces; any color bell pepper, chopped; onion, chopped
• 1 jar favorite marinara sauce (2)
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (in Italian seasoning or with basil/garlic, etc.)
• 9 Roma tomatoes, halved (4.1)
• Fresh thyme (4.1, 4.3)
• 1 leek (4.2)
• 1 (11-ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained (I didn’t know this existed but I found it quite easily – even an off brand!) (5)
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (5)
• Green onions, for topping (5)
Breads & starches
• Hashbrowns – 3 c. (1) (check the ingredients and make sure that potatoes are the only ingredient or at least one of just a few ingredients!)
• Pizza dough (make your own: http://weeknightmeals.blogspot.com/2010/04/homemade-pizza-dough.html or buy your favorite) (1)
• 16 oz spaghetti noodles (2)
• 1 ½ c. uncooked Arborio rice (risotto rice) (4.2)
Spices/Sauces/Vinegars/Oils/Condiments
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Olive oil
• Dried oregano – ½ tsp (2)
• Dried basil – 1 tsp (2)
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (2)
• Dry white wine – 1/3 c. (4.2)
• Cumin – 1 tsp (5)
• Chili powder – ½ tsp (5)
Dairy
• Half-and-half cream – 1 c. (3), ½ c. (4.2)
• Mozzarella cheese – 1 c. shredded (1), 2/3 c. shredded (3),
• Asiago cheese – ½ c. shredded (1), 1/3 c. shredded (or 1/3 c. Swiss) (3),
• Provolone – ½ c. shredded (1) (I find it easiest to ask for ½ lb from the deli counter and have them just chunk it off for you)
• Butter – 3 tbsp (1)
• Ricotta – ¾ c. (optional) (1)
• Parmesan cheese, for topping (2), ¼ c. (4.2)
• Sour cream – for topping (5)
• Shredded Monterey Jack, cheddar, or Mexican four-cheese blend, for topping (5)
Other
• Eggs – 3 (1)
• Chicken broth – 4 ½ c. (4.2), 4-5 c. chicken or turkey both (or a combination of broth and water with chicken bouillon cubes) (5)
• 1 15-oz can chili beans (5)
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