Dinner Diva Menu Week of 1/17

Well 2010 is flying by. Guess it makes sense that it wouldn't be any different than 2009 or any previous year. Dishes in green are vegetarian.

Sunday: Grilled Steaks, Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan, Herbed Basmati Rice

I love grilled steak. Easily my favorite entree. While I normally make it with steamed green beans and baked sweet potatoes, the asparagus looked yummy and I'm trying the rice for the first time. I'm trying to branch out into new flavors.

Herbed Basmati Rice

Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan
1 lb fresh asparagus
2 T. olive oil
sea salt, freshly ground pepper
grated parmesan cheese

heat oven to 450. Trim asparagus, snapping off tough ends. Drizzle 1 T. olive oil over the center of a rimmed baking sheet; spread asparagus evenly in the pan, in a single layer. Drizzle with remaining olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast 5-8 minutes, to desired doneness. Transfer asparagus to serving dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese; serve immediately. 4 servings


Monday: Shrimp and Artichokes over Parmesan Grits, French Bread, Spinach Salad

This one is old by Cooking Light standards (1998) but new to us. Again, trying to break out of my comfort zone a little and try some things never before tried.

Shrimp and Artichokes over Parmesan Grits


Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner: Pumpkin Waffles, fresh fruit, turkey bacon

Tuesdays and Thursdays are the nights I take it easy and make something firstly easy to make and secondly something I know I won't have to convince my kids to eat. They're pretty open to new foods most of the time (they kind of don't have a choice because I make new things all the time) but there are days I just want to know it will be easy.

Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie

I'm eager to find a homemade chicken pot pie recipe that I like that is also lower in fat than a traditional pot pie. So far, I haven't found one, but I'll keep looking. I'm also largely unwilling to make the crust from scratch, and commercial substitutions hurt the overall fat content. This one is from Cooking Light, so it has potential already. I'm going to try baking and serving these in my new Au Gratin dishes.

Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday: Another easy day: LEFTOVERS!

Friday: Pasta Jambalaya, fresh fruit salad

Been craving Jambalaya (I always want to spell it Jumbalaya, because it's such a marvelous jumble of flavors), and the fresh fruit will be a nice contrast.

Original recipe calls for Penne pasta, but I like to make this with Orzo.

Pasta Jambalaya
2 quarts water
2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
cooking spray
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. cajun seasoning
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
3 oz smoked turkey sausage, halved lenthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 C. preshredded mex. blend cheese (reduced fat if you can find it)

Bring water to a boil. Add pasta; cook 5-7 min or until al dente. Drain and keep warm.

Heat large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over med-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; saute 5 min. Add cajun seasoning; saute' 1 min. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and sausage; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 10 min or until thickened. combine bean mixture and pasta in a large bowl, top with cheese. serve immediately. 8 1Cup servings

Saturday: pizza, games, movies...it's our family night