Baked Asparagus Fries and Menu Plan

I'm always looking for new ways to cook vegetables.  Last week when my Fine Cooking magazine arrived, I was very excited to see a recipe for asparagus fries.  I was not so excited to see that they were fried in oil.  I played with the recipe a little and made them healthier.  These were a huge hit with our family!

Baked Asparagus Fries
1 pound asparagus, cut with tips to 2 1/2-3 inch "fries"
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
2 cups bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover asparagus with egg whites, then cover with bread crumbs.  Lay on baking sheet.  Cook for 20-25 minutes until bread crumbs are golden brown and asparagus is tender, but still crispy.

Serve with your favorite spicy chipotle aioli.

Menu Plan:
Sunday: Whole Wheat Pasta with Homemade Pesto
Monday: Orzo with Sausage, Peppers and Tomatoes
Tuesday: BBQ Chicken and pineapple quesadillas
Wednesday:  Pepperocini and Beef Sandwiches
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: We are off on a family trip

Breakfast:
Homemade English Muffins
Homemade granola

I'll be linking to Menu Plan Monday, Mouthwathering Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday,  Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits, What's on the Menu Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, and What's for Dinner?

Baked Garlic Fries and Weekly Menu

I love garlic fries, but I hate to think about how many calories I am ingesting when I order them when we're out.  This is my version that I make at home.  I make either these or sweet potato fries at least every other week.

4-6 yukon gold potatoes, washed and cut into strips

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-5 garlic cloves, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons italian parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

Wash and cut potatoes.  Drizzle olive oil on potatoes, then add garlic, salt and pepper.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are soft and begin to brown around the edges.  When they come out of the oven, add parsley and parmesan.  Enjoy!  

Breakfast:

homemade granola

homemade english muffins

cereal

frozen waffles

fruit

Lunches:

sandwiches

wraps

leftovers

salad

Dinner:

Sunday: Flank Steak with Sun-dried Tomatoes and goat cheese with parmesan baked cauliflower

Monday: Root Vegetable Pot Pie

Tuesday: Grilled Honey-Lime Chicken Sandwiches with salad

Wednesday: ravioli with homemade tomato sauce

Thursday: {the teen}'s birthday.  My stepson turns 18 today.  We're headed down to my in-law's for dinner

Friday: Homemade pizza

Saturday: dinner out

'll be linking to:

Menu Plan Monday, Mouthwathering Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday,  Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits, What's on the Menu Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, What's for Dinner? and This Week's Cooking

Tomato and Chorizo Salad and Menu Plan

A couple weeks ago, I was watching the Food Network, and Jamie Oliver Came on.  Jamie is truly inspired, in my mind, when it come to cooking!  I love his dishes and the way he mixes flavors.  When I saw him make this, I knew I had to make it.  My husband LOVES chorizo.  Its one of the things he loves, but I rarely make. I had the leftovers for a snack a couple days later and it was just as good!  Let me know what you think.

olive oil

2 links chorizo, sliced roughly

1 basket cherry tomatoes, sliced into quarters

1 large tomato, cut into bite-sized pieces

salt

pepper

2 tbsp. italian parsley

2 green onions, sliced thin (white part and some of the green)

2-3 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil onto a pan and cook chorizo until crispy.  Meanwhile, slice vegetables and add to a salad bowl.  Season with salt and pepper, olive oil, and white wine vinegar, add vinegar a tablespoon at a time and taste before adding the next one.   When the chorizo is crispy, add it to the salad.  I served this right away, but it was delicious cold too.

Breakfast:

cereal

homemade granola and yogurt

english muffins

Lunch:

leftovers

sandwiches

homemade chicken strips

Dinner:

Sunday: Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells  (Giada De Laurentis)

Monday: BBQ Chicken Enchiladas

Tuesday: Baked Ziti with Proscuitto and Peas (I'm basing this on a recipe from my new favorite cookbook, but I'm lightening the sauce)

Wednesday: Pesto and Mozzarella Panini and roasted cauliflower

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Homemade pizza

Saturday: We'll probably eat out because we will be out all day.  We have baseball and our huge school fundraiser.

I'll be linking to:

Menu Plan Monday, Mouthwathering Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday,  Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits, What's on the Menu Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, What's for Dinner? and This Week's Cooking.

Have a great week!

One of our favorite side dishes

This is a throw together salad I make when I'm serving mexican food, burgers, or just need a quick and healthy side dish.

1 can pinto beans
1 1/2 cup fire roasted or sweet frozen corn
2 tbsp diced fresh cilantro
1 tbsp olive oil (I picked up a chipotle olive oil at the olive oil bar down the street, which is great!)
1  tsp white wine vinegar
dash of salt
dash of chili powder

Drain and rinse beans (you can also use black or kidney beans).  Add all other ingredients together and allow to sit and corn to defrost.  I often add avocados and/or red bell peppers to the mix to add some color and taste.

I was inspired!

My husband brought home broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce from my in-laws this week. In honor of using food and not letting it go bad, I am trying to find creative ways to use what we have in the fridge.

Tonight, we are having broccoli salad, empanadas, and mexican rice.

Here are the recipes and some pictures:

Empanadas:
2 pre-made pie crusts (I like the ones from Trader Joes)
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 24 oz can stewed tomatoes
2/3 cup grated jack cheese (that's the amount I had in the fridge from dinner last night)
2 cloves garlic
Dash of hot sauce

Preheat over to 450. Brown the ground beef. When browned, add remaining ingredients and cook on the stove top for 5 minutes. Cut the first pie crust into quarters (I did this on my pizza stone, which made it easier) add approx. 2 tbs. filling to each triangle. Cut the other pie crust into quarters and lay the pieces on to of the filling. Score with a fork around each triangle. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes, until browned and crispy.

Makes 8 empanadas. I made 4 tonight, and put the rest of the filling in the freezer for another dinner.

Mexican rice:

1 1/2 cup brown rice
2 cups water
1/2 24 oz can tomatoes
1 2.25 oz can olives
cilantro, salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in rice cooker and cook according to directions.

Broccoli salad:

4 small heads broccoli, blanched (place in boiling water 1-2 minutes, then put in iced water to stop the cooking process)
1/4 cup mayonaise (I used the olive oil mayo from Kraft)
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
celery salt to taste
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

(I was going to add bacon, but I got home and my stepson had eaten all of it!)

Mix all ingredients together.


The whole family enjoyed dinner! It was a big hit.

What are your family's favorite meals?