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Monday - Recipes

• Roast Pork Loin
• Baked Potatoes
• Summer Squash Saute

Tuesday - Recipes

• Santa Fe Chicken
• Corn Salad
• Crusty Bread
• Sliced Peaches

Wednesday - Recipes

• Italian Roast Pork Hoagies
• Pasta Salad
• Fruit and yogurt

Thursday - Recipes

• Taco Crescent Bake
• Leftover Corn Salad
• Spinach Salad

Friday - Recipes

• Michele's Signature Salmon
• Couscous
• Lemon Green Beans
• Spinach Salad

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. Save some of tonight's pork for Wednesday's Italian Roast Pork Hoagies.
   
   
2. Now is a great time for fresh vegetables. We have a garden and we are enjoying an abundance of cucumbers, okra, peppers and different varieties of squash so you might see the menus reflecting some of these vegetables this summer. If you don't have a garden there are still many ways to get fresh vegetables. Look for fresh produce markets in your area and enjoy the summer bounty!
   

 Roast Pork Loin

• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 (about 4 lbs.) boneless pork loin roast

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together all seasonings; rub over pork. Place in a shallow roasting pan, preferably sitting up on a roasting rack. (If you do not have a roasting rack that fits in your pan, try rolling up pieces of aluminum foil and laying the rolls across the pan like a rack.) Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160° F. Let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing.

 

Baked Potatoes

Summer Squash and Onions

• 2 summer squash (yellow squash)
• 2 zucchini
• 1 large onion
• 2 T. butter
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, optional

Wash squash and slice into thin slices. Slice onion into thin slices. Melt butter in a large saucepan and add squash and onions. Sprinkle in pecans, if desired. Saute until squash is tender and onion is caramelized (turns sweet and brown).

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. For the Corn Salad I didn't have enough ground coriander when I tried this recipe but it still needed something. I grow fresh basil so I finely chopped about 1 1/2 tbsp. of my fresh basil and added that in. I know some of you say you are not so clever in the kitchen and need exact directions and measurements so I challenge you to get a little creative and if you think a recipe isn't quite there on the taste, try adding a little something. You might surprise yourself and your family! And then when you come up with a new masterpiece, tell us about it on our Yahoo Group!
   
   
2. I've already doubled the Corn Salad recipe and the Lemon Vinaigrette (and the grocery list) so there will be enough for tonight and for Thursday's leftovers.
   
   
3. Save your remaining Lemon Vinaigrette for your salad dressing on Thursday and Friday and for your green beans on Friday.
   
   
   

Santa Fe Chicken

• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans
• 1 (15 oz.) can corn
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup more salsa
• 1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese
• cooked rice
• flour tortillas

Combine first 3 ingredients in crock pot. After stirring, add chicken and pour the rest of the salsa over the chicken. Cook on low for 3 hours then add cream cheese. Cook one more hour. Serve over rice with flour tortillas.

 

 

  Corn Salad

• 2 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen corn
• 2 medium red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander (or fresh basil instead-see note above)
• salt
• pepper
• 2/3 cup Lemon Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
  
  

Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed from about 2 lemons* or bottled lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup vinegar (I used white-wine vinegar)
• 4 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cups olive oil (the extra virgin light tasting is best for this recipe)

Mix first 5 ingredients in a small bowl or jar thoroughly until sugar and salt have dissolved. Add olive oil and stir until combined. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks in airtight container.

Thaw frozen corn kernels. Pat corn dry. Toss together in a bowl, corn, bell peppers, coriander, (basil if you want to try a little something extra...see note above) and vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 Crusty Bread


Sliced Peaches

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday: none

 Italian Roast Pork Hoagies

• 6 hoagie rolls, split
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 12 slices, cooked pork loin from Monday
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place split hoagie rolls, split side up, onto a cookie sheet. Spread pizza sauce on the bottom half of each hoagie roll. Top with pork and then drizzle pork with Italian dressing. Sprinkle cheese over top of dressing. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tops of rolls are lightly toasted. Place bun tops on bottoms and serve.

   Pasta Salad

• 8 ounces rotini pasta, cooked and chilled
• 2 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
• 1/2 cup diced Cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup pitted black olives, drained (optional)
• 1 cup Italian-style salad dressing

Combine all ingredients and serve chilled.

 

 

 

Fruit and Yogurt

I added pineapple slices to the grocery list but feel free to substitute any kind of fruit

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. Everyone join me in wishing a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to our Menus4Moms.com and TheHomeSchoolMom.com owner, Mary Ann Kelley. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARY ANN !!!!!
   
   
2. Tonight's taco dish will go together quickly using taco seasoned ground beef from your freezer. Just thaw your taco meat in the microwave and follow the recipe below. If you do not have taco seasoned ground beef in your freezer, but you have browned ground beef in your freezer, just thaw it, reheat in a skillet and add taco seasoning to the reheated meat according to the package directions. If you do not have any cooked ground beef in your freezer, be sure to add ground beef and taco seasoning to your grocery list.
   
   
3. Make a large salad tonight and save half for Friday night. Add croutons and any other "crunchies" just before serving each night.
   
   

 Taco Crescent Bake

• 1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
• 2 cups crushed tortilla chips, divided
• 1 lb. taco seasoned ground beef, browned (from freezer)
• 1 container sour cream (8oz.)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (4 oz.)

Unroll crescent dough into a rectangle; press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 13 in x 9 in x 2 in baking dish. Seal seams and perforations. Sprinkle with 1 cup of crushed chips; set aside. In the microwave, heat up your taco seasoned ground beef. Spoon over chips. Top with sour cream, cheese and remaining chips. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

 Leftover Corn Salad (from Tuesday)

Salad

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. Couscous, a staple grain in many North African countries, is a coarsely ground semolina pasta. You can find boxed couscous, both flavored and unflavored, near the rice in your grocery store. If you haven't had couscous before, give it a try. Just follow the directions on the box. My kids love it but be warned...my toddler makes a total MESS eating couscous!
   
   
2. Use some of the Lemon Vinaigrette that you made for your Corn Salad to drizzle over your green beans.
   
   

 Michele's Signature Salmon

• 4 (6 oz.) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• ½ med. red onion, thinly sliced
• 10-12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Place salmon skin side down in shallow roasting pan. Top with Soy sauce, garlic, almonds, onion and tomatoes. Cover fish with a foil tent. Bake at 350° for 30 - 40 minutes.

Alternate ingredients: Substitute Spanish or Vidalia onions for Red onions, or top with parsley or Italian seasonings. Substitute any citrus fruit for tomatoes: oranges, pineapple, lemons or limes (even mango or papaya).

Couscous

 Lemon Green Beans

• 1 pkg. (28-30 oz.) frozen green beans* or about 1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans with ends removed and beans snapped
• ¼ cup Lemon Vinaigrette (see recipe on Tuesday under Corn Salad)

Cook green beans according to package directions. Drain. Place in bowl and season with salt, pepper and vinaigrette. Toss to coat.

Salad (from Thursday)

 

* Indicates that of the options listed, this item is the one on the grocery list.

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