What's for Lunch ?

A yummy snack ...

Cheese slices, tomato slices, Vita Wheats and Annie's Honey Muesli Slice.

See how perfectly these fit in the kids lunch boxes ??
And there's room for other stuff on the top !

What's for Lunch ?

Leftover sushi rice, inari-zushi pockets, Annie's Honey Muesli Slice and some grapes.

Kids loved this one.

Breakfast

This is one of my favorite breakfasts (and lunches) ...

Leftover rice
Nori Tamago Furikake
Avocado
Masago
Takuan
and a bit of scrambled egg ...

More Korean Food ...

This is a group of recipes Grace taught me to make ...

White fleshed fish ... cook minced garlic and soy sauce in fry pan with a bit of olive oil.
Add fish. Cook til fish is cooked ...

Garlic shoots. Fry in olive oil and soy sauce.

Bean Sprouts and spring onions. Steam bean sprouts.
Add chopped spring onions, soy sauce and sesame oil.
Swirl.
Remove from heat.

Serve with rice.
(and kimchee ... optional !)

Menu Plan Monday - Khrista - Edition 29

Getting back in the saddle... :)


Being inspired by Bonnie and how well she has stuck to her food budget lately, I challenged myself to only buy what we really needed at the grocery store this week! I searched my pantry and freezer and came up with the following menu. I haven't shopped yet, but will report if I was able to stay within my budget! :)

*********************************************************************************

• The Chicken Green Chile Soup is from my Mom and is a favorite on my side of the family, it is most often served with the rolls mentioned too. I'll have to share those recipes soon. I made a big pot a week ago and threw the leftovers in the freezer. It held up well and tasted great!

• Tuesdays are always rushed so Grilled Cheese does the job. I'm also going to try an interesting Creamy Tomato Soup recipe that I got out of the latest issue of Food Network Magazine. It's made with a jar of tomato pasta sauce, fresh herbs, and cream. We'll see how it is.

• The Grilled Chicken with Quinoa Black Bean Salad can be found *HERE*

• Vodka Past is from the freezer too...recipe found *HERE*

The Coconut Curry Stir Fry is from this blog...will let you know how it is! It sounds really yummy!

Zucchini Ankara

My dear friend Kim prepared this one day when we were visiting, and I LOVED it! It is really simple to prepare and so good for you!

Zucchini Ankara

2 cups chopped onion
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 zucchini or yellow squash, cut into half-moons about 1/2 inch thick
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 cup cooked, drained, garbanzo beans
1/2 cup sliced pitted black olives, preferably salty Greek ones
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
juice of a lemon
salt
black pepper
5 ounces feta cheese

Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent.
Add the squash and marjoram and cook on medium heat, stirring often,
until the squash is just tender. If the squash hasn't released enough
liquid to simmer in, add 1/4 cup of water. This should be a juicy
dish. Add the beans, cumin or mint, lemon, and seasonings.
Remember that if the feta that will be added later is quite salty, little
or no salt will be needed in the vegetables themselves. Continue
cooking until everything is thoroughly heated. The squash should
not become overly soft.

Adjust lemon and herbs to taste, and ladle the vegetables over rice
or couscous. Top with grated feta and serve immediately.

We'll try *THIS* variation next time.

Stress Free Pasta

Stress Free Pasta
Sara Snow

1 lb whole-wheat pasta
4 cloves garlic - diced
1 28oz can of whole or quartered tomatoes
1 jar Greek olives
1/8 cup capers
1 pound fresh organic spinach
Fresh oregano – chopped
Fresh basil – chopped

Cook pasta according to directions. Sauté garlic.
Add tomatoes, olives, capers and spices.
Toss in spinach at the last minute so that it wilts, but doesn’t cook through.
Toss in pasta.
Serve w/ spinach salad drizzled w/ flax seed oil (omega 3 for brain and heart health) and soy sauce.

Menu Plan Monday - Bonnie - 26 January 2009

Friday :

We are so having these Lamb Skewers with Mango Chutney and Rice again ! They are so good. I'm writing this on Thursday ... in advance ... since we have visitors coming tomorrow and staying for the weekend. Not much time to blog, I'm afraid !!

~
Saturday :

An easy favorite ... sushi.

We do make your own and everyone loves it. Plus, it's a good hot weather meal. I'm having trouble thinking of good hot weather meals. All my cookbooks are cold weather !!

Anyone got some good summer meals for me ??

~

Sunday :

This should be a good summer meal. We've eaten it cold as leftovers and liked it ....

Orzo Veg Salad







~
Monday :

I don't know why I haven't made this one much. It's delicious !!

Vietnamese Vermicelli

~

Tuesday : Garlic and Coriander Chicken

Wednesday : Make your own Taco Salad



Thursday : Leftovers ... or eggs on toast ... or aliolio ... we'll think of something ...

Also ... I'm baking something for lunches each week ...
This week I'm trying Agave and Honey Oatmeal Cookies.

What's for Lunch ?

I just love my new bento lunch boxes ! They are so handy ! And just perfect for leftovers ! And look how well it fits in my fancy beer world bag ! You know, the green bags you get to put a six pack in ? I saw it in the grocery store and thought it looked handy ... and what do you know ? It was $1.50 well spent !!

And it's classy...

Oh.

Really ?

Not classy ?

Ok ... we'll stick with handy !

And in my classy handy beer world bag, I can fit other things. Like cutlery, a drink, fruit, etc ...

I love how the bits and pieces come out. So, if I want to heat a bit up, I can just pull it out and heat it up ...

In this bento we've got Lamb Skewers and Mango Chutney leftovers.
Dried Apricots.
and
Annie's Honey Muesli Slice

Have you tried the Lamb Skewers yet ?
Come on people !
What are you waiting for ?

I've already made it again !!

Blueberry Sour Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten
16 oz sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
3 T flour
graham cracker crust
1 cup canned blueberry pie filling

Directions:
In medium bowl, mix egg, sour cream, sugar, and flour.

Place crust (in pie pan) on baking sheet. Spread half of sour cream mixture in crust. Top with pie filling. Spread remaining sour cream mixture over filling.

Bake on baking sheet at 375 for 35 to 45 minutes, or until center is almost set. Cool for 1 hour on wire rack. Pie will fall in center while cooling. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Store in refrigerator.

Greek Chicken Pizza

I found this recipe at Dragon's Kitchen. I tried it once before but found it to be a bit oily. Probably because I didn't use a pizza stone. But, my pizza stone broke a few years ago and it's just not priority to get a new one. This time, I ammended the recipe. I'm going to give you my version of Greek Chicken Pizza ... if you want the original one ... head over to Dragon's kitchen !!

1 cooked chicken breast, cut into cubes
1/2 small zucchini, sliced
4 asparagus spears, chopped
1/4 cup red onions, chopped
1/4 cup of kalamata olives, halved
1/4 feta cheese, crumbled
1 garlic clove, minced finely
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
sun dried tomato strips (optional)


1. Preheat the oven to 500° F / 260 ° C.

2. Roll out your dough and place on baking tray.

3. Combine the oil, garlic, herbs and pepper.

4. Put cooked chicken, chopped veggies, and oil mixture into bowl. Mix well.

5. Top the pizza with the mixture. Sprinkle with feta and add sun dried tomatos, if using.

6. Bake the pizza for 8-10 minutes or until the dough is cooked and brown.

7. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Slice and serve.

Back on Track ... Tapas to Follow

Remember my "Foods of the World" idea ? We had some great posts but then I went on vacation ! For six weeks ! and didn't post a darn thing between the 22nd of November and the 16th of January !! But now, I'm back and I'm excited to finish up January posting Spanish recipes !

While I was home, we had a tapas night that was to die for ! Seriously ! I'm going to tantalize you with some photos of the recipes that are to come ... You're going to love it !!

Budget Success, Health and Bento Boxes !!

I am so excited about my grocery budget ...
read why at my Simple Beauty blog ... go on, I'll wait 'til you get back.

Isn't that cool ??

Another one of our goals for this year is to eat healthy.
We do pretty well already but we want to do better.

I read this book a couple of years ago and found it to be full of lots of really good info. I also subscribe to Dr. Furhman's blog ... it is packed full of lots of good stuff. Recipes too. His website is good too although I think you have to become a member to see some things ... I haven't done that. This section gives you a good synopsis of the book, if you are interested.

So ... the food pyramid below is from his book ... or site ... I don't remember now where I found it. But ... it's how we are trying to eat this year. Lots of fruits, veggies, legumes ... well, look at the pyramid, you'll see.

It makes sense ... eating the food that gives you the most nutrition per calorie ... You don't fill up as fast so you eat more which gives you more nutrition. As opposed to eating the high calorie, low nutritional value foods that fill you up quick and don't give you the nutrients you need ...

As you would have read in my other post that you went to and read before ... right ? You went there, didn't you ? Alright ... go there now. I'll wait. AGAIN.

You back ?

So, you read about how we want to reduce waste. Reduce it to none at all.

One of our strategies is to eat dinner leftovers for lunches. All of us. Kids too. For ages, I've been wanting to get some bento lunch boxes. To make lunches like these or these or these ... But, the boxes are not cheap, so I've not bought them.

Well ...

LOOK . WHAT . I . FOUND !!

At the grocery store !! 50% off ! For $3.25 each. The perfect little bento boxes !! I bought one for each of us and we've used them almost every day since !!

I just love them. Watch for them as I continue my "What's For Lunch ?" series ...

A simple Korean rice dish

Cook pork mince (ground pork).
Fry onion and kimchee.
Add cooked rice.
Just before serving add a bit of sesame oil.

This is so delicious. I don't have measurements. I just kind of threw in what I had ...

Lamb Skewers with Mango Chutney

--
Ok people, this is a recipe that you need to try right now !

I'm serious.

It is THAT good.

I found this recipe at the Steamy Kitchen blog. I made the whipped feta as well but we didn't like it. We also made naan instead of pita ... but next time I won't make bread. I'll just do the skewers with the chutney and rice.

For the mango chutney:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeds discarded and finely diced (note ... i did not add the jalapeno)
1 large mango, diced
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat a small pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and swirl to coat. Add the red onions and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.

For the lamb skewers

1 pound ground lamb
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano ( I didn't have fresh as my herb garden died a sad and lonely death while we were in the States for six weeks ... dried oregano was fine )
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing on grill
24 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes (uh, didn't soak mine !)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Form long “patties” around doubled skewers. You can grill the kabobs on your outdoor grill or in your broiler, 3-4 minutes each side. (Rory did ours in the broiler ...)

And they made great leftovers to take to work the next day ....

Menu Plan Monday - Bonnie - 19 January 2009

I'm loving pomegranate season !!

~~

Here's what's on the menu this week ...

Friday - Udon Prawn Salad

Saturday - Eggs on toast

Sunday - Lamb Kabob with Spicy Mango Chutney & Whipped Feta with Naan

Monday - Greek Pizza & Salami Pizza

Tuesday - Black Bean Sliders

Wednesday - Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos

Thursday - Tortilla, with Foccacia

This post is part of:

(click on picture to see more menu plans)

Udon Prawn Salad

I got this recipe from
The Matthew Hayden Cookbook 2

It was nice. Refreshing.
The noodles were a bit funny but I think that was our fault -
not the fault of the noodles or the recipe !

500g fresh udon noodles (I used 880g)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 small red onion, finely sliced
2 spring onions, finely sliced
500 g cooked prawns, peeled (I only used about 350g)
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 bird's-eye chillies, seeded and finely chopped
lime wedges, to serve

All you do it prepare the noodles as directed on the packet. The recipe said to toast the sesame seeds, but I didn't. I just used them un toasted. Put the noodles in a bowl. Add the oils ... toss to coat. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Serve with the lime quarters.

It says serves 2-3. I added extra noodles and it served the four of us with a small amount left over for lunch tomorrow !

Vodka Pasta

Vodka Pasta
Serves 6-8

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies or jalapenos (sometimes I add 2 cans)
4 tablespoons tomato paste (or enough to thicken sauce a bit)
1/4 cup of vodka (give or take…I usually just buy two Skyy Vodka tester bottles at the liquor store and add both)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pint of heavy cream
½ cup shredded Parmesan
1 lb. Rigatoni or Penne cooked
1 lb. cooked spicy Italian sausage

Mix the first four ingredients together in a large saucepan.
When the pasta sauce has simmered for 20 minutes or so, add the cream.
If you add the cream too early it could curdle in the sauce. Its okay if it does curdle, it just looks prettier and smoother if it does not.
Add ½ cup parmesan.
Add a little crushed red pepper to make it spicier.
Add cooked pasta and sausage.
Garnish with extra parmesan and chopped flat leaf parsley. (Dried parsley works fine and adds that little bit of color if you don’t have fresh on hand.)

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

I've posted this recipe before but only using the cauliflower.
While I was in the States, we decided to try it using broccoli as well.
It was nice, although Rory didn't really like the broccoli.

Anyway ... this is super easy and tastes soooo good.
I didn't even measure.
Just pick apart a cauliflower and broccoli - into florets.
Slice up a bunch of garlic to whatever size you like it.
Put the veggies and garlic in a baggie with some olive oil.
Shake.
(I don't actually use the baggie ... I just put them in the baking dish and sprinkle the oil on top.)
But whatever floats your boat.
Bake in hot oven (220C) about 25 minutes.
Stir half way though.
Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Put under broiler 'til cheese browns. (about 3 minutes)
That's it.
Delicious, I'm telling you !
You've gotta try it !!

PS ... Sometimes I don't use the Parmesan cheese ... it's delicious that way too.

Home again !

Did you miss me ? Did you notice I was gone ? Nov 22nd was my last post ... Since then, I've been visiting family in the States for six weeks !! Having a blast !! We did lots of great cooking but this is one of the few photos I took of the food !! I've planned the menu for this week though and I'm excited about what's cookin' !! Monday I'll start back posting my weekly menus ! How about some of you other ladies ? Are you planning menus ? I'd love to see what's cookin' in your homes !!

Tomorrow I'll share the recipe for the photo above ...