Menu 5/4/11

Lamb kabobs with flat bread and yogurt cucumber salad
Fried Chicken with potatoes and tomato salad
Shrimp tacos
Aloo Gobi with bread and yogurt
Chop Salad
Chicken soup

Chicken and Mushroom Cream Pasta

This is a dish I made with what I needed to use up in the fridge. Fresh peas, crimini mushrooms and chicken combined with garlic cream sauce and whole grain pasta make a nicely rounded meal.

This dish can easily be made into a vegetarian meal by simply omitting the chicken

• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks


• 1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced


• 1to 2 tablespoons butter


• garlic, minced


• 1 cup fresh peas


• 1 cup cream


• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


• 1 box whole grain pasta


• 1 cup pasta water, reserved from cooking the pasta.


• fresh herbs such as basil


• pepper


• salt

Cook the pasta following the directions on the box. While the pasta is cooking brown the chicken in a pan with a little butter. Once chicken is brown place the chicken pieces in a bowl and set aside. In the same pan add the rest of the butter and the mushrooms, cook the mushrooms until soft and a little browned.

Place the chicken back in the pan with the mushrooms and garlic. stir the garlic through the dish and then add the peas and pasta. stir a little and then add the cream and if needed a little pasta water and 1/3 cup of the cheese.

Stir until all is well mixed and bubbly. turn off the heat and add the herbs. season with salt and pepper if needed. top with the rest of the cheese

Shrimp Tacos

While looking trough food blogs I came across this post of Shrimp Tacos. The tacos looks like a great idea and the fact that is was a quick make made the draw of the recipe even greater.

1 pound cleaned shrimp, well dried

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper

1/3 cup corn starch

2 tablespoons oil

2 mangos, cut into little chunks

1 avocado, cut into little chunks

onion, chopped

tomato, cut into little chunks

flour or corn tortillas

1 lime cut into wedges

place the dry shrimp in a bowl and sprinkle with the spices then cover with the corn starch, stirring to get a good thin coat on the shrimp then put in a colander and shack off extra corn starch.

Heat a cast iron pan, add the oil and then fry the shrimp for about 3 minutes on each side until browned on each side and done trough. remove the shrimp and place on a paper towel lined place to absorb any grease.

Heat tortilla shells (we like corn) and then place some shrimp and toppings on the tortilla, a squeeze of lime and enjoy.

Menu week March 28, 2011

Shrimp Tacos

Stuffed Poblanos

Pasta with chicken and mushrooms

Paprikash

Week of March 20 Menu

• Tikka Masala
• Loaded Quesadillas
• Calzones
• Minestrone or sausage bean soup
• Venison if I can find it or veal scallopini if I can't fine the venison

Glorious Spring Morels

This month my food tribe is focusing on their favorite spring food or ingredient. I love so many foods associated with spring but my favorite is Morel mushrooms. I don't just love them for their flavor but for the whole experience associated with morels for me. Ever since I was a child my family would venture out into the spring forest and hunt for them, we would spend the day meandering through the forest in search of those beauties pocking up from the earth while the frogs sang their wonderful spring songs.

To this day I always take a few days around my birthday (April 22) to wonder through forests breathing in that wonderful spring air, soaking up the warm spring sun, losing myself in the sound of the spring peepers in search for morels. For me the whole experience with this little mushroom is pure peace and joy.


This is the dish I am going to make this year with my morels, I just love them with cream.

~Pork Loin Chops with Morels in a Thyme Cream Sauce~

4 6oz 1 inch thick boneless pork loin chops
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 pound fresh Morels, brushed clean of any dirt
2/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

Season the chops with salt and pepper. Heat a good size fry pan, add oil, 1/2 the butter and chops. Cook chops for about 5 minutes. Turn chops and cook over medium low heat for about 8 minutes or until just done through (we like to eat our pork a little closer to medium so I cook them a little less then this) Remove chops and set aside, covered with foil to keep them warm.

Turn the heat under the pan up to medium high heat and add the wine the pan add the wine and cook it down a little. Add the rest of the butter and mushrooms, stir them around a little (about 3 mintes), reduce heat to medium low and then add the thyme and cream, stir a little more then place the chops back into the pan to cook with the sauce for another 2 or 3 munites and serve.