SUNDAY: Treat the family to this juicy, delicious Rosemary and Garlic Crusted Pork Loin With Butternut Squash and Potatoes (see recipe). Serve with Spinach Salad With Diced Beets and Oranges. Toss packaged baby spinach with drained diced pickled beets (from a jar), orange sections and a light vinaigrette. Add whole-grain rolls. Buy a deep-dish peach pie for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough pork with vegetables for Monday; save enough pie for Wednesday.
MONDAY: Use the pork leftovers and make Pork Loin Sandwiches on Rye. Spread sliced rye bread with honey-mustard dressing, then layer with leftover pork, lettuce and sliced tomatoes. On the side, heat the leftover potatoes and squash. Add a lettuce wedge salad. For dessert, you'll enjoy fresh pineapple.
TUESDAY: Make it easy on yourself with another sandwich night and serve grilled cheese sandwiches with black bean soup from the deli. Make a sliced cucumber salad and drizzle with Italian dressing. Plums are a simple dessert.
WEDNESDAY: Celebrate with friends and savor Zucchini and Seared Sirloin (see recipe). Serve with rice, a bibb lettuce salad and baguettes. Heat the leftover pie and top with vanilla ice cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Thursday.
THURSDAY: Try the Southern tradition of good fortune for the New Year with the popular Hoppin' John (see recipe). Take the good-luck tradition further and add your own collard greens for some extra spending "green." Add canned stewed tomatoes for a little color. Serve it all with cornbread. For dessert, top leftover ice cream with chocolate sauce and garnish with coconut.
FRIDAY: For a change of pace, fix the kids Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat chicken tenders with cooking spray, then coat them with mashed potato flakes (not granules). Sprinkle with a little coarse salt. Place on a baking sheet lined with nonstick foil and cook 15 minutes, turning once. Serve with baked potato wedges and green beans. Color the plate with baby carrots and ranch dressing for dipping. The kids will love chocolate pudding for dessert.
SATURDAY: For an easy meal after a busy week, make Lentil Soup. Rinse and sort 1 (16-ounce) package lentils. In a large pot, combine the lentils with 4 cups water and heat to boiling; drain. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium. Add 2 thinly sliced ribs celery, 1/2 medium chopped onion and 1 clove minced garlic; cook 6 minutes or until softened. Add lentils, 6 cups no-salt-added vegetable broth and 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are soft. Season with coarse salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup over brown rice. Garnish with chopped red onion, chopped red bell pepper and chopped fresh cilantro if desired. Add coleslaw and crusty bread. Enjoy pears for dessert.
Rosemary and Garlic Crusted Pork Loin With Butternut Squash and Potatoes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, divided use
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 (2-pound) boneless center-cut pork loin roast, trimmed and tied with string
1 1/2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided use
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup ruby port or tawny port OR prune juice
1/2 cup no-salt-added chicken stock
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine rosemary, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; finely chop together on a cutting board (or use a mortar and pestle).
Coat a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Place pork in pan and rub the rosemary mixture all over it. Turn roast so it's fat-side down.
Toss potatoes with 2 teaspoons olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl; scatter along one side of pork. Roast pork and potatoes 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss squash with remaining oil, remaining salt and pepper to taste in medium bowl.
Remove roasting pan from oven. Carefully turn pork. Scatter squash along other side of pork. Roast pork 30 to 40 minutes more or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Transfer pork to carving board; tent with foil and let stand 5 minutes. If vegetables are tender, transfer to a bowl; cover and keep warm. If not, continue to roast 10 to 15 minutes more or until tender.
After removing vegetables, place roasting pan over medium-high heat and add port or juice; bring to boil, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Reduce heat to low; simmer 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and simmer 2 more minutes. Add any juices that have accumulated on carving board. To serve, cut strings from pork. Cut pork into thin slices and overlap on warmed platter. Spoon vegetables around edges. Serve immediately with pan sauce.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 245 calories, 24 g protein, 5 g fat, 23 g carbohydrate, 60 mg cholesterol, 423 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1 1/2.
Zucchini and Seared Sirloin
4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak
Dressing:
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 clementines or tangerines
Chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons dried shallots or dried minced onion, toasted
Use a vegetable peeler and shave off long, thick slices of zucchini. (Slices should look like a very wide, flat noodle.)
Dressing: In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water; heat on medium and bring to simmer until sugar dissolves. Add soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil; remove pan from heat. Cut clementines in half; squeeze juice into the pan with sugar. Whisk to combine; pour the dressing into a large bowl. Soak zucchini in the dressing 3 to 5 minutes and then transfer to a plate with slotted spoon, reserving dressing.
Cut the sirloin into thin slices; marinate in remaining dressing 15 minutes. Remove steak (discard dressing), sear it in a hot skillet or griddle 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Divide the steak among 4 serving plates. Drain and roll the zucchini slices; stand next to steak on each plate. Sprinkle cilantro, sesame seeds and shallots over steak. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with reduced-sodium soy sauce) contains approximately 262 calories, 34 g protein, 9 g fat, 11 g carbohydrate, 84 mg cholesterol, 465 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.
Recipe adapted from The Vietnamese Market Cookbook by Van Tran and Anh Vu; Running Press
Hoppin' John
2 cups dried black-eyed peas, plus enough water to cover
8 ounces chopped ham
1 quart water
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 cups hot cooked rice
1/2 cup sliced green onions
Boil black-eyed peas in enough water to cover them for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour; drain, discard water.
In a saucepan, bring ham and 1 quart water to a boil for 15 minutes. Add black-eyed peas; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Add onion, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until peas are tender. Stir in hot rice and green onions and serve.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 263 calories, 16 g protein, 6 g fat, 37 g carbohydrate, 18 mg cholesterol, 407 mg sodium and 8 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 21/2.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email:
susan@7daymenu.com
Food on 12/24/2014