SUNDAY: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day early with Corned Beef Brisket With Roasted Vegetables (see recipe). Serve it with Lemon Mustard Sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in small saucepan on medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot; cook and stir about 2 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; cool 1 minute. Stir in 2/3 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill and 1 teaspoon honey.
Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Serve with parsley buttered potatoes and rye bread. For dessert, keep it light with fresh pineapple topped with toasted coconut.
Plan ahead: Save enough corned beef and bread for Monday.
MONDAY: Really celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Corned Beef Sandwiches on rye bread using Sunday’s leftovers. Slather the bread with spicy hot mustard.
Don’t forget the dill pickles.
Add potato salad and coleslaw on the side. Continue the green theme with lime sherbet for dessert.
Tip: Substitute roast beef for corned beef if desired.
Plan ahead: Save enough sherbet for Tuesday.
TUESDAY: Enjoy a delicious no-meat dinner with Rigatoni and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes and Goat Cheese. Heat oven to 250 degrees and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil. Place 1 pound (halved) cherry tomatoes, cut-side up, on baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Roast 2 hours or until tomatoes are dried around edges but somewhat moist. Meanwhile, crumble 3 ounces goat cheese into large chunks and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cook 8 ounces rigatoni pasta according to package directions. Remove ½ cup cooking liquid; set aside.
Drain pasta well and return pasta to pot. Add roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, 1 bunch torn basil leaves, reserved cooking liquid and 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil. Toss to coat; season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Serve immediately. (Try not to lick your plate.) Add a mixed greens salad and garlic bread. Scoop the leftover sherbet for dessert.
WEDNESDAY: Check the deli for the soup of the day. While you’re there, pick up turkey and Swiss sandwiches. Add a packaged green salad. A stop at the bakery for brownies will win many hearts at home.
Plan ahead: Buy enough brownies for Saturday.
THURSDAY: No kid can resist Taco Cornbread Pizza. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare 1(8.5-ounce) package cornbread mix as directed. Spread batter on a 12-inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, cook 1 pound lean ground beef until no longer pink; drain well. Add 1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning mix and prepare according to package directions. Sprinkle cornbread crust with ½ cup cheddar cheese, the meat mixture and then another ½ cup cheese.
Bake 4 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with salsa and sour cream. Add a carrot salad. For dessert, smear apple slices with peanut butter.
Tip: Prepare Friday’s stew tonight if time permits.
FRIDAY: When you prepare Black-Eyed Pea and Vegetable Stew (see recipe), you can save money and have a bowl of flavor at the same time. Serve the economical stew over brown rice. Add a lettuce and tomato salad with hard-cooked egg wedges and whole-grain rolls.
For dessert, vanilla ice cream will taste good.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.
SATURDAY: Put Chicken Stroganoff (see recipe) on your favorites list. Serve it over egg noodles. Add a Boston lettuce salad and whole-grain rolls. For dessert, warm leftover brownies and crumble over leftover ice cream. Garnish with light whipped cream.
THE RECIPES
Corned Beef Brisket With Roasted Vegetables
3 ½ to 4 pounds boneless corned beef brisket with seasoning packet (see note)
6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 cups water
1 pound baby carrots, halved crosswise
1 pound parsnips, cut into 2 ½ -by- ½ -inch pieces
1 pound savoy cabbage, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place brisket in roasting pan; sprinkle contents of seasoning packet, garlic and peppercorns around brisket. Add water; cover tightly with foil. Bake in upper third of oven 3 to 3 ½ hours or until fork-tender.
Meanwhile, place carrots, parsnips and cabbage on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and toss gently to coat.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cover with foil. Roast in lower third of oven along with brisket for 55 minutes. Uncover;
continue roasting 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender and begin to brown.
Remove brisket and vegetables from oven. Carve brisket diagonally across grain into thin slices. Serve with vegetables.
Makes 8 servings.
Note: This recipe is not for those who follow a restricted sodium diet. Roast beef would be a lower-sodium choice.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 467 calories, 28 g protein, 31 g fat, 20 g carbohydrate, 139 mg cholesterol, 1,698 mg sodium and 6 g fiber.
Dietary exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 4 fat.
Black-Eyed Pea and Vegetable Stew
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons water
2 (14 ½ -ounce) cans diced tomatoes with liquid
2 tablespoons chopped green chiles
¼ cup red wine vinegar or dry red wine
2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed
Sour cream for garnish
Combine the onion, celery,carrots, garlic and bell pepper with water in a large microwave safe bowl; microwave on high for 10 minutes or until softened; drain. Add tomatoes with juice, green chiles and vinegar and mix well; microwave on high 3 minutes. Add peas; microwave on high 5 minutes or until hot. Thin with water or broth if desired. Garnish with sour cream.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (without sour cream) contains approximately 246 calories, 13 g protein, 1 g fat, 47 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, sodium varies and 11 g fiber.
Dietary exchanges: 2 starch, 4 vegetable, ½ lean meat.
Chicken Stroganoff
1 pound frozen (slightly thawed) boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into ¾ -inch pieces
1 (10 ¾ -ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (16-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream
2 (8-ounce) packages sliced baby crimini mushrooms
1 (1-ounce) package onion soup mix
Place chicken in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker.
In a large bowl, combine soup, sour cream, mushrooms and soup mix; mix well. Spoon over chicken. Cook on low for 6 hours. Stir and serve.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with reduced fat and reduced sodium soup and reduced fat sour cream) contains approximately 259 calories, 23 g protein, 13 g fat, 14 g carbohydrate, 88 mg cholesterol, 591 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Dietary exchanges: 1 starch, 3 lean meat, ½ fat.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email: susan@7daymenu.com
Food, Pages 33 on 03/12/2014