7day menu planner

Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Peppers
Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Peppers

SUNDAY: Make family day special and prepare Broiled Steak With Cheesy Polenta and Pasta Sauce (see recipe). Serve it with sugar snap peas and Italian bread. Buy a cherry cobbler for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough beef and cobbler for Monday.

MONDAY: Use Sunday's leftover beef for Thai Beef Salad. Whisk together 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced jalapeno pepper, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Add thinly sliced leftover steak, 4 cups fresh bean sprouts, 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper, 1 1/2 cups seeded and thinly sliced cucumber and 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves (chopped); toss to mix. Line serving platter with 8 cups lettuce; spoon salad on top and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Serve with any deli soup and crusty rolls. For dessert, heat the leftover cobbler and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

TUESDAY: Pretty Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Peppers (see recipe) are perfect for a no-meat dinner. Serve with a spinach salad and egg wedges and whole-grain rolls. Stir sliced bananas into banana pudding for dessert.

WEDNESDAY: Kids will like the taste of Pizza Dogs. Cut diagonal slashes in 8 hot dogs and cook them according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup pizza sauce. Serve the hot dogs on whole-grain buns and top with pizza sauce and shredded cheddar cheese. Add baked chips and carrot salad. Dessert is tropical fruit.

THURSDAY: I adapted a family recipe for Brunswick Stew (see recipe) to the microwave and never looked back. Serve the Virginia (and Georgia) favorite with a romaine salad with red onion rings and biscuits. For dessert, peaches and oatmeal cookies sound good.

Plan ahead: Save enough cookies for Friday.

FRIDAY: Make Meatball Sandwiches on hoagie rolls for a quick meal. Buy prepared meatballs, top with marinara sauce and add freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve with peas and carrots. Munch on leftover cookies for dessert.

SATURDAY: Your guests will like the flavor of Dill Halibut With Vegetables, and you'll like the simplicity. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat 4 pieces of (12-by-18-inch) foil with cooking spray. Center several lemon slices on each sheet. Place 4 (4- to 6-ounce) pieces halibut filets on lemons. Sprinkle halibut with coarse salt and pepper. Combine 1/2 medium zucchini and 1/2 medium yellow squash (both cut into thin strips) with 1 medium carrot and 1 medium onion (both cut into thin strips). Divide vegetables and top each filet with mixture. Sprinkle each portion with 3/4 teaspoon fresh dill or 1/4 teaspoon dried dill. Bring up foil sides. Double-fold top and ends to seal, leaving room for heat to circulate. Bake 15 to 18 minutes on a cookie sheet. When ready to serve, open packet away from your face to allow steam to escape. Serve the colorful entree with roasted red potatoes, mixed greens and whole-grain rolls. Buy a cheesecake for dessert.

THE RECIPES

Broiled Steak With Cheesy Polenta and Pasta Sauce

For the polenta:

1 2/3 cups water

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided use

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided use

1 cup red pasta sauce

For the steak:

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon coarse grind black pepper

1 boneless beef top-sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick (about 11/2 pounds)

In a 1-quart baking dish, combine water, cornmeal and salt. Cover and microwave on 100 percent power for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons mozzarella and 2 tablespoons parmesan. Sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Microwave, uncovered, on 50 percent power for 1 or 2 minutes or until cheeses are melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Heat pasta sauce on medium 2 minutes or until hot; set aside.

Meanwhile, combine Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper; press onto steak. Place steak on rack in broiler pan so surface is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil 16 to 21 minutes for medium-rare to medium, turning once. Carve steak. Serve with polenta and sauce.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with low-sodium pasta sauce) contains approximately 220 calories, 25 g protein, 6 g fat, 16 g carbohydrate, 62 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1.

Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 1/2 cups quinoa

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup whole pitted black olives, sliced

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Coarse salt and pepper to taste

3 large bell peppers (1 red, 1 orange, 1 green), halved horizontally

Cook quinoa according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add onion and garlic; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until softened. Add olives, raisins and walnuts; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Combine mixture with cooked quinoa; add salt and pepper to taste. Divide mixture among pepper halves. Place in a baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 45 to 60 minutes or until peppers are tender.

Makes 6 halves.

Nutrition information: Each pepper half contains approximately 278 calories, 8 g protein, 11 g fat, 40 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 171 mg sodium and 6 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 2 1/2.

Recipe adapted from Whole Body Reboot by Manuel Villacorta (HCI Books)

Brunswick Stew

1 (16-ounce) package frozen succotash, thawed

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 (14-ounce) can unsalted chicken broth

2 cups cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, coarsely chopped

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with liquid

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Coarse salt to taste

1/4 cup dehydrated white potatoes

Place succotash in a 3-quart microwave baking dish and cover. Cook on 100 percent power for 4 minutes, then drain. Put the chopped onion in a 1-cup measure; cover and cook on high 1 minute. Drain and add to the succotash. Add chicken broth, cooked chicken, tomatoes with juice, sugar, black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt; mix well. Cover and cook on high 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. (From this point, leave the dish covered for a thinner stew or uncovered for a thicker stew.) Stir in the dehydrated potatoes to thicken and cook on 50 percent power for 10 minutes. Stir once or twice and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 341 calories, 29 g protein, 4 g fat, 49 g carbohydrate, 60 mg cholesterol, sodium varies and 7 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 3 1/2.

Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email:

susan@7daymenu.com

Food on 03/25/2015

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