Everyday Cooking: Menu Ideas #2

So many cookbooks and still no ideas for dinner? Here is a recent week of my weekday meals.

Monday

• Salmon filets with teriyaki glaze
• White rice
• Steamed carrots

Tuesday

• Ina Garten's recipe for chicken with goat cheese (fabulous!)
• Oven-roasted asparagus

Wednesday

• Lamb steak, broiled
• Broccoli rabe with garlic

Tip:  I love lamb so I buy several of these lamb leg steaks at a time and keep them in my freezer, putting one in the refrigerator the night before I plan to cook it.  They are not costly to buy, defrost quickly, and make a really quick meal because you simply add salt and pepper and broil about 6 minutes a side.  If you can't find these pre-cut at your favorite market, ask a butcher to cut some 1" steaks from a leg of lamb, wrapping each separately.  Cook a vegetable while they cook and it's a satisfying, rich meal but made (no joke) in under 30 minutes.  

Thursday

• Got home very late from an evening meeting (where only water and cookies were served) and while I was hungry, I was tired and not in the mood to cook just for myself.  So I made a dinner salad made up of whatever salad greens I had on hand in my refrigerator which were romaine lettuce and radicchio.  I added some sliced red onion, a handful of halved cherry tomatoes, a half can of chickpeas, a can of tuna fish and a cup of cooked pasta shells to the chopped greens.  Dressed it with my everyday vinaigrette to which I added a little mustard.

Friday

• Shrimp with tomatoes and green beans.  I pan seared about 2 dozen large shrimp (they shrink when cooked) with a little olive oil and a finely minced garlic clove.  When they became pink I added a cup of halved cherry tomatoes, gently tossed until the tomatoes started to throw off juice, and then added a cup of up green beans that I had separately steamed in the microwave.
• Couscous salad  (couscous, which takes 5 minutes to cook,  tossed with chopped scallions, small pieces of feta cheese, diced fresh red pepper, and the other half can of chickpeas from the previous night's salad, plus a little oil and vinegar)

 

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