Recipe Review from 5/26/2014

An absolutely lovely week temperature-wise, which got me out into the garden.  I weeded and tilled 7 garden beds, ripped out and re-did one flower bed, weeded another, planted a few veggie and flower seeds, mulched and mowed.  The plan was to have all that done so I could go for a Saturday morning bike ride before the rain came. HA!  Woke up to rain at 5am.

The flower beds; iris bed in front still needs to be redone.

The whole garden; Husband is fixing the fence.

Updating blog instead with a cuppa tea at hand.

The Meal Plan:
Was tossed out the window this week...


Grilled Turkey, Apple and Cheddar Sandwiches (modified, Ckng Lght May 2014)
This is one of those doh! "Why didn't I think of this?!"  recipes.  Simple and tasty, great for lunch or dinner during the summer.  I did modifiy it - I dropped the parsely and the mango chutney.  That seems like a lot of parsley for a couple of sandwiches and I didn't want to have a jar of mango languishing in my fridge.  I used a blue-cheese mustard instead for a nice tangy counterpoint to the sweetness of the apple.  In hindsight, some spinach would also have been a nice addition.  I really liked this sandwich.  

• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 Granny Smith apple, grated (about 1 cup)

  

  photo from cookinglight.com

• 8 (1-ounce) slices multigrain bread
• 8 teaspoons mango chutney (such as Major Grey's)
• 4 (1-ounce) slices sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 ounces sliced lower-sodium turkey (such as Boar's Head)
• Cooking spray

1. Combine parsley and apple in a bowl. Spread each of 4 bread slices with 2 teaspoons chutney. Top evenly with cheese, turkey, apple mixture, and remaining 4 bread slices. Coat sandwiches with cooking spray.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sandwiches to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn sandwiches; cover and cook 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Lentil Soup (modified; Slow Cooker Revolution by America's Test Kitchen)  
vegetarian option**; gluten free
This was a combination of suppers and lunches.  Because this can cook for 9 hours (or a bit more) on low, this makes it an ideal recipe to assemble in the morning and eat when we get home.  I made this pretty much as recommended, except I forgot the greens at the end.  I also think this would be fabulous with about 1/2 cup barley added.  The mushroom flavor in this dish called out for the nutty barley grain.   

1 onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and minced
1 tsp dried thyme
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups chicken broth**(optional - use another 4 cups veggie broth)

4 oz bacon (about 4 slices)**  don't chop! keep whole (bacon is optional)
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
12 oz portobello caps, gills removed and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup brown lentils
2 bay leaves
8oz Swiss Chard, stemmed and leaves sliced (I forgot any kind of green)

1)  [In a medium sized pan over medium high heat, in 1 tbsp oil] Saute onions, garlic, tomato paste, porcini mushrooms and thyme, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened. Add to slow cooker.

2) Stir chicken broth, vegetable broth, bacon, carrots, portobello mushrooms, lentils and bay leaves into slow cooker.  Cover and cook until lentils are tender, 9 to11 hours on low, or 5 to 7 hours on high.

3) Stir in chard (or other dark leafy green) and cook on high until tender.  For chard, about 20-30 minutes.  Discard bacon and bay leaves.


And one recipe I forgot from Memorial Day weekend:

Shredded Cabbage Slaw (Ckng Lght, May 2014)  vegetarian, gluten free
I modified this a bit - I used one pkg pre-shredded cabbage slaw mix (with red and green cabbage and carrots).  Not only was it cheaper than buying two heads of cabbage, but I wasn't left with leftover cabbage.  Another bonus is that simplified prep.  This recipe would be good on the side (as I served it) or on a po-boy sandwich or BBQ sandwich for a little extra tang and crunch.     

• 1/2 head red cabbage
• 1/2 head green cabbage
• 1 pkg shredded cabbage mix
• 1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Shred red cabbage and green cabbage. Combine yogurt, tarragon, Dijon mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Toss with cabbage.