lovethechefblog

On today’s blog I am giving you a menu for 4 nights of dinners with the recipes and grocery list! I hope this helps you get dinner on the table! Once you buy some of these items you will use them time and time again like Rice Vinegar. This will help build your staples in your pantry. Once you have them your grocery list will be shorter.

Here are the tasty recipes for our 1st weeks menu:

Mushroom-Prosciutto Pizza

This simple Mushroom-Prosciutto Pizza flavored with cremini mushrooms and Italian ham can be made in just about 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms/ button mushrooms work fine and you can buy the pre-sliced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots /red onion works too!
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme / ½ teaspoon of dried if fresh is not available
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar/ If you can’t find it, here are the best substitutes (in order of preference):

1. Rice wine vinegar (available in the Asian foods section of my local supermarket)

2. Champagne vinegar

3. White wine vinegar

4. Red wine vinegar

• 1 (10-ounce) Italian cheese-flavored thin pizza crust (such as Boboli)
• 3 ounces prosciutto, cut into thin strips/which is Italian ham but you could use bacon in its place
• 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) shredded fontina cheese/Fontain cheese is an Italian cheese made from cow’s milk and can be substituted with provolone or gouda

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and shallots to pan; sauté 7 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add garlic and thyme; sauté 1 minute. Stir in vinegar; remove from heat.
3. Place crust on the bottom rack of oven. Bake at 450° for 4 minutes.
4. Place the crust on a baking sheet. Spread mushroom mixture evenly over crust; sprinkle evenly with prosciutto and fontina cheese. Bake at 450° for 6 minutes or until cheese melts.
5. Tips: For a crisp crust, bake the pizza crust on the lowest rack for a few minutes before adding the toppings. Pre-sliced button mushrooms can substitute for the creminis.

Make a simple salad and you have a yummy, quick and easy week night dinner!

Shrimp and Asparagus with Basil Wine Sauce

This recipe has a lot of my favorites in it. WINE, shrimp, asparagus and basil!!
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red serrano pepper, diced
1/2 c white wine
1 tbsp butter
1 lb large shrimp, peeled, deveined, with tails intact
15 asparagus stalks, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups fresh basil, thinly sliced

Lemons wedges for each plate

Rice or pasta

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and pepper, saute for 1 minute. Add wine and butter, bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp and asparagus, and saute until done, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and basil and toss until basil is wilted. Serve over pasta or rice. I serve bread and oil with pasta dishes. Buy a take and bake bread and make the oil yourself. Recipe follows:

Bread Dipping Oil:

1 Garlic Clove Chopped

¼ teaspoon Garlic Salt

¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

¼ teaspoon Italian Seasoning

2 teaspoons fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ cup olive oil

A little bit of cracked black pepper and salt to taste.

Red Beans & Rice

1 box Zatarain’s New Orleans Style Red Beans and Rice

6 Brats or 1  Beef Hillshire Sausage Link (I use the hot ones)

2 cups Mexican style cheese

Make rice and beans as direction state on box. Set aside. Grill brats for 15 minutes each side on a medium grill. Let the Brats rest for a few minutes and then slice. If you are not comfortable with the grill you can cook in a skillet for about 15 minutes each side.

Mix cooked rice and beans together  in a baking dish and cover with cheese. Cover with foil.

Bake at 350* for 20 minutes and dinner is served! Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, corn chips and salad.

I use Greek yogurt for sour cream because it is better for you.

Curry Chicken

This recipe is spicy.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 can of garbanzo beans – drained

2 can of lentils – drained

2 can of coconut milk

2 can of masaman curry paste (I buy this at the Super G International Market)

Mango Chutney- recipe follows

Naan or Pita bread (I Naan at Costco or the Indu Market near Super G)

Boil chicken for 20 minutes in a large size pan. Drain and cut into bite size cubes. Put cubed chicken back in same pan and add all other ingredients. Cook together until hot and serve over rice. Cook rice as instructed on package. Brush olive oils over naan and sprinkle with garlic salt. Serves 6-8.

Mango Chutney

1 good size ripe mango

¼ cup cilantro chopped

1 teaspoon of brown sugar

1 garlic clove

Peel and cube mango, chop cilantro and mince garlic. Put it all in a sauce pan with a little bit of water. Enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Add brown sugar . Cook on medium heat (stirring along the way) until soft enough to mash with a potato masher. Mash and serve on the side of the Curry Chicken to help with the heat of the curry.

Also you can purchase Naan at an International Market to serve with the meal. If there is no International Market you can use pita bread. I cut pita bread up into triangle size pieces.

GROCERY LIST:

I buy all my fresh veggies at Super G or Walmart. It is much more affordable.

Fresh:

Roman Lettuce – for 3 family size salads

Roma Tomatoes – for salads

Cucumber – for salads

Cilantro

1 Red Onion – for salads or to replace shallots in pizza recipe

15 Stems of Asparagus

1 Box Cremini Mushrooms/ Button Mushrooms work fine

2 Cloves of Fresh Garlic

1 Serrano Pepper

Fresh Basil – enough to make 2 cups

Thyme if not fresh buy dry

1 Container of Button Mushrooms Sliced

3 to 4 Shallots – depending on size/you need 1/4 cup for pizza

1 Mango

2 Lemons

Boxed or Canned:

Zaritian Red Beans & Rice

2 Cans Marsaman Curry (Buy at Super G or International Market)

2 Cans Coconut Milk

2 Cans Lentils

2 Cans Garbonzo Beans

Meat:

5 Brats or 1 Hillshire Beef Sausage Link

4 Chicken Breast

1 Pound Shrimp

3 Ounces of Prosciutto

Dairy:

Large Package of Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Fontain Cheese (1/3 cup)

Parmesan Cheese

1 Sticks Butter

1 Greek Yogurt

Dried Spices:

Garlic Salt

Italian Seasoning

Thyme

Red Pepper Flakes

Other:

Corn Chips

Naan (Looks like pita but more oval. Find it at Costco or the Indu Market on West Market.)

Loaf Bread for oil – I use the take and bake from the deli area

Olive Oil

White Wine

Rice Wine Vinegar

Pizza Crust

Brown Sugar

1 Box Angel Hair Pasta