Menu for the week

Despite our hardship we still must eat! We were lucky enough to get half a lamb for $25, and the half a free deer we got last week we are fine for meat for awhile. I stocked up on the bagged boneless skinless chicken breasts..they were $6 for 2.5lbs, and I got 2 of those.

Sunday:
Roast Lamb
Rice and Steamed Broccoli

Roast Lamb:
I mixed one small cup of plain low-fat yogurt, with a few tablespoons of fresh minced rosemary, some cumin, garam masala, parsley, garlic, and a few tablespoons of lemon juice. I slathered that over the whole roast and let sit in the fridge overnight. I read it needs to be cooked at 325 degrees for 20 minutes per lb. So and hour and 20 minutes for my 2lb roast.

Monday:
BBQ chicken legs
Coleslaw
Baked beans

Spray crock pot with oil, cut up 1 large onion into ring and place in bottom of crock. Heat frying pan with a few tablespoons oil, and brown chicken on all sides. Place in crock and cover with one bottle your choice BBQ sauce, cook on low 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender and cooked.

Tuesday:
Vegetarian Chili
Homemade cornbread

Chili:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
14 oz. can tomatoes
1 c. dried red kidney beans, soaked, cooked and drained or 2 (15 oz.) cans red kidney beans
1/2 c. dried whole green lentils, simmered in plenty of water for 40-45 minutes until tender
1 tsp. mild paprika
1-2 tbsp. chili powder
Salt and freshly green pepper
A little salt

Heat oil in large saucepan and saute the onion and pepper for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add tomatoes. Drain the beans and lentils, reserving liquid. Add broth to the tomato mixture, along with the paprika and chili powder. Simmer for 15 minutes, adding the bean water for consistency. Season, add sugar, garnish and serve.

Cornbread:
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup melted butter or shortening
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
Combine the half and half, eggs, fat, honey and sugar.
Thoroughly grease and flour a baking pan
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix just until the flour is moistened, no more than ten seconds. The batter should be visibly lumpy -- leave it that way!
Once the liquid and dry ingredients have been combined, pan and bake the cornbread immediately.

Wednesday:
Cheesy Tuna Noodle casserole
1/2 cup butter, divided
1 (8 ounce) package uncooked medium egg noodles
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a medium baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, celery, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until tender. Increase heat to medium-high, and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, and cooked noodles. Transfer to the baking dish. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl, mix with bread crumbs, and sprinkle over the casserole. Top with cheese.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Thursday:
Chicken and peppers with coconut rice
1 cup basmati rice
1 can coconut milk
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chciken breast cut into 2 inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 large red pepper diced
1 clove of garlic minced
1 can of black beans
1/4 tsp cumin

Cook rice, replacing 1 cup of water with coconut milk. Salt and pepper chicken, then dice. Saute in about 1 tablespoon of oil on medium high for 3 minutes. Add pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 2 more minutes. Remove and set aside. Heat beans, adding cumin. Serve chicken on top of cooked rice with beans on the side.

Friday:
All the good leftovers!

Saturday:
Lemon chicken piccata(a repeat here)
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
fresh parsley, chopped
hot cooked pasta like, linguine

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.
Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley. Serve it all over hot pasta.