Weekly Menu 5

VEW

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Rice

Greek Lamb Burgers with Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus Soup with Pan-Roasted Scallops & Tomato Bread

Day 1
This recipe was given to CLN of this blog by a friend of her mother’s. It is very good and different than any of the other enchilada recipes I have.

Boil 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper and a bayleaf until cooked through. Remove from water and let the chicken cool, then shred it. Add ½ C water, 10 oz green enchilada sauce (or a salsa verde, or blended tomatillos if all else fails). Mix together with ½ C sour cream, ¼ C chopped cilantro and 4 oz can of green chiles. Heat tortillas to make them pliable and put the chicken mixture along with some jack cheese and onion inside and roll up. Place seam-side down in a baking pan and cover with enchilada sauce (see below). Bake covered for 20 minutes at 375, then take the foil off, add additional cheese on top and bake for another 5 minutes.

Enchilada Sauce
Here is a great 10 minute enchilada sauce that gives a pretty authentic flavor and depth to this dish. The quality of the chili powder determines how good the sauce will be…

Green Rice
CLN turned me on to this great side. It’s a nice alternative to Spanish rice or plain rice and beans as a side when you’re making the enchiladas.

Day 2
This is a great recipe from Cooking Light magazine. I generally find their recipes to be a good idea but just not very tasty. This one was an exception; I will definitely make the lamb burgers again. If you have a favorite Tzatziki sauce recipe, feel free to substitute it for this one, though it is pretty good…but don’t make the mistake of making the sauce in a food processor to save time…it will turn out too runny.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

This is one of my favorite sides because it is quick and delicious. Rinse and trim asparagus by holding the bottom of each stalk and bending until it breaks; discard the woody bottom. Lay on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Broil for about 3 minutes until crsip-tender. Serve as is, or grate some lemon zest over them. You can also wrap a bundle of stalks in prosciutto before broiling for a different take on this dish.

Day 3

If you haven't been to Williams Sonoma’s web site for great recipes you are missing a goldmine. I have never made anything bad from their offerings and everything is simple—no über long ingredient lists or ultra-fancy cooking techniques. The results are always elegant and most important, delicious. This soup is great, healthy (if you cut back on the heavy cream or substitute light cream), and you can’t beat the tasty simplicity that is seared scallops. As with all seafood, try to get it the day you plan to cook it, and if you have a good fish monger or seafood shop, that is preferable to the grocery store.

Tomato Bread
Tomato Bread should be a staple in everyone’s repertoire. To make it, toast baguette slices drizzled with a bit of olive oil. As soon as they come out of the oven, cut a garlic clove in half and rub vigorously over the coarse surface of the bread—you will be amazed at how much flavor this imparts. Next cut a tomato in half and rub it over the bread, squeezing it as you go so the juices seep out and are soaked up by the bread. Enjoy immediately!