Wiener Schnitzel!

We usually go to the store and check out the weekly specials before we decide what will be on the menu. Tonight's inspiration was veal cutlets. They are quick cooking and can be made in a variety of ways. My grandmother makes delicious breaded veal cutlets (or chops) and serves them with spaghetti. This is my quick version - and I think it rivals any veal entree you can order at a restaurant! It was definitely more budget friendly.

The veal has a basic flour, egg, and breadcrumb coating. It's quickly pan-friend and just needs a little lemon for a kick. On the side I made a quick homemade tomato sauce to serve with spaghetti. I got the veal ready to go in the pan first, then started the pasta water and sauce at the same time. Once those were going, I started cooking the veal.

If you were feeling adventurous, you could turn this basic breaded cutlet into veal parmesan your favorite veal entree. Enjoy!

Breaded Veal Cutlets
Serves 2
2 veal cutlets
About 1/2 cup flour
1 egg + splash of water, beaten
About a 1/2 cup of italian seasoned breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil
Lemon wedges

Heat about 1 - 1.5 inches of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat (about 6 on my stove)
Take out 3 shallow bowls and set up on counter next to the skillet
In the first bowl (farthest from the stove), put in flour
In the next bowl, put in the egg and water and lightly beat
In the bowl closest to the stove, put in the breadcrumbs
Take the veal cutlet, coat both sides in flour and shake off excess
Dip in the egg, coating both sides
Dip in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides
Repeat for the second veal chop
Put veal cutlets into the hot oil, and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove and put on paper towels to drain excess oil
Serve with lemon wedges


Quick Tomato Sauce
1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)
A few squirts of tomato paste (from a tube)
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
A few shakes of dried basil and dried parsley
About 1 tsp. of sugar
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp. olive oil

Heat a large skillet over medium heat
Add diced onion and minced garlic, cook until onions are softened, 5-8 minutes
Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, parsley, sugar, salt and pepper, and stir
Continue to cook over medium-low heat until the rest of the meal is ready (about 5-10 minutes)

Summary:
Prep Time - 10 minutes
Cook Time - 10-15 minutes
2 large skillets, 1 pasta pot, 3 shallow bowls, spoons, cutting board and knives

Eggs - The Perfect Dinner Food (and lunch, and breakfast....)

I love eggs. If there weren't a few health issues around eating eggs at every meal, I would do it! Now my dining companion thinks that eggs are best served at breakfast (and then, only in pancakes or french toast). So I have to think creatively about how I can sneak them in to the dinner rotation.

I stopped at the store a few different times last week and had a small amount of a variety of veggies left over. I decided that a frittata would be a great way to use up the veggies and have eggs for dinner. This is an easy 1 skillet meal and can go with salad, bread, potatoes, or whatever you'd like!

I made an 8 egg frittata, so that we would have leftovers. The next morning I microwaved a piece for a minute and put it on an everything bagel for a fantastic breakfast sandwich. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it....Sadly there are no pictures, I ate that at work.

Quick and Easy Frittata
Adapted from a recipe in The Farmstead Egg Cookbook

3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup chopped baby bella mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
8 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a 10 inch skillet (medium-low heat)
Add onions and mushrooms and saute until soft
Add broccoli and continue to cook for about 5 minutes
Take the veggies out of the skillet and set aside in a bowl

In another bowl, whisk eggs, 3 tbsp. of Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in the skillet
Pour in eggs, then distribute the veggies on the top
Cover, and cook over medium-low heat about 15 minutes until the top is almost set

Take off the heat, cover with a dinner plate and flip the frittata onto the the plate
Slide it back into the pan (bottom side up)
Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on the top
Cook a few minutes until done

Cut into wedges and serve!

To reheat - microwave for 45-60 seconds.

Summary:
Prep Time - 5 minutes
Cook Time - 20-25 minutes
1 large skillet, spatula, 2 bowls, 1 plate, whisk, cutting board and knives

Quick Chick Dinner

Sometimes it's good to get help from the store! These panko-sundried tomato crusted boneless skinless chicken breasts were the same price as the regular ones. So I took the help! A quick fry in the skillet and dinner is ready!

Instead of our standard rice or cous cous side dish, I cooked up a quick pasta and veggie accompaniment. I boiled some egg noodles, sauteed green beans and baby bella mushrooms in olive oil, and tossed it all together. A light and healthy side dish! A note on portions - we split the chicken in the picture into two portions. It made a better picture all in one piece!

Spanish Beef and Yellow Rice

I've been cooking a lot - but have been delinquent in getting the pictures and recipes online. Here is one of last week's creations. We eat ground beef a lot and were looking for something other than a burger or meatloaf. A quick check of the fridge (and a look at a few recipes) inspired this Spanish style beef. I served it over yellow rice with a little guacamole on the side. Muy bueno!

This is a pretty easy recipe and can be adjusted for the veggies and ingredients you have in the fridge. I threw in garlic, yellow onions, red pepper, and fresh parsley. The recipes I looked at all called for tomato sauce, which I did not have. I used a can of diced tomatoes and a couple of squirts of tomato paste instead. I think the sauce might have made it too soupy. The yellow rice was lovingly prepared by Goya, I just followed the instructions on the box.

Here's how I did it - more pictures are in the photo album.

Spanish Style Beef (served with rice)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 - 1/4 lb. Ground sirloin (or ground beef)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste (from a tube)
About 1-2 tsp. each Chili Powder and Cumin (to taste)
Handful of chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
Add the ground beef and brown for 3-4 minutes, crumbling the beef as it cooks
Add onions, pepper, and garlic and continue to cook until beef is just brown
Drain any excess fat, if necessary
Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, and parsley
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the rice is ready.

I served it over a Goya Yellow rice - a nice rich flavor. You could use any type of rice and it would be delicious.

Leftover meat would be a good filling for stuffed peppers (top with cheese and stick under the broiler), tacos, or burritos. I'm always looking for ways to cook once and use for a few meals! Enjoy!

Summary:
Prep Time - 5 minutes
Cook Time - 10-15 minutes (meat); 25 minutes (rice)
1 large skillet, spoon for stirring, cutting board and knives

Tasty Tuesday Dinner

I had the day off on Tuesday, so I spent some quality time at the regular grocery store and Whole Foods looking for interesting ingredients. In the fish case they had a delicious looking Orange Honey Pecan cod. I picked that up (for a good price) and took it home to cook with some fresh veggies. Enjoy!

Orange Honey Pecan Cod
Thanks to Whole Foods - no prep needed.

Heat oven to broil.
Broil fish approximately 3 minutes on each side

Crispy Stir-Fried Veggies
1 red pepper, chopped
1 broccoli crown, chopped
1 small can of water chestnuts, rinsed
1/2 cup snap peas
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Splash of soy sauce

Heat small amount of oil over medium heat.
Add veggies and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently

Serve with cous cous and enjoy!

Summary:
Prep Time - 10 minutes
Cook Time - 10-15 minutes
1 cookie sheet (for fish), 1 skillet, cutting board and knife, and serving dishes.

Something new - Bison Burgers!

Enough with the chicken and beef - this week was time for something new! We picked up some ground bison at Whole Foods this week and decided to make some burgers. These were easy, healthy, and very good! One of my favorite ingredients was in stock this week, tomatillos, so I used those for a delicious accompaniment. For the side dish, I just used a basmati rice mix from Trader Joe's - just cook and serve. Not too much effort - perfect when you get home at 7:30 and still have dinner to make. I used 1 lb. of meat and made 4 burgers - enough for leftovers the next night. Here's the recipe, enjoy!

For more photos - click on the album on the right.

Homemade Bison Burgers with Tomatillo Guacamole
1 lb. ground buffalo (bison)
1 tbsp. grill seasoning
1 egg
Handful of diced onions (adds moisture)
Splash of milk
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat grill pan on stove with olive oil (or grill outside)
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl
Score into four even sections and form patties
Grill a few minutes on each side, until medium


Tomatillo Guacamole
2 medium sized tomatillos, rinsed and quartered
1/4 cup onion, cut into large pieces
Lime juice (1/2 of a lime)
1 avocado
1 tsp. cilantro
Salt, pepper

Place all ingredients, except salt and pepper, into a food processor
Pulse until smooth
Pour into serving bowl, mix with salt and pepper to taste

Serve burgers on warm buns with guacamole. Serve with rice on the side. Enjoy!

Summary:
Prep Time - 5-10 minutes
Cook Time - 10-15 minutes
1 grill pan, cutting board and knives, spoons, 2 bowls, and serving dishes.

Ravioli with Vodka Sauce

Tonight's dinner was a quick and easy meal - leaving time to prep for tomorrow's dinner (short ribs take 2). We bought some fresh pasta from the store and combined it with a jar of vodka sauce, and served it with frozen garlic naan. Tasty and done in 12 minutes. Sorry, we ate it so quickly that we forgot to take a photo.

This gave me time to do some prep work on dinner for tomorrow night. We are having Short Rips, take 2. This time I'm skipping the cranberries and using beef broth, parsnips, and onions as the ingredients. Should be tasty!

Tonight it will cook for about an hour and a half, and then another hour tomorrow when we get home from work. We are having a dinner guest tomorrow - this will be a nice fancy meal to serve. I'll post the final results tomorrow. It will be served with green beans and some sort of potato (not sure if it will be roasted or mashed). Stay tuned for the delicious description.

Here is a preview of the seared short ribs waiting to go back in the pot:

My Favorite Go-To Dinner

This is my favorite dinner for nights when I get home late, am too lazy to cook, or just have no food in the house. I could eat eggs for dinner every night (my husband disagrees)! So tonight I was home alone for dinner, got home late, and knew just what I was having. This combines two of my favorite foods - bread and cheese! The composition varies based on what is in the fridge, but it always involves eggs, cheese and some kind of bread. Tonight's version:

Lara's Egg & Cheese
Toasted onion bagel with 2 fried eggs and melted sharp cheddar cheese.

On the side - quick hash browns thanks to some frozen shredded potatoes from Whole Foods.

Delicious and tasty! Perfect for sitting in front of the TV and watching The Office and 30 Rock.

Sort of Chicken Nuggets and Fries

So, instead of going to McDonald's and getting nuggets and fries, we had a healthier version of our own. I spiced things up by including some jerk seasoning mix in the breading. This was about a 15 minute dinner - perfect for a weeknight!

Baked Chicken Nuggets w/ Cornmeal breading
1 lb. boneless skinless breast, cut into about 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp. jerk seasoning
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the dry ingredients in a shallow bowl.
Beat the egg in a separate bowl with a splash of water.
Dip chicken in the egg, then toss in the cornmeal mixture.
Place the chicken on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for about 6 minutes, turn chicken over, and cook an additional 6 minutes.

Quick Mashed Potatoes
4 yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup soy milk
Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Cut potatoes into quarters and place in a pot.
Cover the potatoes with cold water (about 1 inch above the potatoes)
Bring to a boil and boil for about 10 minutes (until fork tender).
Drain and return to hot pot.
Mash with masher and add milk and seasoning.

Summary:
Prep time - about 5 minutes
Cook time - 15-20 minutes
1 baking sheet, 1 pot, chopping board and knife, and a serving dishes.

Healthy and Fast Cod w/ Fresh Parsley and Garlic

Tonight's dinner was a quick version of a fancy meal. Inspired by the sale at Whole Foods, I decided to get some cod. I looked at a few recipes and adapted it to how much fish I had. It was tasty and would work well with any white fish (on sale of course) Here's what we had:

Cod with Parsley
1/4 cup or so Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 pound of cod, cut into 4 even sized pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil and over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Add fish and turn heat up to medium low.
Cook for 4 minutes.
Turn fish over, add parsley, and cook for about 8-10 minutes (until fish is done).

I served it with peas and cous cous. It would be tasty with any type of rice and green vegetable.

Summary:
Prep time - about 5 minutes
Cook time - 15 minutes
1 skillet, chopping board and knife

Quick and Easy Veggie Soup

This is one of my favorite things to make on a night when I don't feel like putting a huge amount of effort into dinner. It can be plain and simple or can get fancy if you feel like it. This is from a Rachel Ray recipe, but I've adapted my own twist on it. It works well with a variety of veggies, different store bought broths, and whatever herbs you have on hand. You can serve it with crescent rolls, biscuits, crackers, chicken salad, etc. Here's tonights version, served with crescent rolls:

Quick Veggie Soup with Veggies
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into small coins
1 large parsnip, peeled and sliced into small coins
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/4 yellow onion, sliced
Olive oil
Bay leaf
Fresh parsley - about a handful
Chicken broth (box)
Salt and paper to taste

Place a pot on the stove over medium heat.
Put about 1 tbsp. of olive oil in the pot.
Chop the veggies and add them to the pot.
Sweat the veggies for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
Add the bay leaf and the chicken broth to the pot.
Raise heat to medium high and bring to a boil.
When it starts to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes (or until you are ready eat).
Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top and serve.
Add salt and paper to taste.

Summary:
Prep time - about 10 minutes
Cook time - 10-15 minutes
1 soup pot, chopping board and knife

Thursday Night...What's left in the Kitchen?

Sometimes the end of the week requires extra creativity. We have been trying to be resourceful and waste less food. That can lead to some creative ingredient combinations and sometimes tasty food that doesn't necessarily look like a gourmet meal but does taste like one.

Tonight's meal might not be the prettiest looking meal - but it was delicious. Definitely worth repeating, with a few tweaks (depending what we have in the kitchen). We had a few veggies, some leftover bread, and chicken breast that we didn't use on Tuesday. Then I went to the pantry to see what I could use to pull it all together. Both dishes cook in the oven together - saving time! Here's what I came up with:

Baked Chicken with mushroom sauce and breadcrumbs

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (your favorite kind)
• 1/2 cup milk (I used soy milk)
• Appx. 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or combo of your favorite herbs)
• Appx. 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a casserole dish, mix the soup, milk, and seasoning.
Stir in chicken, covering with the soup mixture.
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, covering the whole dish.
Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.

Quick Version of my Grandma's Southern Dressing (aka stuffing)

• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 2 carrots sliced into small coin sized pieces
• 1/2 onion, sliced into appx. 1/2" pieces
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• About 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning
• 1/2 loaf of bread, torn into 1" cubes

Cook in 350 degree oven with the chicken dish
Microwave butter for 1 minute in a large bowl.
Add carrots and onion and microwave for 5 minutes.
Add bread to the bowl and mix.
Add the eggs, chicken broth and seasoning, and mix.
Pour into a greased 8"x8" pan.

Bake for 30 minutes along with the chicken.

Serve and enjoy! You could swap out the soup for Cream of Broccoli or whatever cream soup you have on hand. You could also throw in some broccoli or spinach if you have it.

Summary:

Prep time - about 10-15 minutes
Cook time -30 minutes
2 baking dishes, 1 large bowl, and a few spoons!

1/6/09 - Tuesday Night Trip to India

It's easy to make a weeknight a trip to an exotic destination. Tonight's dinner was made with some help from the store - but still delicious! Tonight's menu:

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 lb. diced fresh boneless skinless chicken breast

1 jar tikka masala sauce

Saute chicken breast over medium heat until brown, appx. 5 minutes.
Lower heat, pour in jar of sauce, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Steamed Green Peas (frozen peas cooked in the microwave)
Naan (Indian Bread) (Thanks Trader Joe's)
Brown Rice (follow instruction on the box)

All done in about 20 minutes and great leftovers for lunch.

Summary:
Prep time - about 5 minutes for chicken, the rest while it's cooking
Cook time -15 minutes
Takes 1 pot for rice, 1 skillet for chicken, the oven for bread, and a bowl to steam the peas.

Nice and easy!