Menu Plan

Spanish braised beef cheeks with tomato bread
serves 4
Adapted from a recipe by Emma Knowles & Lisa Featherby published in the April 08 Australian Gourmet Traveller.
If you aren’t able or willing to track down beef cheeks feel free to substitute in osso buco or large chunks of stewing steak. Smoky paprika adds a lovely complexity and is now available in the spice section of most supermarkets but I’m sure it would still be pretty tasty without it.
This is a great dish for entertaining as you can cook the cheeks in advance and then just reheat and serve with some crusty bread bought on your way home from work.
3T olive oil
2 red onions, peeled & diced
4 beef cheeks, approx 250g each
4 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
400g can tomatoes
1T ground cumin
2T smoky paprika
1 1/2C (375mL) red wine
2C (500mL) chicken stock
3 bay leaves
large handful green olives
for the tomato bread:
4 large slices sourdough
1 clove garlic, halved cross wise
handful cherry tomatoes, torn in half
extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 150C. Heat a large heavy based flame proof casserole dish over a medium low flame. Add oil and onions and cook covered stirring occasionally for approx 15mins or until onions are softened but not browned. Add cheeks, garlic, tomatoes, spices, wine, stock and bay leaves and bring to a simmer.
Cover and place in the oven for 4 hours, turning cheeks occasionally. Season and add olives and continue to cook for another 2 hours or until the meat is meltingly tender. If the sauce is too brothy, remove cheeks and set aside and simmer sauce until it reaches the desired consistency. Return cheeks and warm through.
For the tomato bread, lightly toast the sourdough slices on one side and rub the toasted side of each with the cut surface of the garlic. Smash halved tomatoes over the bread and drizzle with oil. Serve cheeks hot with bread for mopping up the juices passed separately.

Serve with pasta.

Parsley and anchovy salad
2 red shallots, thinly sliced
2 anchovy fillets, coarsely torn
1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ lemon, juice and finely grated rind only
60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Monday
Greek Grilled Chicken Salad
Grill chicken breasts that have been marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and rosemary.
Handful of cherry or grape tomatoes
Kalamata olives
feta cheese
green onions

Serve with flat bread and hummus.

Tuesday
Japanese Tofu Salad
Prep Time: 35 Minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Servings: 4
"Pressed tofu is tossed together with tomato, onion, and cilantro in an Asian-inspired vinaigrette providing a simple way of incorporating tofu into your diet. You can certainly play around with this recipe, adding whatever you like, I garnish mine with lime wedges."
Ingredients:
1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (sweetened rice wine)
2 teaspoons sesame oil, or to taste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Place tofu between two plates, and weigh down with a heavy book. Allow tofu to drain for 1 hour, pouring out the expelled liquid every 20 minutes.
2. Whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat, stir in the garlic and ginger, and gently cook until lightly golden; stir into the soy sauce mixture.
3. Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces, and toss together with the tomato, onion, and cilantro. Pour in the dressing and toss to coat. Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Serve with toasted bread

Wednesday
Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 4 Hours
Ready In: 4 Hours 15 Minutes
Servings: 3
"Try this recipe for super easy chicken made with tasty Alfredo sauce, Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese. It is very good served over egg noodles or rice."
Ingredients:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves -cubed
1 (16 ounce) jar Alfredo pasta sauce
2 slices Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In the crock of a slow cooker, stir together the chicken cubes and Alfredo sauce. Cover, and cook on Low for 2 hours. Add Parmesan cheese and Swiss cheese; cover and cook for another 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir in cheeses before serving.

Serve with noodles and steamed broccoli

Thursday
Tofu, Red Onions, Walnuts, and Blue Cheese
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 35 Minutes
Servings: 3
"I threw this together after wondering if blue cheese and tofu would go together well. The results were delicious! Non-blue cheese lovers can omit the cheese and still have a tasty dish."
Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 cup water
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1/2 large red onion, sliced, separated into rings
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch strips
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Directions:
You have scaled this recipe's ingredients to yield a new amount (3). The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield (6).
1. Bring the rice and water to a boil in a pot. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the walnuts on a baking dish, and bake 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in garlic, and cook 1 minute. Stir in the broth, and season with sage, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking 10 minutes, stirring often.
4. Heat the oil in a separate skillet. Dredge the tofu in the toasted walnuts, and cook in the skillet about 4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Mix any remaining walnuts and the onion and broth mixture into the skillet. Cook until heated through. Serve over rice, and top with blue cheese.

Friday
Homemade pizza
Goat cheese, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms.

Saturday
Greek Souvlaki Recipe
This is posted in response to a request for "skewer" recipes. A real coincidence as this was being prepared on the food network by Nick Makris from Nick's Diner in Regina Sask - it looked SO GOOD I just had to post it. Use pork or lamb - serving with pita bread is optional but tzatziki is a must! Prep time includes a minimum of 2 hours for marinating.
2¼ hours 2 hours prep
SERVES 4
1 1/2 lbs boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder or pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
coarse salt
freshly cracked black pepper
Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, onion, oregano, parsley, mint and black pepper in a bowl& mix well.
Add meat, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate; marinate for a minimum of 2 hours but overnight for best results.
If using wooden skewers soak them in water overnight or for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Thread meat evenly onto 4 skewers& season with salt and pepper.
Grill skewers 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium or cook a few minutes longer if you prefer well done (6 to 7 minutes).
Serve with tzatziki sauce and pita bread.

Tzatziki
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
16 ounces (2 cups) of thick Greek yogurt
4 to 10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup of diced or grated cucumber (Kirby or "English")
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
Preparation:
Prepare all ingredients in advance. Combine oil and lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl. Fold the yogurt in slowly, making sure it mixes completely with the oil. Add the garlic, according to taste, and the cucumber. Stir until evenly distributed. Garnish with a bit of green and serve well chilled.
Yield: about 2 1/2 cups
Add mint or dill: Slight variations include 1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh dill and/or fresh mint. Tasty additions!
Shopping Tip:
The thick, full-fat yogurts available at Greek, Middle Eastern, and specialty food markets - or a commercial full-fat strained yogurt - will give the best results. You can also make your own strained yogurt using full-fat, low-fat, or fat-free commercial yogurt.

Melitzanes me Feta
The classic combination of baked eggplant, tomato, and herbs is enhanced by the addition of feta cheese to create a delicious meatless appetizer, side dish, or meatless or main dish.
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds of eggplants (long slender type)
olive oil for frying
5 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound of ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 pound of feta cheese, crumbled
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Wash the eggplants and remove stems. Cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices. Fry lightly (until soft and gently browned) in 1/4 inch of oil.
Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
Layer the eggplant in the bottom of a baking dish. Combine the tomatoes, basil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste, in a bowl, and spoon the mixture over the eggplant. Top with feta cheese, and bake at 355°F (180°C) for 45 minutes.
Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.