Menu Plan Monday- Dec.3

One of the things that I am striving for in my meal planning these days is a good balance of red meat, poultry, fish, and vegetarian meals. This week I have 2 meals with red meat, 2 with poultry, 1 with fish, and 1 vegetarian:

Monday: Turkey veggie pot pie 
(I believe this is from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry- it’s supposed to be a chicken pie, has asparagus and other veggies in it, and it uses sweet potato in the crust- amazing!)
Tuesday: Chili with black/kidney beans, as well as lots of veggies, plus homemade bread.
I’m also making hummus and homemade flat bread to bring to my home school group’s Christmas party.
Wednesday: Scotch broth (with turkey because I don’t have lamb), homemade bread.
Thursday: Fish coconut curry, over brown rice, steamed veggies.
Friday: Crockpot roast, with potatoes, carrots, onions and celery, plus gravy.
I’ll be making my favorite salsa to bring to a party.
Saturday: Dinner with friends- I’m not sure what I’m contributing yet!
Sunday: Rice pasta with Janet’s Tomato Sauce (my mother-in-law), greek salad and homemade bread.

Here are a few of the recipes:

Fish coconut curry

1/2 cup dried, shredded coconut
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ginger
chili pepper flakes to taste
1/2 Tbsp. turmeric
dash of fish sauce, if you have it (soy or Bragg’s is a good substitute)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp. honey
4 fillets of white fish (sole, cod, halibut, trout, etc.), cut into 1 inch chunks

1) Fry dried coconut in large frying pan on low-medium heat, just until lightly browned. Add a little oil (1 Tbsp. olive oil), and stir in all spices.
2) Add fish sauce, lemon juice, chicken broth, coconut milk, honey and fish. Simmer for about  20 min., or until fish is cooked through.
3) Serve on rice, serves 4.

Janet’s Tomato Sauce (this is my husband’s absolute favorite sauce- of course, it’s his Mom’s recipe- but I can take it, because I have to admit, it’s better than

1 small can tomato paste (12-13 oz.)
1-1 1/2 cups water (I usually start with 1, add extra later if needed)
4 large tomatoes, diced
1 sm. eggplant, diced or 1 cup chopped mushrooms
I green pepper, diced
(I also like adding 1/2 grated carrot)
1 med. onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Bay leaf
2-3 Tbsp. soy sauce or Bragg’s
2-3 Tbsp. parsley
1 1/2 tsp. each of basil and oregano (I use 1 1/2 Tbsp. Italian spice mix, and omit the rosemary later)
1- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp. each marjoram, thyme, kelp, rosemary
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Saute veggies in olive oil, until onions are soft. Add tomatoes, reduce heat and cook until tomatoes liquify (15-20 min.). Add tomato paste and water. Last, add spices and simmer for 45 min, covered.

Stephanie’s favorite salsa

8 Roma tomatoes (6 regular tomatoes), finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, very finely diced
1/2 Jalapeño pepper (or less or more, depending how hot you like it), very finely diced
4 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1 tsp. sea salt

Dice the tomatoes by hand. If you like, you can combine the onion, jalapeño and cilantro in a food processor to get a fine texture quickly (or just do it by hand). Mix all together, and add salt. Allow to sit for a few minutes, and then drain off some of the tomato liquid. Add lemon juice, and taste a whole lot of salsa with tortilla chips while trying to "decide" whether it tastes quite good enough yet! Add more lemon or salt if needed. Try not to eat it all before you serve it!

Goes amazing with homemade guacamole too- my basic recipe is about 1 clove of garlic, 1-2 tsp. of lemon or lime, and a pinch of salt per avacado- mix in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. Mmmm, I could eat it all day long.

Thanks for hosting, Organizing Junkie!