Spring is in the Air!

Spring is springing up all over! I even had to turn on the air conditioning yesterday! With spring comes lighter fare on the menu. I like to cook seasonally when possible. It helps me to decide my menus by what is available and in season. I mentioned last week that I was looking at including at least one meatless meal each week which I did this week and will try to continue to do. When I eat less meat, I feel lighter.

Monday

My oldest child was still home from college for spring break so I made Linguine with clam sauce. I have two recipes for linguine with clam sauce. One my husband prefers with tomatoes, wine and broth in addition to clams and herbs. My oldest son prefers the simpler one, so that is what I made this time. The recipe is from one of my absolute favorite cookbooks - the 1989 Southern Living Annual Recipe Cookbook. This is an easy week night dish. I served it with a Caesar Salad using this easy dressing recipe. I completed the meal with my home made French bread (pictured.)

Linguine with Clam Sauce

1 (16 oz) package linguine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. olive oil

2 (6.5 oz) cans minced clams, drained very well

1/2 t. dried whole basil

1/2 t. dried whole oregano

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley

1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Saute' garlic in oil in a medium skillet; add clams and next 4 ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring often, 5 minutes. Add linguine to skillet; add parsley and toss gently. Top with Parmesan cheese. Yield 4-6 servings.

Tuesday

You may remember that last week I grilled chicken breasts and made extra for use this week. An easy family favorite is Chicken Enchiladas. I don't have a written recipe for this, a friend once told me an easy way to make enchiladas and I have made them that way every since. First, I chopped up the leftover grilled chicken. Then, I used a package of tortillas - enchiladas should be corn tortillas, but we prefer wheat and I used whole wheat at that. I chopped an onion and opened a package of shredded Mexican cheese (which just means it is a mixture of cheeses often used in Mexican dishes.) For many years I would not use pre-shredded cheese but now I appreciate the convenience. Why didn't I use this cheese? In order to keep the cheese from sticking together, manufacturers add cellulose to the shredded cheese. Cellulose is a plant material used commercially in wood and paper and I was a young purist, but as I grew older, I decided the addition was worth the convenience. The last ingredient in this easy dish is a can or two of red enchilada sauce.

Quick directions for Chicken Enchiladas

Open the can of enchilada sauce. Pour some of the sauce in the bottom of a 8 X 11.5 pan. Pour some more of the sauce on a plate. Dip a tortilla in the sauce on one side. On the side with sauce add some chopped onion, chopped chicken and cheese. Roll up and place in pan. Continue until your pan is full of enchiladas. Pour some more sauce on top of the enchiladas and top with more shredded cheese. Cover pan with foil, bake in a 350 degree oven for 25- 30 minutes.

I served the enchiladas with black beans (canned) to which I added some minced garlic and cumin. A green salad completed the meal.

Wednesday

I think I mentioned before that we have a small group at our house on Wednesday nights so I usually make something early. The March 2011 Southern Living Magazine had a recipe for Slow-cooker Red Beans and Rice which I made - with some variations. The recipe calls for 1/2 pound andouille chicken sausage. I had another chicken sausage in the freezer so I used that instead and used a whole pound. I also added a leftover ham bone from my freezer at the beginning for extra flavor. It is a convenient recipe because you put the dried beans in the crock pot still dried and they reconstitute as they cook. To complete this meal I added a salad and more of the French bread.

Thursday

In our local grocery store ad, I noticed Mahi Mahi on sale, so I searched for a recipe. I found one called Sweetly Succulent Mahi Mahi on the SparkRecipes app on my IPhone. (You can see the recipe here.) The irony is that the grocery store did not have any Mahi Mahi so I ended up making it with grouper. It was still very good. I steamed some asparagus and made a lemon butter to go with it. Simply melt some butter and add lemon juice and cayenne pepper. I made some Asian black rice to go with the fish since it had a lot of fresh ginger in it which gave the fish an Asian feel. I added some sesame oil and garlic to the rice. A nice light, spring meal.

Friday

I love to cook at home, but an occasional night out is always a treat. We are members of a country club and we have to spend a minimum amount on food each quarter. Friday was pasta night so we decided to eat at the club.

I do want to tell you about a lunch I have enjoyed this week. I found it on the same SparksRecipes app on my phone. It is called Greek Hummus Wrap. It is a vegetarian wrap and is very tasty and filling. It calls for onions which I left off, but I added sliced Kalamata olives. I also used plain feta cheese rather than the reduced fat feta with added herbs.

Saturday

Saturday night was my meatless night for the week. I made a fresh vegetable lasagna. I found it in the February 2011 Southern Living magazine. It was a big hit with my family. The recipe made quite a large pan of lasagna so it will be nice for leftovers throughout the week. I made the sauce included with the recipe and added extra carrots and celery to it as well as some fennel. The recipe calls for a little sugar but I left that out. It was great without it. The recipe made about twice as much sauce as needed for the lasagna recipe. I put the extra sauce in the freezer for a future meal. The meal was rounded out by salad and French bread.

Saturday is often a big cooking day for me and this Saturday was just that. I made the sauce and the lasagna, another batch of homemade yogurt, more French bread - this time with rosemary and garlic and the first batch of homemade granola for the year. We love granola and yogurt with fresh berries during the spring and summer.

Sunday

We ended our week and spring break eating the Sunday buffet at the Country Club. I ended up having a long discussion with the chef about bread - they had some great homemade sourdough bread. He was kind enough to give me some starter and I have some whole wheat sourdough bread working as I write. It is definitely an experiment. I couldn't find exactly the recipe I wanted so I adapted another one and it was very dry so I have been adding more liquid as I go along. The first rise is nearly over. I am planning on it being our lunch bread for the week so I hope it turns out!

I'll be back next week. Enjoy your week. Play with your food!