Monday Menu

It was a rainy morning here in Corn Country. I'm sure the farmers appreciated it, as I did for my little garden that is growing like crazy! I've never seen such big peppers, lettuce and potatoes! Of course the weeds are going strong too. If the rain holds off a few days I might be able to get out to pull. We did our grocery shopping today and ate at our favorite place for a fast supper....Chipotle Mexican Grill! I have to give a shout out to Chipotle for their sustainable, ethical and yummy practices. Fresh food is always great and Chipotle does a great job at trying to get fresh and even local food into their restaurants. They have my full support! Anyway, on to the menu...

Monday-Chipotle!! :)
Tuesday-Veggie Calzones; salad;
Wednesday-Fajitas; peaches; chips & salsa
Thursday-Cajun Salmon; dirty rice; green beans
Friday-Pesto (first of the season!!!) Tortellini; salad; garlic bread
Saturday-Paninis; oven fries; fruit

Look for the recipes for many of these dishes in the future!

Easy, Jazzed-Up Spanish Rice

I started making Spanish Rice after we got married and have been playing with the recipe ever since. This is what I have come up with that I like, but you can modify to your own tastes.

Spanish Rice

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups brown rice (white rice will cook more quickly, but brown rice is healthier...and still yummy)
• 1-28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes-not drained
  
• 6-8 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 bell or poblano pepper, chopped
• 1 can black, pinto or red kidney beans
  
• chili powder-to taste
  
• chipotle power (optional)
• salt & pepper-to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a deep skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions and rice, cooking until rice beings to brown. Add pepper and tomatoes, breaking up the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces with a spoon. Add vegetable broth and reduce heat. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more broth/water, as needed. Add beans last and cook until beans are heated. Season as desired with chili powder and salt. You can add ground beef/turkey/chicken if you would like a more meaty option.

Enjoy!

"C-ville Style" Deep-Dish Pizza

This is no Giordano's or Geno's East, but it was pretty good deep-dish pizza. I used the same recipe for the dough as I do for my calzones. Just grease up some 8" or 9" cake pans and press dough up the sides of the pan. Layer veggies, then cheese and sauce on top-that's the Chi-town way. For this one I used mozzarella cheese, broccoli, green pepper, zucchini, and tomatoes, but you can add any of your favorite toppings. I baked it for about 30 min in a 400 degree oven.

Here's a link to my post on calzones with the dough recipe I used, but feel free to use your own recipe, or frozen...if you must. Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough

Enjoy!

PS-Sorry the pic is so small.