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Smart Food: Weekly Menu, Jan. 31 – Feb. 4

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Below is this week’s dinner menu at this Smart Mama home.  This week is a little crazy in the here, we’re moving!  Not far, just 4 miles away…but honestly the distance isn’t the challenge; it’s the packing, moving and unpacking. Add to the situation that I’m 5 months pregnant making it a wee bit more of a pain!  So here’s the menu, taking in mind that we are cleaning out our cupboards, fridge and freezer with this week’s recipe!

Week of January 31, 2011

Monday:
Pork tenderloin, Cuban black beans and rice

Pork recipe: I’m making life easy with this one.  I’m going to season the pork with salt, pepper, lime and onion and bake it at 425° for 25-30 minutes.

UPDATE:

Just finished eating our dinner tonight and the pork came out delicious! I ended up adding a diced onion, juice of half a lemon, a little olive oil & salt & pepper on top. Baked it until it reached 180 degrees – about 45 minutes. So good!

Cuban Black Beans:

  • 1 lb of dried black beans
  • 10 cups of cold water
  • 2 green peppers
  • 2/3 cups of olive oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 4 teaspoons of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon of oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons of dry white wine

Rinse beans in tap water. Place rinsed bean in large pot with the 10 cups of cold water. Quarter 1 green pepper and place in pot. Soak overnight.

In the same pot, bring water to a slow boil. Allow to cook for 45 minutes to soften the beans. Pour olive oil in a warmed fry pan. Sauté diced onion, minced garlic and remaining chopped green pepper. Take about 1 cup of black beans and pour into fry pan. Mash the beans well. Pour mashed bean mixture back into the pot. Add salt, pepper, oregano, bay leaf and sugar. Allow to simmer for approximately 1 hour. Add vinegar and wine and continue to simmer at a low heat for at least 1 more hour. If beans are very watery, keep pot uncovered. Enjoy!

Tuesday
Southwestern Beef Crescent Bake – I found this recipe on the ground beef package at Target!

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 can (15 oz) chili beans
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) chili season stewed tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 can (15.25 oz) Mexican-style corn, drained
  • 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dough
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1-1 ½ cups of shredded lettuce

Preheat oven to 375°.  Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until beef is evenly browned.  Drain off juices.  Add beans, tomatoes and corn; bring to a boil.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until almost dry.  Set aside.  Remove the crescent dough from package and unroll.  Press the dough evenly in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan and up the sides.  Bake for about 10 minutes, or until crust is light brown.  Spoon beef mixture onto crust; top with cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.  Serve each slice topped with sour cream and shredded lettuce.  Serves 6.

Wednesday
Churrasco (a.k.a skirt steak) with Baked Potato Fries

This is a very easy steak recipe.

Season (S&P) steak and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, or pan fry.

Potato Recipe:  http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/06/baked-sweet-potato-fries.html

Thursday
Pasta with Cauliflower

This is my mother in law’s recipe, which we have tweaked.

  • 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 box of pasta – penne is the favorite for this dish here!
  • 3 tbsp of olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup of grated parmesan (tastes much better if this is freshly grated)
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add cauliflower and boil until it is very tender.  Use a slotted spoon to remove cauliflower and place in serving dish.  Add pasta to the water and boil until desired time.

In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic.  Sauté for a few minutes.  Add to the cauliflower.  Mash cauliflower using a potato masher, or fork.  Add cheese and salt and pepper.  When pasta is cooked, drain and add to the mashed cauliflower mixture.  Stir well.

This dish seems to taste even better the next day, so be sure to save some for lunch!

Friday
We’re moving on Saturday so we’re ordering pizza!!!

Do you have a recipe that you would love the Smart Mama home to enjoy?  Please email me at SmartyPantsMama <at> gmail <dot> com to learn how to have your recipe featured in an upcoming menu!

2 thoughts on “Smart Food: Weekly Menu, Jan. 31 – Feb. 4

  1. I think it would be a perfect recipe for your family. Thank you for sharing your very delicious recipe. I’ll try to make some of it.

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