Here are this week's recipes. 

Monday – Portobello, Mushroom and Caramelized Shallot Omelet and Frisee Salad

Tuesday –Rosemary Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Peaches and Green Beans

Wednesday – Turkey Sloppy Joes, Steamed Broccoli and Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday – Balsamic Chicken over Angel Hair Pasta and Green Salad

Friday – Tortellini with Fennel, Tomatoes and Spinach and Crusty Bread

Recipes:

The recipes serve four people unless otherwise noted. In my house there are two adults and two little kids.

Portobello Mushroom and Caramelized Shallot Omelet (from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures, 1998)

6 Teaspoons of unsalted butter, divided

4 Golf ball size shallots, quartered

Pinch of sugar

4 Portobello mushrooms (3 inches in diameter), stems discarded and caps sliced ¼ inch thick

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ Teaspoon minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon

3 Tablespoons soft mild goat cheese

4 Large eggs

2 Tablespoons water

1. Melt 2 teaspoons of butter in a medium-size skillet over medium heat.  Add shallots and sugar and toss.  Lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Cook the shallots until they are soft and brown for about 10 minutes.  Remove the cover and toss occasionally.  Scrape the shallots into a bowl, then wash the pan.
2. Melt 2 teaspoons of butter over medium heat in the same skillet.  Add the mushrooms and sauté until brown and juicy, about 10 minutes.  Stir the shallots, salt, pepper, and tarragon.  Gently stir in the goat cheese. Keep the mixture hot.
3. In a medium-size bowl beat the eggs with water and some salt to taste.
4. Make the omelets one at a time. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, pour in half of the egg mixture. It should immediately set at the edges. With an inverted spatula push the set egg toward the center and tip the pan to let the liquid run back to the edge.  When most of the egg is cooked, spoon half of the hot filling onto one side of the omelet. Immediately fold the omelet in half and flip it onto a plate.

I serve the omelet with a frisée salad on the side. I also skip the part about washing the pan in step 1. I just put the mushroom right in after the shallots. This recipe makes 2 large omelets.

Rosemary-Mustard Pork with Peaches (from Food Network Magazine, July/August 2010)

2  1-pound pork tenderloins trimmed

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Vegetable oil, for the grill

3 Firm-ripe peaches, halved, pitted and cut into wedges

½ Cup dry white wine

1/3 Cup packed light brown sugar

1 Lemon

2 Teaspoons whole-grain mustard

¼ Teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus 1 or 3 small sprigs

1. Preheat a grill to high. Pat the pork dry and season with salt and pepper. Lightly oil the grill. Place the pork on the grill, turning, until marked, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine the peaches, wine, brown sugar, and ½ cup water in saucepan. Remove strips of zest from the lemon with a vegetable peeler and add to the pan. Squeeze in the lemon juice. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the peaches are just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
3. Add the mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the juices in the pan. Transfer 1/3 cup of the liquid to a small bowl and stir in the chopped rosemary; brush onto the pork and continuing grilling until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145 degrees, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board.
4. Meanwhile, simmer the remaining liquid in the saucepan until syrupy, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt. Return the peaches to the pan along with rosemary sprigs.  Slice the pork and serve with the peaches.

Serve this dinner with steamed green beans.

Turkey Sloppy Joes (from www.dinneralovestory.com)

Olive oil

½ Onion chopped

1 Clove garlic, minced

Handful of zucchini (shredded) and red bell peppers (chopped)

1 Pound ground turkey (dark meat)

½ Can of tomato paste

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 Teaspoon oregano

Pinch of cinnamon, salt and pepper

Whole wheat buns

Slices of cheddar cheese

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil.  Then add onion, garlic, zucchini and pepper. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
2. Add ground turkey and cook until most of the pink is gone.  Drain the fat.
3. Add tomato paste, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper and mix together, adding a bit of water if the meat looks too dry.  Lower the heat and simmer another 5-10 minutes until meat is cooked through and flavors have melded. (Note:  I always add water to the mixture and I also add ketchup, which isn’t in the original recipe. The meat mixture needed a tiny bit of sweetness to get my kids to like it and a squirt or two of ketchup in the mix add just enough.)
4. Top one side of a whole wheat bun with the Sloppy Joe mixture and cover with a slice of cheddar cheese.  Put the open-faced Sloppy Joes in the broiler to melt the cheese for two minutes. (Note: I broil them in my toaster oven because my oven is occupied with sweet potato fries.)
5. Serve topped with sour cream. 

I serve this dinner with sweet potatoes fries and steamed broccoli.  For fries: peel and slice two sweet potatoes and toss them on a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil, salt, a pinch of sugar and chili powder.  Bake them at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Balsamic Chicken over Angel Hair Pasta (from the Facebook page Crock Pot Girls)

4-6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts

2   14.5 Ounce cans of diced tomatoes

1 Onion thinly sliced

4 Garlic cloves

½ Cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Teaspoon dried oregano

1 Teaspoon dried basil

1 Teaspoon dried rosemary

½ Teaspoon thyme

Ground black pepper and salt to taste

1. Pour olive oil on bottom of crock pot.
2. Place in chicken breast, salt and pepper each one. Put sliced onion on top of chicken. Then put in all the dried herbs and garlic cloves. Pour in vinegar and top with tomatoes.
3. Cook on high for four hours.  Slice chicken and serve over angel hair pasta.

Serve with a green salad.

Tortellini with Fennel, Tomatoes and Spinach (from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures, 1998)

¼ Cup olive oil

6 Garlic cloves, minced

1/8 Teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 Fennel bulb, halved vertically and thinly sliced (reserve feathery sprigs)

3 Plum tomatoes, seeded and cubed

5 Cups (5 ounces) fresh spinach, stems discarded

¼ Teaspoon salt

Generous seasoning freshly ground black pepper

1 Pound cheese tortellini

¼ Cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon finely chopped fennel sprigs (see above)

1. Bring large pot of water to boil.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook one minute. Stir in the fennel and sauté for five minutes, or until crisp but tender.  Add the tomatoes—toss well—and cook five minutes, or until tomato pieces begin to soften.
3. Stir in the spinach, salt, and pepper and toss just until wilted about one minute. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.
4. Drop the tortellini into boiling water and cook until al dente, about five minutes. Meanwhile, check the consistency of the sauce. Depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes, it might need some liquid. If so, remove 2 tablespoons of the starchy pasta water and add it to the sauce. Drain the tortellini thoroughly, then mix it into the sauce along with cheese. Serve with the chopped fennel sprigs sprinkled on top.

Serve with crusty bread.

Grocery Shopping

This grocery list is divided into sections like the grocery store so it is easier to manage. There is a section at the bottom of the list for your pantry. Check your pantry for those items and if you don’t have them, add them to your shopping list. I have coded the grocery list by dinner item. If your family doesn’t like a particular side item substitute something else.

Portobello, Mushroom and Caramelized Shallot Omelet and Frisee Salad = MO

Rosemary Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Peaches and Green Beans = RMP

Turkey Sloppy Joes, Steamed Broccoli and Sweet Potato Fries = TSJ

Balsamic Chicken over Angel Hair Pasta and Green Salad = BC

Tortellini with Fennel, Tomatoes and Spinach and Crusty Bread = TF

Grocery List

Dairy

Unsalted butter (MO)

Soft mild goat cheese (MO)

4 Large eggs (MO)

Slices of cheddar cheese (TSJ)

Grated Parmesan cheese (TF)

Produce

4 Golf ball size shallots (MO)

4 Portobello mushrooms (MO)

½ Teaspoon minced fresh tarragon (MO)

Frisée salad (MO)

3 Firm-ripe peaches (RMP)

1 Lemon (RMP)

Fresh rosemary (RMP)

Green beans (RMP)

Broccoli (TSJ)

2 Sweet potatoes (TSJ)

2 Onions (TSJ, BC)

Garlic (TSJ, BC, TF)

Zucchini (TSJ)

Red bell pepper (TSJ)

Salad greens (BC)

1 Fennel bulb (TF)

3 Plum tomatoes (TF)

5 Cups (5 ounces) fresh spinach (TF)

Grocery

Dry white wine (RMP)

Light brown sugar (RMP)

Whole-grain mustard (RMP)

Tomato paste (TSJ)

2   14.5 Ounce cans of diced tomatoes (BC)

1 Pound cheese tortellini (TF)

Bakery

Whole wheat buns (TSJ)

Crusty bread (TF)

Meat/Fish

2  1-Pound pork tenderloins (RMP)

1 Pound ground turkey (dark meat) (TSJ)

4-6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts (BC)

Check your pantry for:

Coarse salt (like Kosher salt)

Pepper grinder

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Vegetable oil

Sugar (MO)

Chili powder (TSJ)

Dried oregano (TSJ, BC)

Cinnamon (TSJ)

Balsamic vinegar (BC)

Dried basil (BC)

Dried rosemary (BC)

Thyme (BC)

Crushed red pepper flakes (TF)