MAKING HEALTHY COOKING EASIER - MONDAY NIGHT MENUS

                 
MONDAY NIGHT MENUS 
(Menus Created by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Hope you had your greens and peas for New Years.  We slipped and ate Italian at our house; time will tell!  I do have a wonderful Turnip Green Soup that I traditionally make though.  Be looking for the recipe in a later post this winter.  We intend to share lots of soups this winter; they are healthy, nutritious and delicious.

I like to fill these cold winter nights with soups and hot dishes as much as possible; but every now and then your taste buds crave a green salad and this one seems to answer the call of that craving that comes after all the holiday sugars!  It is bright and colorful and loaded with flavors, not to mention all the healthy nutrients that come as a bonus to your body.

So here is the menu for tonight:
BROCCOLI CORNBREAD
CATALINA CHICKEN SALAD
PEACH RASPBERRY CRISP PIE

If you are on a fast night, or simply watching your weight; leave off the cornbread and the pie and enjoy the salad all by itself.  I promise you it will give you all the flavor your taste buds desire and you will be completely satisfied.  If you are enjoying a feast day - indulge in the delicious bread and dessert without a qualm of guilt!  Either way - enjoy tonight's menu.

The easy recipes follow:

BROCCOLI CORNBREAD
Ingredients:
2 pkgs. white cornbread mix
4 eggs
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup cottage cheese
2/3 cup melted butter
Directions:
Pam a casserole dish.  Mix all together and bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.



CATALINA CHICKEN SALAD
Ingredients:

2 lbs. Chicken Strips, thawed

1 medium bottle of Catalina Salad Dressing

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1 small jar peach preserves

3 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 ripe but green apple

1 red apple
5 slices honeydew melon cut into small chunks

1 block of cheddar cheese cut into chunks

1 orange peeled and sliced or cut into chunks

¼ cup pecan pieces

½ cup sour cream

4 cups washed torn bite-sized lettuce pieces (keep very cold)

1 can (or fresh is even better) small brown field peas

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Take a meat cleaver and pound the chicken pieces between two pieces of wax paper on a chopping board.  Lay chicken in a pre-pammed medium-sized casserole dish.  In a medium-sized bowl mix the Catalina Salad Dressing, Lipton Onion Dry Soup mix and the jar of peach preserves together.  Set aside.  Sprinkle the salt, pepper and minced garlic over the chicken, then pour the liquid ingredients from the bowl over the chicken.  Cook in oven for one hour.  Take out and cool enough to shred the chicken into small pieces and place aside in a small bowl.   

While the chicken is cooking place the field peas into a small sauce pan and simmer on low on the stove until tender.  Keep warm until time to use.  

Cut the apples, orange, honeydew melon and cheese into bite sized chunks.  Lay the lettuce pieces down on a plate first.  Top with the fruit and cheese pieces.  Pile the shredded chicken pieces on top of this.  Use a spoon to ladle some of the sauce from the chicken dish onto the salad mix.  Place a dollop of sour cream in the middle of the plate over all.

 Top with warm field peas and sprinkle pecan pieces for a finishing garnish. 

You will crave this salad from now on!  It is great, healthy and filling.  Just add some warm bread and a glass of tea and you are all set for a full meal.  There are enough ingredients to make four salads in this recipe.

(If you are watching your weight and you want to eat healthy, or if you are using fast days, ordinary days and feast days and you ARE NOT on a feast day) leave this pie off your menu!)

PEACH/RASPBERRY CRISP PIE
Crust:
Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
4 Tablespoons cold water
Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Mix flour and salt together.  Cut in shortening.  Sprinkle with cold water and mix lightly until smooth and moist.  pat into prepared pie plate.  Press edges and bottom of pan with a fork and bake 15 minutes until golden brown.
Filling:
Ingredients:
1 pint raspberries
3 large ripe peaches (sliced)
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
Directions:
Toss all ingredients together and mix well inside a medium bowl.  Place filling on top of crust.
Topping:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
Directions:
Set oven to 375 degrees F.  use a medium bowl to stir together all ingredients cutting in the butter until coarse crumbs form.  Place on top of filling.  Bake until topping is golden brown and fruit bubbles - approximately 40 - 45 minutes.  Cool a bit before serving. (Great with vanilla bean ice cream!)