Weekly Meal Plan #23

For the Mango Pico

• In a medium bowl, combine the diced mangoes, tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. Stir in the lime juice and salt to taste. Combine well and set aside.

For the Blackened Fish

• Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed non-stick skillet over high heat for several minutes until VERY hot.
• Working one piece of fish at a time, dip into the melted butter, coating both sides. Then dredge lightly through the blackening seasoning blend.
• Place the seasoned fish into the hot skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip, and cook another 2-3 minutes. To prevent blackening seasoning from building up, carefully wipe the skillet out between each piece. Transfer to a platter, cover with foil, and repeat until all pieces of fish are done.
• When ready to serve, slice the fish into strips. On a warm tortilla, add cabbage, fish, optional sauces and top with the prepared mango pico.

• First, in a large skillet on medium high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef with the chopped bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle in half the salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the beef is no longer pink, about 10 minutes.
• Then, stir in the remaining ingredients. Use the spoon to work the tomato paste into the liquid until it creates a thick sauce.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. Add more water as needed to reach the desired consistency. If your sauce is “too thin”, continue to cook until the liquid has reduced.
• Taste and reseason to your liking.
• Finally, serve hot on toasted buns and top with cheese if desired. Yum!

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic, onion and ground beef. Sprinkle with half of the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are tender and the meat is no longer pink. Transfer the cooked beef to the crockpot.
• Add the whole stewed tomatoes to a 6 quart crockpot. Break them up into smaller pieces. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sliced mushrooms and zucchini.
• Add the remaining salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and basil. Stir in the broth. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
• During the last 30 minutes, stir in the broken lasagna noodles. Stir occasionally until the pasta is tender.
• Serve with grated cheese and garlic bread.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x11 baking dish with two tablespoons of the butter. Set aside.
• In a large sauce pan, whisk together the chicken broth, 1 cup of the milk, and the water. Stir in the remaining butter, minced garlic and sea salt. Heat over medium low to a simmer, stirring frequently.
• Once the liquid mixture has come to a simmer, whisk in the grits. Whisk almost constantly until the mixture thickens. For quick grits = about 5 - 7 minutes. For regular grits = about 15 minutes. For old fashioned grits = about 20 minutes. The mixture will be soupy and not very thick.
• Remove the grits from heat. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, remaining milk, hot sauce and black pepper together until smooth. Whisk the egg mixture into the grits. Stir in one cup of each type of cheese, reserving some for the top.
• Pour the cheese grits into the prepared buttered baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven. For quick grits = 30 minutes. For regular grits = 45 minutes. For old fashioned grits = about 50 minutes or more, test them for doneness. 
• Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and return to the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
• While the cheese grits recipe is baking, prepare the pepper strips by tossing them in the olive oil. Bake in a separate small baking dish along side the grits until the peppers are tender. Set aside until serving.
• Prepare the crab cakes according to package directions. Keep warm until serving.
• To serve family style, create a bed of cheese grits on a large platter. Top the grits with the prepared crab cakes. Serve along with the roasted red peppers and sprinkle the chopped green onion over the top. Serve warm!

• In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and jalapeno for 5 - 7 minutes until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook + stir another 1 - 2 minutes until you can smell the garlic.
• Next, carefully stir in the chicken broth, water, and crushed tomatoes. Add the corn, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, and half of the cilantro. Combine well.
• Then place the whole chicken breasts into the soup mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the chicken breasts from the pot. Use two forks to shred the chicken, then add the shredded chicken back to the pot. Stir and simmer 15 minutes.
• To serve, ladle a serving of the chicken tortilla soup into a bowl. Squeeze lime juice over the top. Add fresh chopped cilantro, avocado, and tortilla strips. Enjoy!

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x12 baking dish with non stick spray.
• In a skillet on medium high, cook ground beef, diced onion, and half the salt and pepper until the beef is browned. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and flour. Cook and stir for 3 minutes until the flour is distributed and browned.
• Slowly stir in the water or beef broth. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• While beef is cooking, place peeled and cubed potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Heat to high and boil until potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork. Drain COMPLETELY. Return potatoes to the pot. Add butter and remaining salt and pepper. Mash with a large fork or potato masher to desired consistency.
• Add milk and continue to mash until potatoes are smooth. Adjust amount of milk as needed.
• Spread the beef and gravy mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• Top evenly with the bag of peas and carrots. Then spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top.
• Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and french fried onions.
• Bake in oven for 40 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted and golden.
• Rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!