Meals for the week of...August 2, 2010

Monday: Pepper Jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadillas with Chips and Salsa

from Cooking Light Magazine August 2010

Tuesday: Turkey Cranberry Sandwiches with Glazed Carrots

Wednesday: Spicy Tex-Mex Pizza and Salad

Thursday: Spaghetti

Friday: Sweet Potato with Black Bean Salsa

Pepper Jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadilla

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp fresh lime juice

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

4 (8-inch) flour tortillas

3/4 cup (3 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers (I used more)

1 cup chopped, skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast

1 cup thinly sliced peeled firm ripe peaches

4 tsp chopped fresh cilantro

cooking spray

1. Combine honey and lime juice in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir sour cream into honey mixture; cover and chill until ready to serve.

2. Place tortillas flat on a work surface. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons (I used more) over half of each tortilla; top each tortilla with 1/4 cup chicken; 1/4 cup peaches; and 1 tsp cilantro. Fold tortillas in half.

I changed this step slightly. I placed the tortilla into the pan (coated with cooking spray) and then added the cheese to the entire tortilla, chicken to half, peaches to half, and cilantro to half. I let the cheese start to melt and then folded the quesadilla in half and continued cooking on both sides until the cheese was melted.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place 2 quesadillas in the pan, and top quesadillas with a cast-iron or other heavy skillet. Cook 1 and 1/2 minutes on each side or until tortillas are crisp and lightly browned (leave cast-iron skillet on quesadillas as they cook). Remove quesadillas from pan; set aside and keep warm. Repeat procedure with the remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into wedges. Serve with sauce.

I served this with some chips and salsa.

Salsa recipe: 2 cans drained diced tomatoes, 1 can rotel, and a handful of fresh cilantro. Blend in a blender or food processor.

Turkey Cranberry Open Faced Sandwiches and Glazed Carrots

1 package thinly sliced deli turkey

Sliced pepper-jack cheese

Jellied Cranberry Sauce

1 small jar Apricot or Peach Jam/Jelly (or something similar)

Hoagie Buns

Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1/2 jelly jar and 1/2 can cranberry sauce together in a bowl. Cut the hoagie buns in half lengthwise. On each half, layer with cranberry sauce mixture, sliced turkey, and top with pepper-jack cheese. Place all open faced sandwiches on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil in the oven to warm and melt the cheese - approximately 10 minutes.

Glazed Carrots

Steam a bag of baby carrots. Drain water and

Spicy Tex-Mex Pizza

1 - 12 inch thin-crust Italian bread shell (10 oz Boboli) or Italian flat bread (12.5 oz focaccia)

8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese with peppers or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)

1 - 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 - 11 oz. can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained

2 to 5 T. chopped pickled jalapeno peppers (optional - I did not use these)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place crust on an ungreased pizza pan or cookie sheet. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, all of the beans, corn and jalapeno peppers, if desired. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting to serve. Makes 6 servings.

** We added salsa to the top when served. It was the salsa I used earlier in the week with the quesadillas. Also could add sliced chicken. **

Spaghetti

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 package spaghetti noodles

Cook both according to package directions and serve.

Sweet Potato with Warm Black Bean Salad

4 medium sweet potatoes

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed

2 medium tomatoes, diced (we used a can of rotel instead plus some extra canned tomatoes)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Prick sweet potatoes with a fork in several places. Microwave on high until tender all the way to the center, 12-15 minutes. (Alternatively, place in a baking dish at 425 degrees F until tender all the way to the center, about 1 hour.)

Meanwhile, in a medium microwaveable bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, oil, cumin, coriander and salt; microwave on high until just heated through, 2-3 minutes. (Alternatively, heat in a small saucepan over medium heat.)

When just cool enough to handle, slash each sweet potato lengthwise, press open to make a well in the center and spoon the bean mixture into the well. Top each with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro.