Mon | No meat
Boil some frozen gnocchi — the Italian potato pasta curls — and serve it with a chunky, homemade tomato sauce and lots of Parmesan cheese. To make the sauce, saute a garlic clove and half a small, diced onion in olive oil. Add a large can of diced tomatoes and their juice along with a teaspoon of sugar. Let simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened, then season with black pepper and toss in lots of chopped, fresh basil. Green salad and rolls on the side.
Tues | No salt
Trimming salt from our sodium-heavy diet is a good thing, and a new cookbook from the American Heart Association provides plenty of ideas and recipes. For Low-Salt Shrimp and Spinach Pasta (recipe below) the flavor boost comes from lemon zest and lemon juice added at the end of cooking to brighten the entire dish. Remember, too, that shrimp are naturally a bit salty.
Wed | Rotisserie chicken
It seems every chip manufacturer is crisping up sweet potatoes for our snacking pleasure. We should embrace the orange more, too. Tonight, make Old-Bay Roasted Sweet Potatoes to serve with rotisserie chicken. This Stir Crazy favorite, from the now defunct Everyday Food, starts with preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Clean 3 medium sweet potatoes then chop into 1-inch pieces. Toss with 1 ½ teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Thurs | No gluten
Pork Chops With Greek Brown Rice is a hearty dinner that's good for those people not eating wheat. Grill your chops any way you'd like then make a pot of brown rice. When rice is ready, stir in diced and seeded tomatoes, feta cheese crumbles, chopped kalamata olives and fresh parsley, seasoning with black pepper. Drizzle olive oil over all and stir.
Fri | No (or little) fat
Grilled Veggies With Fish Packets is a lean dinner if there ever was one. The asparagus is looking pretty good now so clean some spears, brush very lightly with olive oil and season with coarse salt to get them ready for the grill. Then place thin fish fillets on foil on top of sliced lemons. Top with chopped red onion and diced zucchini, squeeze on more lemon and scatter lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and then drizzle with a wee bit of olive oil. Fold packets tightly but leave room for steam to rise. Toss on the grill next to asparagus spears. They will all be ready to eat in about 15 minutes. (Turn asparagus a few times.)
Janet K. Keeler can be reached at jkeeler@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8586. Follow her on Twitter at @roadeats.
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