Since today is 9/11 I hope you all take a moment to remember the tragedy and heroism of that day as well as the everlasting changes it made in our lives.  Thank you to all our First Responders, firefighters, paramedics, police, and of course our military for all that you do to keep our country safe!

Now on to less important matters.  What are we going to eat this week?  We’re definitely eating eggplant because my garden won’t stop producing them.

Monday:  Eggplant rollatini, Caesar salad, and garlic toast.  We’re going to slice our Japanese eggplants (2-3, depending on how many rollatinis you want to make) into ¼” planks, season with olive oil, salt, and pepper then grill or sauté until softened (not cooked through).  Next spread ricotta mixture from our Eggplant Lasagna recipe on each plank and roll up into a pinwheel.  Repeat with remaining eggplant, placing pinwheels side by side in a greased baking dish (I use an 8 x 8″ casserole dish).  Cover pinwheels with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella.  Bake at 375 degrees about 30 minutes, until veggies are cooked through and cheese is melted and bubbly on top.  When serving make sure you scoop out individual pinwheels (don’t cut through them) for a more elegant presentation.  Everyone will think you slaved for hours over them.

Tuesday:  Chalupas, tostaguacs, or bean tostadas.  Whatever you want to call them.  To me a Chalupa is a crispy corn tortilla topped with refried beans, queso fresco, guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes.  They can also include ground beef, or shredded chicken, pork or beef.  Homemade guacamole is a must.  Here is my favorite recipe:

Guacamole
(t = teaspoon and T = tablespoon)

2 medium or 1 large avocado 
2T minced onion
2T chopped fresh cilantro or celery leaves
1T lime juice
1 jalapeño, seeded & minced
1/2t salt
1/4t pepper 

Cut avocados in half, remove each seed. Scoop flesh from peel with spoon into bowl. Add next 6 ingredients. Coarsely mash with potato masher. 

Wednesday:  Grilled ribeye steaks, baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, and spinach sautéed in butter and garlic.  It’s going to be a real “steakhouse” dinner.  I can’t wait!

Thursday:  Roast beef sandwiches with horseradish sauce and carrots, pickles, and olives on the side (those count as vegetables, don’t they?)  As I mentioned last week, Thursdays are now “Sandwich Thursdays” due to the girls crazy Thursday after school schedules.  They have to eat in the car on the way from school to choir since they have soccer practice immediately following choir.  I’ll also pack a small cooler of healthy snacks and water for the soccer field.  And chocolate milk once they get home to help their muscles recover quicker.  Remember my blog post on chocolate milk? Refresh your memory with the last paragraph.

Friday:  Yogurt marinated venison with pita bread and Greek salad.  Yogurt really seems to take away the gamey taste of venison.  Season your meat (we’re using the back strap) with olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano or Greek seasoning then smother it all in plain Greek yogurt (massage it into the meat).  This marinade is also great on chicken or lamb.  Let it marinate  in refrigerator at least 2 hours (doing this part the morning you’re having it for dinner is even better).  For dinner, grill your meat, warm the pitas, and serve with a big Greek salad consisting of cucumbers, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onion, and lettuce.  Follow our Favorite Vinaigrette recipe but substitute lemon juice for the vinegar and add some dried oregano.