What's For Dinner? It is all about the "THEME" Dawling!!

We are having a little fun over here with our meal planning. Let's be honest, I was feeling a bit dreary about meal planning this week....with a VERY, VERY limited budget, I was trying to be creative with creating meals using what I have in my pantry and freezer. So, I ended up going with some themed meals. Hence, I thought we would travel as a family this week to different countries and experience the "food of the countries". I will admit though, that these are not all truly authentic. But, I am imagining that they are and close enough to be labeled to that country. We are going with a little "themed" dinners this week....food ethnic from around the world. We are going to Italy -- twice!, China, India, & Mexico! Let's go traveling...

ITALIAN
Minestrone Soup w/ Garlic Toast (Recipe below)



ASIAN
Stir Fried Noodles (noodles, along with a variety of stir fried cabbage, carrots, onions, and other vegetables, and shrimp)


INDIAN
Tofu Curry over Brown Rice
Naan Bread


MEXICO
Shrimp Soft Tacos (shrimp, cabbage, cilantro, tomatoes, scallions, avocado sauce, lime corn tortillas)
Black Beans (red bell pepper, garlic, onion)
Spanish Rice


ITALIAN
Homemade Garden Pizza! (My darling hubby is making the pizza dough -- with toppings from the garden: eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, etc.)

Minestrone Soup w/ Garlic Toast
This recipe is adapted from Rachel Ray magazine Every Day with Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound zucchini, cut into strips lengthwise{discarding seedy centers}, then cut into small pieces ( we are gathering ours from our garden!)
• 2 ribs celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and Pepper
• One 32 oz container (4 cups) chicken or veggie broth
• One 15 oz can cannellini beans (or 2 cups of homemade beans -- we are using them from dried)
• One 15oz can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 pound whole wheat penne or other short cut pasta
• A handful of basil, torn into pieces

Method:
In a soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add Zucchini, celery, carrot, onion, bay leaf, and 3 cloves of garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook until veggies are tender. 7-8 minutes.
Stir in stock, beans and tomatoes into the soup and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Stir in basil and lower the heat to low.

Garlic Bread Croutons

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 slices of sourdough or italian bread
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• Finely chopped fresh italian parsely

Method:
Preheat broiler and position a rack in the middle of the oven. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the garlic and swirl a minute or so; remove from heat.
Broil the bread on both sides until lightly toasted. Brush the bread with garlic butther and sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Broil to melt the cheese.
Serve with the soup.