Dinner Ideas Handbook

34 Different Ideas of What to Make for Dinner

The Ultimate

IDEA #1: Tuna Patties 2 cans tuna (I use one can in oil and one in water, the water I drain, the oil I dont) 1 cup bread crumbs 1 T mayo 3 eggs garlic powder onion powder Mix all ingredients together. Form into patties and fry in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve cold. I usually make this together with a salad, but depending on your appetites, you can also serve on hamburger buns, which makes it more lling. I have a really good recipe for Cucumber Dill Sauce which goes with it also: Cucumber Dill Sauce 1/4 C mayo 1 cucumber, diced 1 T Richs Whip Dill Sugar Salt Pepper Onion Powder Garlic Powder All ingredients are measured according to your taste. Have fun, and enjoy. IDEA #2: Eggplant Parmesan I saw somewhere a lower fat version of this, which is to egg the eggplant, dip it in bread crumbs and bake it in the toaster oven in a single layer till it is a little crispy. Flip the eggplant pieces over and bake it on the other side for about 2

5 minutes more. I tried it - it is really good! IDEA #3: Matzah Balls with Sauce and Cheese This one is vintage Zaide. Serve with a salad for a great light dinner. IDEA #4: Hamburgers IDEA #5: Baked Ziti There are two versions of Baked Ziti that I make. One is a cheating quicky version that I learned from Ema and one is a little more patchke, but delicious. The rst one is just ziti noodles, tomato sauce of your choice, and cottage cheese, spiced with salt. Yummy and quick. When I have some in the house, I put spinach in it also. The second one is from this useful little cookbook I have called The Garden of Eating and is as follows: 1 lb ziti noodles, cooked and drained Tomato sauce White Sauce: 1 1/2 C milk 2 T our 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp paprika 3 T butter 8 oz American cheese (I use about 4 slices) Bring milk and our to a slow boil. Add salt, pepper, paprika, butter, and cheese. Stir until cheese is completely melted, then remove from ame. Combine ziti with tomato sauce and top with white sauce. Bake at 350 in an 8 x 10 greased pan for 1 hour. IDEA #6: Lasagna Good additions are eggplant (fried rst), thinly sliced zucchini, 3

spinach, or mushrooms (canned). I also put in some 5% and cottage cheese, makes it nice and cheesy. IDEA #7: Omelets Sounds silly, but it is great for a quick light dinner, served with mashed potatoes and salad. You can make any kind of omelet that you like, cheese, jelly, mushroom, etc, and serve it in bread with lettuce and tomatoes and mayo if you are hungrier. IDEA #8: Tuna Casserole IDEA #9: Poached Eggs and Couscous Put tomato sauce in a pot, plop in eggs with the yolks in tact (preferably), and let it simmer until the eggs are cooked. Serve over couscous with a salad. IDEA #10: Leftover Chicken with Noodles and Sweet and Sour Sauce This is great, any pasta will work and the sweet and sour sauce I use is the one from the purple cookbook - 1/4 C vinegar, 1/4 brown sugar, and 1/2 C ketchup. IDEA #11: Soup I serve it with bread and it is a meal, although granted it has no protein in it. You can serve it with sandwiches also if you want protein or more food to serve. Here are some of my favorite soups: Sweet Potato Soup 6 C chicken stock, divided 2 large sweet potatoes 1 large onion 1 leek (light green part) 1 C soy milk 4

In a soup pot, saute leek and onion, add sweet potato. Add 4 cups chicken stock, boil until soft. Add soy milk. Blend it with an immersion blender, then add remaining 2 cups chicken stock and reheat. Mushroom Barley Soup 1/2 C barley 6 1/2 C stock or water 1 1/2 tsp salt 3-4 T soy sauce 3-4 T dry sherry 3 T margarine 2 cloves garlic 1 heaping cup chopped onions 1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced Black pepper to taste Cook barley in large soup in 1 1/2 - 2 cups of stock until tender. Add remaining stock, soy sauce and sherry. In a separate pan, saute onions and garlic in margarine. Add mushrooms when onions are soft. Add salt. When all is tender, add contents of frying pan to soup pot. Add black pepper. Simmer 20 minutes covered on low ame. Sweet Potato/Squash Soup Saute 2-3 tsp minced onion with 2 large chopped onions in margarine until soft. Place in pot 5 cubed, peeled sweet potatoes, 45 carrots, and a large piece of pumpkin squash, cut up. Cover with water and boil. Add 4-5 T chicken soup mix and salt. Simmer on low until soft. Blend with immersion blender when done. Orange Vegetable Soup 1 large onion 2 T olive or canola oil 1 pepper of each color 4 carrots 5

2-3 ripe or overripe tomatoes 1 sweet potato 1 regular potato 1 cup peas or green beans 1 large chunk pumpkin or butternut squash 1/2 tsp dill 1 tsp dried parsley 1/2 T salt 1/2 tsp pepper Water to cover vegetables In a large soup pot, saute onions in oil, then add peppers, then rest of vegetables and cover with water. Can cook for 1 1/2 or up to 3 hours. When nished cooking, puree with hand blender. Chunky Minestrone Soup 1 onion, diced 1 diced green pepper 1 red pepper, diced 1 yellow pepper, diced 1/2 head red cabbage, sliced 3 carrots, sliced thin 1 large chunk pumpkin, cut into chunks 1 small sweet potato 2 overripe tomatoes, diced 1 cup sliced green beans, canned or frozen 1 C tomato sauce or paste 2 T olive or canola oil 1/2 T salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp basil Parsley 1/4 C barley (optional) 1/2 C small shaped noodles (ptitim) Saute onions and peppers, then add cabbage and tomato sauce. 6

Layer in rest of vegetables except barley and noodles, with all seasonings. Cover with water and heat until boiling. Lower ame and simmer for two hours. Puree with a hand blender for a few seconds only to give it a richness but leave chunky texture. Add barley and noodles and simmer another 15 minutes. Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup 1 head cabbage 2 cans crushed tomatoes 1 large onion 5 cloves garlic 1/4 C red wine vinegar 1/2 C brown sugar 1 T ginger Salt & pepper Slice cabbage into thin strips. Cut onion into half rings, and add all ingredients to large soup pot with water to cover, plus a bit more. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, the longer the better. Meatball MInestrone Soup This one is from Kosher by Design. 1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef 1 large egg 1 tsp salt 1/3 C bread crumbs 1/4 tsp black pepper 4 T olive oil 1 large onion, coarsely chopped 8 cups or 64 oz beef broth (can use 4 beef bouillon cubes in 8 cups water) 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, with liquid 1 (1 lb) can red kidney beans, with liquid 1/2 tsp dried oregano 7

1/2 tsp dried basil 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds 2 stalks celery, sliced 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 C elbow or rotini pasta, uncooked Preheat oven to 350. Squeeze excess water out of spinach. Place in a large bowl and add ground beef, egg, salt, bread crumbs and pepper. Mix together and shape into 1-inch meatballs. Pour olive oil directly onto a cookie sheet; do not line with tin foil so you can scrape the surface later. Place meatballs onto oiled cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes. Remove meatballs from sheet; set aside. Using a spoon, scrape the dripings and oil from cookie sheet into a soup pot. Saute the onion in these drippings over medium-high heat for 68 minutes or until the onion gets soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in the broth, tomatoes with its liquid, kidney beans with their liquid, oregano and basil. Cover. Reduce heat. You want it to simmer but not reach a full boil. Add carrots and celery. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Stir in pasta. Re-cover and simmer 10 more minutes. Stir once or twice to make sure pasta is not sticking to bottom of pot. Place meatballs into soup and heat through. If making this soup in advance, some of the liquid may get soaked up into the meatballs and pasta. If this happens, just add another cup or two of beef broth when reheating. French Onion Soup This one is from Kosher by Design - Kids in the Kitchen. 3 onions 3 T margarine 1 T olive oil 2 T our 4 C water 4 tsp parve beef bouillon powder 1/2 tsp dried thyme 8

1/2 tsp black pepper salt to taste Slice onions in thin semi-circles and cook them in a large pot in olive oil and margarine uncovered for 30 minutes, or until soft and golden brown. Sprinkle our into onions and stir to coat. Mix water, bouillon powder, thyme and black pepper and add to onions. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Add salt, to taste. You can also toast cheese on thick slices of bread and oat a piece in each bowl of soup. IDEA #12: Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Here is a tomato soup that Devorie made up, it is very quick and yummy: 1 can crushed tomatoes 1 container Richs Whip 3 tsp onion soup mix 3 C water 1/2 can tomato paste You can blend it with the immersion blender if you want it super smooth, but it is good chunky also. IDEA #13: Hot Dogs IDEA #14: Meat Loaf This is my favorite meat loaf recipe, it goes a long way when served with mashed potatoes and a salad. 1 lb ground meat/turkey/chicken 1/2 C bread crumbs 1/3 C water 1/3 C chopped onions 1/2 tsp pepper 9

1 egg 1/4 C mustard 3 T honey Combine meat with bread crumbs, onions, water, egg and pepper. Bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, combine mustard and honey, and pour over for last 10 minutes of baking. If you are feeling like you want to spend more time you can saute the onions. IDEA #15: Macaroni and Cheese IDEA #16: Pasta with Broccoli This is one is from Spice and Spirit (the purple Lubavitch cook book). 12 oz wide noodles, cooked and drained 1 medium onion, chopped 1/4 C margarine 2 cups chopped broccoli 1 or 2 cloves minced garlic 2 T chopped parsley 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp oregano 3 T our 3/4 C milk or water 2 C creamed cottage cheese 1/2 C grated cheese In a large skillet, saute onion in margarine until soft. Add broccoli and cook, stirring until broccoli is tender but still rm. Add garlic, parsley, salt and oregano. Stir in our and add milk or water, mixing thoroughly; add cottage cheese and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Combine noodles with broccoli sauce and stir in grated cheese. Cook for 2-3 minutes to heat through. Serve immediately. 10

IDEA #17: Chicken Wings You can really just pour bbq sauce over the wings and broil them till they look done, but if you want a recipe, here is one I got off allrecipes.com: 10 chicken wings 3 T margarine 1 T onion powder 5 T brown sugar 2 T Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce) 1 C ketchup 1/2 C water 2 T mustard In a small saucepan, melt margarine. Add onion powder, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard; mix well. Dilute ketchup with water and add to sauce in pan. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Place chicken wings in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour sauce over wings. Bake uncovered, at 425 for about 45 minutes. IDEA #18: Chicken Pot Pie Crust: 1 C our 1/3 C shortening (or margarine) 1/2 tsp salt 2 T cold water Cut shortening and salt into our and mix with fork until pieces are about the size of a pea. Sprinkle water over mixture and blend with fork. Shape into a ball; chill well. Filling: 6 T oil 1 medium onion, diced 1 potato, diced 1/2 thinly sliced carrots 11

6 T our 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 2 1/2 C chicken stock 2 cups diced cooked chicken 1/2 C canned peas In 2 qt. saucepan, heat oil; add onion, potato and carrots and saute until tender. Stir in our, salt and pepper and mix quickly and well. Over medium heat, gradually stir in chicken stock, stirring constantly to make a thick, creamy sauce. Add diced chicken and peas. Pour chicken mixture in to a 2 qt. casserole dish. Roll out to size of dish, and place over the casserole, piercing with a fork near the center. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until crust is browned. IDEA #19: Tuna Roll Take puff pastry dough, or make your own, roll it out and spread really yummy mayonnaise-y tuna (with pickles if you want) and lay slices of cheese on top. Roll it up, egg it and bake till golden brown. IDEA #20: Eggplant Pasta This one Devorie made up - really good. Cut up eggplant and onion. Saute onion until transparent, then add eggplant. Add a bit of water. Add onion powder, garlic powder, salt and chicken soup mix. Add a small container of tomato paste (or two if you want) and a bit of brown sugar to balance out the taste. Pour over pasta. IDEA #21: Deli Roll 1/2 lb pastrami 1/2 turkey breast Puffed pastry sheets Deli mustard Apricot jam 12

1 egg, beaten Defrost pastry sheets and stretch a little. spread mustard to cover. Lyer with pastrami, then jam, then turkey breast. Fold over pastry and pinch ends. Spread egg on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional). Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until golden brown. IDEA #22: Fettucini & Bruschetta Unfortunately, I do not have a good recipe for fettucini, but for the bruschetta, slice bread into thick diagonal slices and spread with olive oil and minced garlic, and top with chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese. Toast until crispy. IDEA #23: Chicken Patties This is just like the tuna patties, except use leftover chicken instead of tuna. IDEA #24: Meat Balls and Spaghetti/Couscous/Rice IDEA #25: Salmon/Tuna Loaf This recipe is from the Garden of Eating. 1 onion, diced 4 T oil 1 (16 oz) can salmon, undrained or 3 cans of tuna 3/4 C bread crumbs 1 C milk 2 eggs 2 T chopped parsley Crushed cornakes Saute onion in oil. Mix together salmon, bread crumbs, milk, eggs, onion and parsley. (You can also add some mayo and spices of your own.) Grease a loaf pan. Turn mixture into pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes. 13

IDEA #26: Scrambled Eggs with Salami This is an idea that Ema came up with, quite original, but its good, really! You just cut up pieces of salami and scramble with eggs, like regular scrambled eggs, and serve it with salad and mashed potatoes. A light meal, very tasty. IDEA #27: Baked Potatoes and Fish There are any number of ways to prepare both of these things. My favorite way of making sh is the same way I make chicken, pour thousand island dressing on it and then pour bread crumbs over that, and bake till it is aky. My favorite way of preparing baked potatoes is from the recipe in the KIds in the Kitchen cookbook, you make an X on the top if the potato, spray with olive oil and bake for an hour, then make a cheese sauce, or a dressing, or a cheese sauce with vegetables, I have done broccoli or mushrooms, both are delicious. You can make a cheese sauce by combining equal parts our and margarine, and when that is combined, add milk and slices of cheese until it is the way you like it. Salt it to taste. IDEA #28: Shnitzel There are about one million things that you can do with the shnitzels of a chicken. One quick thing is to take the shnitzels and sprinkle them with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika and broil it for about ten minutes on each side, until just done, not too long because then they will get dry. Another yummy way is to pour dressing and bread crumbs over it and bake it till done. Yet a third way is a recipe from Rebbitzen Finkels cookbook, Classic Kosher Cooking. Southern Fried Chicken 1 C our 1 tsp baking powder salt, to taste 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp garlic powder 14

1 tsp paprika Mix everything together. Dredge chicken pieces in our mixture and fry in hot oil, about 1 inch deep, on both sides until golden brown. IDEA #29: Stir Fry You can serve a vegetable stir fry as a side dish or a chicken stir fry as main dish. Here is one recipe for a vegetable stir fry, that you also add cut up chicken to it if you want to make it a main dish. 1 1/2 C rice 1 T vegetable oil Vegetables (onions, peppers, broccoli, whatever you want) 2 eggs 2 T soy sauce 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper Make rice. Saute vegetables in oil until tender-crisp, remove from pan. Scramble eggs in pan, then return vegetables to pan. Add rice, soy sauce, salt and pepper. If you are also making chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute that rst, then add the rest of the vegetables. IDEA #30: Chicken a la King This is from Aunt Jackie. 1/2 C margarine 1/4 C our 1 C chicken stock (hot) 1/2 C cold soup or stock 1 egg yolk 3 C diced chicken (good with leftovers) 1/2 C mushrooms 15

1/2 pkg frozen vegetables (peas and carrots) Heat margarine and our. Add hot liquid and stir over low heat until thick and smooth. Stir to prevent lumping. Beat yolk with cold liquid. Add slowly and carefully. Add salt and pepper. Add chicken and vegetables. Heat. Serve over rice or noodles. IDEA #31: Zucchini Parmesan This recipe is from Spice and Spirit. 6 C zucchini, thinly sliced 1 clove minced garlic (optional) 3 T oil 8 oz tomato sauce 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp basil 1 C cottage cheese 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp parsley akes 1/4 C bread crumbs 4 oz grated cheese In a 2 qt. saucepan, cook zucchini in small amount of water until crisp and tender. Drain and cool slightly. In small skillet, saute garlic in oil until brown. Stir in tomato sauce, salt, oregano and basil and heat through. In a separate bowl, mix cottage cheese, egg and parsley akes. Place half the zucchini in 8 x 8 square pan. Sprinkle with half the bread crumbs, half the sauce mixture, half the cottage cheese mixture and half the grated cheese. Repeat layers, saving enough grated cheese for topping. Bake 25 minutes at 350. Sprinkle remaining grated cheese on top and bake 3 more minutes. Serve immediately.

IDEA #32: Onion Pasta 5 onions, thinly sliced 1/2 C olive oil (this sounds like a lot, cut it down?) 4 T margarine 1 tsp basil 1 C water 1 T chicken stock 1 pinch black pepper Pasta, cooked and drained In skillet, cook onions in oil and margarine until golden brown. Add basil, water, stock and pepper and cook on low for 10 more minutes. When onion mixture is nished, add it to the pasta and top with grated parmesan cheese. IDEA #33: Tuna Quesadillas 1 (19 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 C salsa 6 large our tortillas 1 can tuna, aked and drained 3 onions, chopped 1 tomato, seeded and chopped 1/4 C chopped green or black olives 2 T chopped cilantro 1 C shredded cheese 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and nely chopped sour cream, salsa and guacamole Mash beans with salsa and spread evenly over each tortilla. Sprinkle with the next 8 ingredients. Fold each tortilla in half and press together to atten. Arrange tortillas in single layer on a baking sheet; broil 6-8 minutes or until crisp, turning over halfway through cooking period. Cut each in half. Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Serves 12.

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IDEA #34: Pizza Quiche 1 unbaked pie shell 1 C grated cheese 4 eggs 1 1/2 C cream cheese 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp oregano 1 sliced onion 2 T oil 1 can tomatoes, undrained 1/4 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp basil 1/2 C shredded cheese Sprinkle 2/3 of cheese on bottom of pie shell. In bowl, beat eggs, cream, salt and oregano until smooth. Pour in shell, bake half hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Meanwhile, saute onion, add tomatoes, sugar and basil. Simmer until sauce thickens. Top quiche with sauce and remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer to melt cheese.

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