Christmas has come and went, and now it’s already the end of January. Time flies, and before we know it, we will come upon Spring Break. That’s why it’s time for The Dinner A’Fare to start working on those great Vacation Meal Planners. Remember to check back in a few weeks to begin getting the “411” on how to make this years break even more relaxing with The Dinner A’Fare.

Pork Cotoletta with Sweet Potato Orzo – This great dish makes for a beautiful meal during the November holiday season. A great idea is to place the tossed orzo in the center of a large platter and dress it with the pork cutlets either fanned to the side or down the center. Your guests will love the Italian serving.

Muffuletta Chicken – Substitute this up-scaled New Orleans favorite for the typical Friday night pizza, but be able to still keep the kids happy. Also fun on a hoagie bun wrapped in foil for a meal to go with you to the Friday night football game. 

Steak Diane – You won’t want to keep this one for yourself, invite the family over for Sunday dinner or the neighbors on Tuesday night. Perfect as a centerpiece for a great dinner, and even better sliced on a platter with dinner rolls and sauce for a holiday buffet, just add a little bowl of horseradish. 

Chicken Milanese with Herbed Polenta – This rustic Italian dish is such a fun way to warm up a Saturday evening dinner, especially when the late autumn winds begin to blow. 

Apricot-Bourbon Glazed Stuffed Pork Tenderloin – A great alternative to a turkey for those more intimate Thanksgiving dinners. Or serve it as a beautiful dish at your Tree-trimming Party to lead into the Christmas season.

Kung Pao Chicken – This should be saved for those nights when you don’t want to see another turkey, ham or casserole. Trust me….you will want to have this one around!

Panko Crusted Tilapia with Sweet Onion Corn Relish – Great just as it is, but try it on tossed greens for a beautiful entrée salad.

Peperoncini Steak with Capellini and Asiago Cream Sauce – This yummy dish is so filling and is perfect to have when you want to set up a “date night” at home with that special someone. Just add candles and a French Baguette and you’ll have a perfect evening.

Chicken Mexicala – Have a sick neighbor that you need to take supper to, or a community function where you need to take a dish, this one is perfect. It even has its own pan so you don’t have to worry about getting yours back.

Mushroom and Pork Fricassee – This is a beautiful dish served over the suggested egg noodles, it’s very hardy, and full of flavor. Make this one for the family to warm them up after an afternoon picking apples at the orchard.

Homemade Calzones – When you’re busy this is a perfect “straight from the freezer into the oven” dinner. We have also made sure to separate each calzone, so that you can pull one out at a time if your having just a table for one!

Cranberry Chicken – A feel good dinner to get you into the season with the tangy and sweet cranberry glaze. Great even to slice for a holiday platter.

Argentinean Grilled Flank Steak with Black Bean Vinaigrette – Perfect for that last warm weekend, which gives you a chance to use the grill for the last time in the season! Wrap some potatoes and corn on the cob, and cook on the grill along with it. You’ll have a perfectly clean kitchen left! Also, great sliced and added to tossed greens for a festive entrée salad. 

Crab and Potato-Corn Chowder – Need a meal to go? A quick way to make great chowder, then fill your favorite thermos and head on out the door. A great one for those fun fall camping trips as well!

Mini Meatloaves – These are great as a traditional dinner entrée, but think outside the box! Jazz them up by slicing them and serving on toasted ciabatta bread with tomato and mozzarella to create a fun style Meatloaf Panini.

French Beef with Herbed Dumplings – This is such a warm, feel good dish! Great to serve in soup mugs or on a bed of egg noodles. It has that French bistro flare.

Seville Almond Chicken – This can dish can be served three different ways; serve the rice to the side of the chicken, serve the chicken over the rice with the orange glaze or mix it all together for a different style paella. Either way you will love the flavors.

Ricotta Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan – This is great layered up like a lasagna or keep each portion separated for an up-scaled plate serving. This dish can go from rustic to gourmet when you serve it with buttered linguine or garlic bread and a salad. It’s even fun to use as a 1^st plate in an Italian three course meal.

Spiced Tilapia with Tomatillo Salsa – Want a beautifully dressed salad, just add the spiced tilapia over the greens for a great protein addition, you can even dress pasta with peppers and onions and serve this fish over the bed of pasta. And the great salsa can transition to any of these. Make it fun and exciting instead of just sitting by some vegetables.

Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Lentils and Spinach – What a great dish for the season, and ideal to cook on Sunday for a big dinner with the family! Just serve it Italian Family Style by taking a large platter and placing a bed of lentils down first, top with spinach and thin slice the tenderloin. Gracefully layer the tenderloin down the center and you have a display fit for a picture. These are also so easy to serve separate for those picky eaters who don’t like their food to touch.

Chicken Apple Alouette – A perfect dinner to impress the boss or mother-n-law. These beautiful, individual wraps favor wellingtons and give a true upscale presence to the plate. These are also perfect to save for the holidays when you have friends over.

Steak Soft Tacos with Horseradish Bleu Cheese – Fun, fun, fun food for tailgates! Cook the steak off ahead of time, then wrap in foil. Place on the grill to reheat and serve up in the soft tortillas with lettuce and tomato and you will have people dropping their bratwurst to come to your camp to eat.

Southwest BBQ Pulled Pork Egg Rolls – These are great for dinner, as snacks during the Sunday football game, appetizers at your Halloween party or to be honest they’re good anytime you feel fit to enjoy them!

Rustic Chicken and Potato Gratine – Kids having a sleep over with their buddies, and don’t know what to feed them? Of course you don’t want them to be picky and not eat, or even go home and tell their mom they had chicken fingers and French fries at your house. Serve this dish up….it’s kid proof and super yummy!

 Chili Con Carne – Three great ways to serve our chili is you can do it the tradition way, in a bowl with a spoon, but if you want to jazz it up, make nachos out of it. Layer a platter with tortilla chips, pour over the chili, add the cheese and dress with sour cream and jalapeno. Another cool way to serve it different is to make a pan of corn bread, cut the bread into portions then slice them in half through the center. Lay the bottom portion down on the plate; layer with chili and cheese and then place the top portion of the cornbread over the chili. Now you’re talking!

Szechuan Shrimp – This shrimp is great as a center of the plate option, but why settle? Add it to stir-fried vegetables or even a portion of lo mein. You can even serve this shrimp with toothpicks for that pick-me-up at your next get together.

Walnut and Cheddar Stuffed Pork Chops – Want to do something nice for the neighbor who’s stuck at home sick, but don’t want to send another house plant…..make them a dinner they will rave about. Cook our stuffed chops in a disposable pan and you won’t even have to worry about getting your dish back. 

Crusted Chicken with Jalapeno Corn Salsa – This is so yummy! Perfect, eclectic dish that is sure to impress. Cook it before the high school Friday night football game and it will get them fired up!

Caribbean Pork Dirty Rice – Won’t have time to cook supper tomorrow, then cook it tonight. Most dishes, especially rice don’t reheat well, but this recipe gets even better. We formulated this recipe to absorb all the spices, and become even better and bolder on the second day. Who said you have to eat fast-food on the days you can’t cook?

White Lasagna with Chicken and Artichokes  - Need your teenager to start supper, but don’t trust them in the kitchen, not a problem. Call home and tell them to put this lasagna in the oven, all they have to do is push a button. And the best part they won’t complain about having to do a chore.

Wonder Whirled

8 oz. Ocean Spray’s® Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice Drink

1 oz. Cream of Coconut

1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Blend all ingredients. Serve in a hurricane glass and garnish with pineapple wedges.

(Add rum for grown-ups)

Texas Two-Sip

¼ cup Ocean Spray’s® Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice

¼ cup Ocean Spray’s® 100% Orange Juice

¼ cup Ocean Spray’s® White Cranberry Juice

1 Tbsp. Grenadine

Sparkling Water

Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour ingredients in order listed for layered effect. Garnish with an orange wedge and a maraschino cherry.

(Add vodka for grown-ups)

This week for National Nutrition Month The Dinner A’Fare is promoting foods high in manganese.

With today’s western world habits of food processing, especially in the milling of whole grains, we find that many levels of vitamins and minerals are lost, sometimes upwards of 60% after cooking.
So this week we are promoting our Sesame Chicken with Brown Rice to encourage the intake of a less refined (processed) food product.

Brown rice is achieved by only removing the outermost layer of the rice, the husk. To produce white rice you have to remove additional layers, which are the bran and endosperm layers.
When you remove these additional layers you lower many of the vitamins and minerals, especially the manganese levels.

 Brown rice is rich in this mineral in addition it is high in fiber, B1, B3, B6, phosphorus
and essential fatty acids. Manganese assists our bodies in utilizing several key nutrients, while keeping our bones strong and our nerves healthy. It also helps our body maintain
healthy cholesterol and normal blood sugar levels, but most of all it helps promote optimal function of our thyroid gland.

 With these health benefits, we are sure you will love this low fat dinner full of not only good stuff for your taste buds, but good stuff for your body.

This Friday for National Nutrition month The Dinner A’Fare is promoting foods high in fiber!

When you eat a healthy diet, rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans,you usually get most of the fiber you’ll need, which means you’ll also be lowering your risk of diabetes, heart disease, diverticulitis, and irregularity. Not a bad package deal, right?
Well,let us help you enrich your diet with our “Tuscan Style Tilapia with White Bean Salad”.  With this high fiber dish, we have incorporated a rich and flavorful blend of Northern Beans and seasoned tomatoes. 
Did you know that current recommendations suggest that children and adults consume at least 20 grams of dietary fiber per day from food? This does not include supplements, and the more calories you eat each day, the more fiber you need.

Some tips for increasing fiber intake are:

	Experiment with international dishes that use whole grains and legumes (beans) as part of the main meal, or in salads.
	Eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.
	Substitute legumes for meat two to three times per week in chili and soups.
	Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole grain products.
	Choose whole grain cereals for breakfast.
	Snack on raw vegetables instead of chips, crackers, or chocolate bars.

As promised, each Friday in March, Chef Natalie will be unveiling a Dinner A’Fare recipe supporting the theme of National Nutrition Month! 

Click For A Printable Version

This Friday for National Nutrition month The Dinner A’Fare is promoting phytochemicals or phytonutrients. These plant nutrients have protective and disease preventive properties such as interference with Cancer DNA replication, positive stimulation of enzymes, anti-bacterial effects, and antioxidant activity that encourages healthy cells.Foods containing phytonutrients are already part of our daily diet, but some foods like our black beans, mango and red bell peppers in our calypso chicken are higher in values and are recommended as part of our daily intake of foods rich in minerals, vitamins and low in saturated fat.

In support and recognition of this month-long event, Chef Natalie Lasch will be unveiling some of our most popular and healthful recipes.  Each Friday we’ll be sending out one recipe along with helpful information from the ADA, via online newsletter to all of our subscribers.  Check your inboxes! (P.S.  We’ll also be posting the recipe cards here for quick and easy download).

(*The Dinner A’Fare is not promoted or endorsed by the ADA, Eat Right, or National Nutrition Month

(Download Here)