Friday, October 4, 2013

Taco Soup

a family favorite from growing up!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 taco seasoning packet
1 lipton onion soup packet
1 can kidney beans with juice
1 can corn with juice
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can beef broth
2 cups water

Directions:
1.  Brown and drain hamburger.
2.  Add all ingredients to pot and cook, letting simmer for awhile as flavors meld
3.  Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

"Real" Pork and Beans

from More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'Dea

The Ingredients:
2 pounds lean pork tenderloin, cut into small cubes
2 15 oz cans of your favorite beans, drained and rinsed
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can corn, drained
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 onion diced
2 TBSP chili powder
2 1/2 tsp cumin
shredded cheese and sour cream for topping (optional)

Directions:
Put meat into your slow cooker.  Add beans, and the entire cans of diced tomatoes.  Add the corn, bell pepper and onion.  Stir in chili powder and cumin.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve with cheese and sour cream.

3 Bean Minnestrone

from Make Ahead Meals Made Healthy by Michelle Borbora

Ingredients:
3 TBSP olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed, crumbled
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
4 carrots, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
3 cans crushed tomatoes
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 TBSP dried Italian seasoning
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, snapped into 1-2 inch pieces
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni
shaved Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

1.  Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat.  Add sausage and cook, stirring often until lightly browned.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer to plate.

2.  Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring often until vegetables are just soft.  Stir in garlic and cook, stirring often.  Add tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, beans and sausage, stirring to combine.  Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper.

3.  If you are adding pasta, cook it in boiling water for 1 minute less than package directions.  Pasta should be toothsome, not mushy soft.  Drain and add to soup. Remove from heat and let cool.  

Hearty Red Lentil Stew

from Make Ahead Meals Made Healthy by Michelle Borboa

Ingredients:
2 cups red lentils, rinsed and rained
3 cups water
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 1/4 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed, crumbled
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 tsps fresh thyme
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 can (14 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
8 cups vegetable broth

Directions:
1.  In a pot over medium high heat stir together lentils and water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are very soft.  Drain and set aside.

2.  In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.  Cook sausage, stirring often, until brown.  Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel.  Add onion, carrots, celery and cook stirring often, about 7 minutes.

3.  Stir in thyme, rosemary and tomatoes.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes.  Add lentils, sausage, bay leaf and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes.  Remove bay leaf.   

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Penne with Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese

from Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer by Suzie Martinez, Vanda Howell & Bonnie Garcia

Ingredients:
1 cup broccoli florets, divided into tiny sprigs
1/4 cup butter
2 skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
3 1/2 cups penne pasta
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 oz gorgonzola cheese, rind removed and diced small
parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.  Plunge broccoli in a saucepan of boiling salted water.  Return to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, then drain in colander under cold running water.  Shake to remove excess water & set aside.

2.  Melt butter in large skillet or saucepan.  Add chicken and garlic, with salt and pepper to taste; stir well.  Fry over medium heat for 3 minutes or until chicken becomes white.  Meanwhile begin cooking pasta according to package instructions.

3.  Pour wine and cream over chicken mixture in pan.  Stir to mix, then simmer stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until sauce has reduced and thickened. 

4.  Increase heat and add broccoli.  Toss to heat through.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Drain pasta, add it to sauce.  Add cheese and toss well.   

BBQ Chicken Pizza

from Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer by Suzie Martinez, Vanda Howell & Bonnie Garcia
yields 1 pizza--can easily be doubled or tripled for extra pizzas to freeze
 
Ingredients: 
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/3 cups prepared barbecue sauce, divided
1 pizza crust
6 ounces gouda cheese
6 ounces provolone cheese
1/2 medium red onion, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (reserved for serving day)

Directions:

Marinate chicken in 2/3c. BBQ sauce for 4 hours or up to overnight.  
 
Place chicken and marinade in small baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink; Remove from oven.
 
Roll out pizza dough to form crust; you may want to use a round cardboard covered with plastic wrap for this step.

Spread remaining 2/3c. BBQ sauce over crust.  Sprinkle cheeses evenly over crust, leaving 1/2in. border. 

Shred chicken and arrange over cheese, topping with onion.
 
Freeze (if not cooking that day), covering pizza and cardboard with plastic wrap followed by heavy duty foil.
 
Serving day instructions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place frozen pizza on preheated pizza stone and bake 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Colorado White Chili

from Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer by Suzie Martinez, Vanda Howell, & Bonnie Garcia

Ingredients: 
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 medium onion (1/2 cup), chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1-4.5 oz. can diced green chilis (mild or hot)
1 Tbsp cumin (powder or seed)
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1/4 tsp ground cloves
1-15.5 oz. can great northern beans (don’t drain)
1-15.5 oz. can sweet corn (or frozen)
2 cups cooked chicken
5 cups chicken broth


Serving day ingredients
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips
 
Cooking day instructions:
In a large pan or Dutch Oven, combine oil, onion, garlic, and green chilis. Saute until tender, but do not brown. Stir in spices, beans, corn, chopped chicken, and chicken broth. Cook and stir until heated through. Adjust seasonings to taste. Cool chili completely. Freeze, using freezer bag method.

Serving day instructions
Thaw completely. Simmer until heated through. Serve in bowls with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. For extra “kick”, garnish with jalapeno slices.
(yields 6-8 servings)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...