Garlic and Soy Grilled Pork

This recipe seems so easy and obvious and plagiarized (from here: south beach blog) that I almost didn't add it. But i need more recipes like this. Quick, healthy, in stock ingredients. I thought if I shared one of mine, you might share one of your favs??

(ps, my kiddos love this, but then again, they're easy to please;)

Ingredients
Grill up chunks of fresh vegetables alongside these lip-smacking pork chops for an irresistible outdoor feast. Bell pepper, sweet onion, and zucchini would work quite nicely.

2 boneless center-cut pork loin chops, trimmed of all visible fat
1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Fresh herbs, for garnish

Instructions
Sprinkle the pork chops all over with soy sauce, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Coat a grill rack or broiler-pan rack with cooking spray. Preheat the grill or broiler.

Cook the pork chops 4" from the heat, turning once halfway through cooking time, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center of a chop registers 155°F and the juices run clear. Garnish with the herbs.

Recipe from The South Beach Diet Cookbook.

VODKA spaghetti

Did the title get your attention? ahem.

So when my sis in law said she was making spaghetti for me, I was a little underwhlemed. Usually she drums up something really fabulous and spaghetti sounded rather mundane. But then, I tried this stuff. Stunningly good. Trust me. Try it.

(warning, I got the directions for this while driving, so hopefully they are right. if not, i'm sure bust u up will correct me;)

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 white onion

1 pckg hot ground sausage

1 small conatiner half and half cream

1 bottle Bertolli Vodka Spaghetti Sauce

1 can diced tomatoes drained

1 pckg spaghetti noodles

Directions:

Cook 1 pckg of noodles as directed. Sautee peppers and onion. Add Sausage. Cook until browned. Drain grease. Add Half and Half. Simmer for a while (sorry-not very exact). Drain excess cream. Add Spaghetti Sauce and heat through. Add tomatoes and spaghetti. Enjoy.

Todd Mangel's Streusel Cake

I made this for book club and it was delicious. Thanks Todd and Nellie for lending out the recipe!!:

Directions:

• Cream: 1/2 cup butter with 1 cup sugar.
• Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, 3/4 cup milk, and 2 eggs.
• Mix and spread into a cookie sheet w/ sides.
• Topping: 1/2 cup cold butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour.
• Mix the topping with your hands until small clumps form, then form a gentle ball and crumble it on top evenly. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Enjoy!

Pioneer Woman's BBQ Meatballs - Freezer Meal

Seeing Colby's claim to fame about freezing rice reminded me of some of the yummy freezer meals I've tried making lately. 

This recipe in particular was DELICIOUS!  Even my super picky 5 year old ate 3 meatballs...which is just AMAZING.  (I got this recipe (and picture), as well as many of my other freezer meal recipes from A Bear in the Kitchen)


Pioneer Woman's BBQ Meatballs - Freezer Meal


Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup quick oats
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons finely chopped onions (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper (as much as desired)
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup canola oil

BBQ Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Meatballs Assembly:
In a large bowl combine beef, oats, milk, egg, 3 tablespoons finely chopped onions, salt, and ground black pepper. Mix with hands until well combined. Roll into medium-small balls (could use a medium cookie scoop to keep the meatballs of uniform size) and place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Place cookie sheet with meatballs in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and immediately dredge meatballs in flour and place back on cookie sheet.

In a large skillet heat 1/3 cup oil or enough to coat the bottom of your skillet. Brown the meatballs in batches in the hot oil, making sure to brown all sides of the meatballs. Place browned meatballs onto a cookie sheet. You do not need to cook the meatballs through, just brown them on all sides. Place cookie sheet of meatballs in the freezer until meatballs are frozen solid. Transfer meatballs to a gallon size freezer bag, label with cooking instructions and freeze.

BBQ Sauce Assembly:
Combine ingredients for BBQ sauce in a small bowl, whisking till blended. Pour into a quart size freezer bag and freeze flat.

Cooking Instructions:
Thaw sauce in fridge overnight, but keep the meatballs frozen till ready to cook. Place frozen meatballs in a 9x13 baking dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Pour thawed sauce over the meatballs using a spoon to toss the meatballs in the sauce. Bake for an additional 30 minutes uncovered at 350 degrees.

freezing rice

Did you know our blog is practically famous??

I got the cafe rio recipes from freezerdinner.com and linked to that site. The author of the site, Jenny Stanger, followed the link and commented under the cafe rio post. She said if we had questions about freezing meals to ask her, so I asked her about rice (I always thought it would come out gross if frozen) and she responded the day I asked.

So go check out her site. She has lots of tasty looking recipes and tips on how to freeze them. And I just think it's so cool to ask an expert a question about freezing and to get an answer back so quickly!! Plus you can see the answer to the rice question and my comment which regretfully involves the word "eek"!!

so click on it and check it out: freezerdinner.com

Bow Tie Spinach Salad

I was cleaning out my recipe box and found this. This is one of the first things I officially learned to make. My dear friend Aleis gave it to me after I had John and decided since I was home more, I needed to be the one who made dinner. She was sweet and helped domesticate me!! The original recipe makes a lot a lot of food. To feed my family, I half it and it's still way too much.

Directions:

Cook 6 oz Bow tie pasta. Marinate in dressing for 2 hrs.

Dressing:

1 C vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbs sugar

2/3 C white wine vinegar

2/3 C teriyaki sauce

1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all the following ingredients and refrigerate:

6-8 chicken breasts cooked and cut up

3 small cans mandarian oranges (drained)

1 or 2 cans water chestnuts (drained)

1/2 c finely chopped fresh parsley

1 bunch of green onions chopped

1/2 to 3/4 C honey roasted peanuts

When ready to serve, combine chicken ingredients and pasta with one bag already washed and cut spinach.

crock pot lasagne

This was so yummy and really, could it be any easier?? So excited debby sent this!!

1 lb cooked hamburger

12 ounce container cottage cheese

6-8 lasagne noodles (NOT oven ready kind) Break to fit in cooker

3 cups mozzarella cheese

1 large jar spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Mix all in large crock pot. Cover and cook 4-5 hours on low.

-Debby Moon

Cafe Rio copy cat Recipes

I've been seeing a lot of these cafe rio copy cat recipes lately (i had one version of their dressing this past weekend. I posted both versions because they're slightly different). If you have a version you like, please share!!

I got this one off of www.freezerdinner.com/. I would have just posted the link, but I noticed one recipe site I like is now private and I am really grateful I had posted some of those recipes here so I can still make them. I definitely don't want to lose this recipe-it's so good!! But check out the site-lots of yummy things to try there.

Chicken

5 lbs chicken breast- boneless skinless

1 small bottle zesty italitan dressing

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tpsp cumin

3 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot.

Cook on high for 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred with fork. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shreeded chicken to keep moist. Keep warm.

Pork

1 bottle of honey BBQ sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1 liter of Dr. Pepper or Coke

Place all ingredients in large crockpot and cook on low all night. In the morning take the raost out leaving the juice in the crockpot, shred the roast. Then place the shredded roast back in the crock pot and leave it on low.

Lime Rice

In a sauce pan saute:

2 Tbsp butter

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

In a large pot, bring the following to boil

6 2/3 C water

3 Tablespoons chicken bullion

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 teaspoons cumin

2 small cans diced green chilies

2 Tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 Tbsp lime zest (optional)

Add onion and garlic to boiling water. Add 3 cups long grain rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

[I made in the rice cooker. Added a little less then the amount of water required for the rice cooker + the boullion and the lime juice + spices. Added the green chilis, garlic, and cilantro when the rice was almost done. Would have added onion at the same time but was too lazy too sautee so skipped it-maybe next time!!]

Fresh Salsa

4 fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp lime juice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Combine ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 pkg of Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing dry mix

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

1-2 tomatillos, peel

1 clove garlic minced

1/3 bunch cillantro, chopped

1/2 tsp lime juice

1/2 small jalapeno, seeds removed

Blend ingredients together in a blender. Add additional mayonnaise if dressing is too thin. Keep refrigerated.

Serve in the following order:

Tortillas, Shredded cheese, Chicken or Pork, Black or Pinto Beans, Lime Rice, Red and Green Leaf Lettuce, shredded, Salsa, Guacamole, Fresh Cilantro, Parmesan cheese, Fresh lime slice, Cilantro Lime Dressing, Enjoy!

Crockpot Tortilla Soup

Did you know I was in Seattle and my friend was cooking for me all weekend? So this was our yummy sunday meal.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs cooked shredded chicken (kam puts frozen chicken tenders into a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz green chile enchilada sauce
2 4oz can diced green chilis
1 15 oz can pinto beans drained
1 medium onion diced
2 tbl minced garlic
2 C water
15 oz can chicken broth
2 tsp each black pepper, cumin, chili powder, and salt
15 oz can corn drained
2 tbl chopped cilantro
shredded cheese, sour cream, avocodo, and totilla chips for garnish

combine all ingredients in crockpot except for cilantro and garnish. cook 6-8 hrs on low. stir in cilantro before serving.

Pasta with Shrimp Scampi

My still fabulous seattle friend kam made this for dinner last night. So yum and didn't seem like it took much time to make (no time for me since i was sitting on the couch)

Ingredients:
1 tbl salt + 1 1/2 tsp
3/4 lb linguini
3 tbl butter
2 1/2 tbl olive oil
1 1/2 tbl minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 lb shrimp (kam does 2 lbs fyi)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 c chopped parsley (kam just used dry parsley)
1/2 c lemon juice
1/8 tsp hot red pepper flakes

Directions:
Drizzle some oil and 1 tbl salt into boiling water. Add linguine. Cook according to directions.

In a large, heavy bottomed pan, melt butter and olive oil over medium low heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add shrimp, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and black pepper. Saute until shrimp is hot (or until just turned pink if using fresh, we used frozen that was thawed). Remove from heat. Add the parsley, lemon juice, red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. When the pasta is done, drain linguine, put back in pot, then add shrimp and sauce. Serve and enjoy.

(also yum cold out of fridge!)

Tomatillo Dressing

My fabulous Seattle friend Kammy made this for us last night. We dipped our chips in it. The recipe says it is close to Cafe Rio's recipe and that they had it with shredded beef and chips. Try it-seriously good.

Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup crushed tomatillos
1/2 cup cilantro
3 seeded jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup ranch dressing mix
6 drops Tabasco sauce
juice from lime

Directions:
Put all indgredients into a blender and mix until smooth
Keeps up to two weeks in fridge

cheater chili verde

this is maybe the easiest chili verde recipe i've seen and it was pretty tasty. we ate it over rice. you can eat it spooned into tortillas or my kids like it in a bowl with cheese and tortilla chips.

ingredients:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 can diced green chilis

2 cups packaged salsa verde

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

1 can northern beans rinsed and drained

directions:

put first 2 ingredients in crockpot for 4hrs high or 8 hrs low. (or until shreds easily). pull out of crockpot and shred. put back in with beans for 30 minutes.

Mongolian Beef PF Changs style

Lyndi Briggs emailed this recipe. She says it just like the PF Changs recipe (so yum right?) and that her kiddos love it!!

Sauce:

heat 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat

add 1/2 tsp ginger and 1 tablespoon garlic to the pan and quickly add 1/2 cup soy sauce and 1/2 cup water before the garlic scorches

dissolve 3/4 cup brown sugar in the sauce

raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 min or until it thickens

Meat:

Slice 1 lb flank steak against the grain into 1/4'' thick bite size slices

dip the steak into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides

let the beef sit for 10min

heat up 1 cup of oil in a wok (make it nice and hot but not smoking)

add the beef to the oil and saute for 2 min or until beef begins to darken

stir the beef a little

Use a slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok

put the pan back over the heat and dump the meat back in and simmer for one minute

Add the sauce, cook for 1 minute while stirring, then add green onions.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

This is by far my favorite soup recipe!!! Don't let the name of it scare you off, it is delicious!

6T unsalted butter (to make it healthy I have used as little as 1T and I couldn't taste a difference)
1large onion
1/4 c finely chopped fresh ginger root
3 garlic cloves, minced
8c chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2inch pieces
2T fresh lemon juice
pinch of curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsely as a garnish

Melt the butter in a large stock pot. Add onion, ginger, and garlic and saute for 15 min. Add the broth, and carrots. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered over medium heat until carrots are tender, roughly 45 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Season with lemon juice, curry powder, and salt/pepper. Sprinkle with parsley if desired and serve it hot or chilled. Both are good. Serves 6. Also we dip bread like crazy into our soups here so don't forget the loaf of bread!

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

One of my VERY favorite side dishes or healthy lunch.

Ingredients:
1 1/2c quinoa
1 1/2c cooked black beans, rinsed if canned
1 1/2 T red-wine vinegar
1 1/2c cooked corn (1 can)
3/4c finely chopped red, green, or yellow bell pepper

Dressing:
5 T fresh lime juice
1 t salt
1 1/4 t ground cumin
1/3c olive oil

Cook quinoa as package describes (cooks like rice) OR you can boil some water, put the quinoa in it and let it boil for 10 mintues. Then I drain it in a sieve and let it sit in the sieve while I place it over a pot of boiling water with a towel over it for another 10 minutes. This makes the quinoa fluffy!

In a small bowl mix black beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer quinoa to another large bowl and mix with corn, beans and peppers.

Mix/whip all ingredients for the dressing together and drizzle over salad. Serve chilled.

I personally like this dish the following day best!

Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

These cookies are SO good, and good for you...or at least as good for you as a cookie can be. ;)

1 cup sugar (I use less, can also use half white & half brown)
½ cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
2 cups flour (whole-wheat or white combination)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup raisins

You can leave out raisins and add nuts, or leave out both. Flaxseed also an add-in possibility.

350 degrees for 10-12 minutes on a greased cookie sheet.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

(You won't be able to keep their hands off it!)

Start by grinding about 10 cups of wheat to make 14-15 cups flour

6 cups Hot Water

2/3 cup Oil

2/3 cup Honey

2 Tbsp Lecithin (opt.)

8 cups flour (additional flour needed later)

2 Tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten (can be omitted if not using all whole wheat flour)

2 Tbsp. Dough Enhancer

2-3 Tbsp. Instant Yeast

6-8 cups additional flour

2 Tbsp. Salt

In the mixing bowl, combine water, oil and honey (also lecithin if using liquid lecithin. If using powdered, add with flour). Next, add 8 cups flour, dough enhancer, gluten and yeast. Gently mix ingredients together until smooth.

Sponge Method: Helpful when using all or part whole wheat flour: Let stand for 8-10 minutes before adding remainder of flour and salt. This process allows the wheat bran to absorb the moisture, thus making the dough "dryer". It also improves the texture. Sponging gives you a little advantage in terms of flour to water ratio; because the dough is dryer you add less flour, hence the bread is lighter.

Add salt and additional flour, adding slowly until the dough doesn't stick to your lightly-floured finger when tapping it lightly. The amount of flour you add depends on the moisture and protein content of your wheat. Another hint is when all the dough has come away from the edge of the bowl you've probably got enough flour. At this point, knead the dough for 5 minutes, then form into 5 loaves and place in greased loaf pans. (I've found if you spray cooking-spray on your counter it is easier to form the loaves by pulling up the edges of the dough and pinching them together, thus the top of the loaf is sitting on the sprayed counter). Allow loaves to rise 20-30 minutes, or until they are about 1 inch above the top of the loaf pan. Bake in 350 oven for 25-30 minutes. A way to tell if it is done is the bottom of the loaf should be browned.

Freezer Meals - Zesty Pineapple Chicken

I have been trying to make freezer meals once a week lately so that no matter how my day goes with all the kids, we will have a home cooked meal. Freezer meals have definitely saved us lately from the dreaded "Grab something on the way home" rut we were in.  The recipe would work if you were making it for dinner the same night or if you wanted to freeze it for a day later in the week. 


Zesty Pineapple Chicken 


2 lbs chicken breasts, with skin - about 4 breasts (I used 3 boneless, skinless breasts)

Zesty Pineapple Glaze:
8 3/4 oz. can pineapple tidbits - including juice
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tbsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. soy sauce

Place raw chicken in 8" foil disposable baking dish, or glass dish that is freezer safe.  Make glaze and poor over top of chicken.  Cover with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil.

On cooking day, remove dish from freezer to thaw.  (I just set it out to thaw at room temperature for at least 3 hours before cooking.  It's still a little frozen, but that's what the oven is for, right?).  Remove plastic wrap and re-cover with foil.  Bake in preheated 375F oven for 40-50 minutes, remove foil and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and glaze is dark brown.  Can be served over rice.

Black Bean Chilaquile

I got this recipe from my sister Courtney and my family really liked it. It's easy to make, packed with veggies and still tastes really good.

1 cup onions, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup tomato, chopped
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups spinach - rinsed, steamed & chopped (or frozen)
2 cups tortilla chips, crushed
grated cheddar cheese
2 cups salsa

preheat oven to 350. saute onions in olive oil for about 8 minutes or until translucent. stir in tomatoes, corn, black beans, lime juice, salt & pepper and continue to saute for another 5 to 10 minutes, until heated through. meanwhile in another saucepan, blanch greens in boiling water for 1 to 3 minutes, until just wilted but still bright green. drain immediately and set aside. (I just skipped this step and added them right in, you can also use defrosted frozen spinach).

lightly cover an 8x8 baking dish in cooking spray. spread half the chips on the bottom and then spoon the vegetables over the chips - sprinkle about 2/3 of the cheese over the top. arrange the spinach over the cheese and spoon half the salsa on top of this. spread the rest of the chips over the this and then top with the remaining salsa & cheese. bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.

Sweet German Waffles

One of our German girls and her mother taught us how to make these at our YW activity last week. There is nothing healthy about them, but they are SO good!

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

5 eggs; add one at a time and mix well

1 heaping Tbs. cornstarch, mixed with 3 cups flour

1-1 1/2 cups milk

Mix and pour into heated waffle iron, batter will be thick.

topping:

bottled (sour) cherries, add 2 Tbs. cornstarch to cherry juice and heat until thick, add cherries.

-can also use canned pie filling

These waffles are served as a dessert. Top with cherries (or whatever) and ice cream while warm. Yum.