Week Eleven Recipes and Meal Ideas 51-55 1. Summer Salad Several years ago we went over to some good friends/family. They served us this lovely summer salad on their front porch. It was a memory both in the experience and the taste that we have never forgotten. The Dressing is amazing. We often thing, Well, it is a salad. I do not need a recipe. But the combination of certain items together bring together perfection. This salad falls into that category. Dressing: Juice of 1 fresh lemon 3 cloves garlic, minced ¾ cup mild extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients in blender, whip till white/foamy and chill 3 hours in blender so you can blend just prior to serving. Salad: ¼ pound bacon, diced then cooked 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese ¼ red or purple onion, thinly sliced 2 head of romaine lettuce torn into bite size 1 cup finely shredded Swiss cheese 2/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted Toss all ingredients and put dressing on at the last minutes.
2. Chicken Stuffed Peppers Serving: 6 2 cups shredded cooked chicken 2 cups of cooked brown grain rice 1 cup enchilada sauce (See attached recipe) 3 4 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided 3 tablespoons minced red onion
1 2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 3 cup water 6 medium bell peppers Minced fresh green onions and sour cream In a bowl, combine chicken, rice, enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cheese, red onion and cumin. Pour water into a 6-qt. slow cooker. Cut and discard tops from peppers; remove seeds. Fill with chicken mixture; place in slow cooker. Cook on low, until tender, about 3-4 hours. During the last 20 minutes, add remaining cheese and cook, covered until melted. Serve with sour cream and green onions.
Enchilada Sauce I have been trying to find a good recipe for enchilada sauce for a long tim. This one is so easy. Serving: 2 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat flour, and gluten-free flour blends all work!) 1 tablespoon ground chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 4 teaspoon dried oregano 1 4 teaspoon salt to taste Pinch cinnamon (optional but recommended) 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar Freshly ground black pepper to taste Have everything ready because this is a quick recipe. Measure out the flour, chili powder, sumin, garlic powder, organo, salt and cinnamon into a small bowl and place near the stove. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil until it is barely hot. Now pour in the flour and spice mixture. Whisk constantly and cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps. Simmer gently for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.) Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.
3. Baked Chicken Fajitas This is super yummy, simple and nutritious. Serving: 6 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 teaspoons chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon garlic powder 3 4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt 1pound chicken tenderloins halved lengthwise 1 large sweet onion or red, halved and sliced (about 2 cups) 1 large sweet red pepper cut into 1/2-inch strips 1 large green pepper cut into 1/2-inch strips 1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeno pepper 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons lime juice 12 corn tortillas (6 inches) warmed
Optional toppings: pico de gallo sour cream, shredded Mexican cheese blend and sliced avocado Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, mix first five ingredients. stir in chicken. Place Chicken on baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then turn chicken. While it is baking saute onion, peppers to a skillet with olive oil until glistening. (about 5 minutes) Open oven and once the chicken has been turned to the other side spread the peppers and onions over the chicken and return to oven for five minutes. Remove from oven and turn oven to broil. Drizzle honey and lime juice; over mixture. Broil chicken mixture, 3-4 in. from heat until vegetables are lightly browned and chicken is no longer pink, We show two alternative to serving. Serve in a tortilla of choice as fajita, or spoon mixture over brown rice.
4. Layered Mexican Salad Dip Take this to your next social event. No one will care if it is healthy. No one will think it is healthy because the taste is no amazing. These chips are baked from corn tortillas. 1/3 pound pork sausage 2/3 pound ground meat. (We used our own ground turkey) ½ small jalapeno seeded and diced ½ yellow onion diced 1 teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon cumin 1.4 cup cilantro, diced juice from ½ lime 1 1/2 heads of romaine lettuce (cut in thin slivers) 2 avocado diced Juice of ½ lime 4-5 medium tomatoes diced 1 ½ cups of red beans, black beans, or pinto beans 1 ½ cup shredded cheese
5. Eggplant Parmesan Vegetarian Recipe of the Week I throw this meal together with leftovers and it turned out great. It is a meal to prepare in individual dishes, whether they are small loaf pans like these or small baking dishes. These would be great for a party because everyone could have their own dish to eat out of. I am not putting amounts because it depends on the amount of dishes you make and how much you have in leftovers. Quinoa (cooked) Penne pasta (Rice if you can find them) Marinara sauce Eggplant, sauteed with the onions so they are slightly cooked White Organic Cheddar cheese Cottage cheese Sauteed Onions Cook slowly in butter On the bottom of the dish spoon a small layer of marinara sauce, Then layer as follows:
quinoa, cottage cheese, grilled onions, marinara sauce, cheese, penne Pasta (just a few) cottage cheese, grilled onions, marinara sauce, cheese, eggplant, Marinara sauce, cheese, onions on the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until bubbly. These can be made a day ahead and in fact, taste better as they sit and the flavors have time to marinade together. We combined the quinoa with the penne because there is good protein in quinoa but the penne gives it the substance it needs to be hardy. Try it.