Barleyburger Stew

1 lb lean ground beef
1 C Chopped onion
1/2 C Chopped celery
1/2 chopped carrots
46 oz (almost 6 C) tomato juice
1 t salt
1/2 T chili powder
1 t fennel seed
1/2 t pepper
1/2 C uncooked barley

In medium skillet, saute the meat, onion, and celery until the meat is browned and the vegetables are translucent.  Drain off excess fat.  Stir in the remaining ingredients. Freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Bring to boil on stove. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 Min. OR cook in slow cooker on low for 3 hours.

Coconut Shrimp

1 lb (24) large raw shrimp, peeled and deviened (weight after peeled)
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp panko crumbs
2 tbsp all purpose flour (you will only use 1 tbsp)
1 large egg
pinch salt
non-stick spray 

For the Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup apricot preserves (you can use sugar free if you wish)
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes


Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine coconut flakes, panko crumbs and salt in a bowl. Place the flour on a small dish. Whisk egg in another bowl.

Lightly season shrimp with salt. Dip the shrimp in the flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.

Lay shrimp on the cookie sheet then spray the top of the shrimp with more cooking spray; bake in the middle rack for about 10 minutes. Turn shrimp over then cook another 6-7 minutes or until cooked though. Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauce.

For the sauce, combine all the ingredients and place in a small bowl.

To freeze:  If shrimp was fresh, freeze the shrimp before cooking on a wax paper or silpat lined cookie sheet.  Once frozen, place in freezer bag.  If shrimp is frozen, you could try coating them while frozen, or just mix up the coating and bag and freeze that to coat the shrimp just before cooking for dinner.

To Serve:  Cook as above. Thaw shrimp laid out on cookie sheet, or add a little extra cook time.

I originally found this recipe on skinnytaste.

Salisbury steak

1 1/2 tsp oil
3/4 cup onions, minced
1 lbs 93% lean ground beef
1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 cups beef broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper, to taste
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 cup water
chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Sauté onions in oil over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. 

In a large bowl, combine half of the sautéed onions, ground beef, ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, egg white, 1/4 cup beef broth, salt and black pepper. Shape into 8 oval patties.

In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Set asideon a dish.

Add mushrooms to the skillet, season with salt and pepper and sauté 2-3 minutes.
Return patties to the skillet with the mushrooms.

In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining broth until smooth. Mix in remaining onions, tomato paste, vinegar, water, worcestershire sauce and mustard powder. Pour over meat and mushrooms in skillet. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

To Freeze: Once cool, transfer to 1 gallon freezer bag. 

To Serve: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put frozen steaks and gravy in baking dish (If using glass, thaw first and reduce cooking time to prevent breaking) and cover with foil.  Bake 1 hour.  remove gravy and whisk before serving.

I originally found this recipe at skinnytaste.

Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes

(18 oz) 4 medium russet potatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets
2 cups chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1 tbsp minced chives (optional)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese


Pierce the potatoes several times with a fork. Place in the microwave and use your baked potato setting until the potatoes are cooked through, turning half way. I don't have a baked potato setting, so I just put all the potatoes in the oven and kept adding 5 min until they were done. For my 4 potatoes it took around 15 min, I think. (Or you can bake 1 hour in your oven at 425° F)

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine cauliflower and broccoli with a little salted water and cook, covered for about 3 minutes. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside, continue cooking the cauliflower until soft, about 5 more minutes.Drain and set aside in a large bowl.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop the flesh out into the large bowl with the cauliflower, leaving a ¼" shell. Place the potato shells on a baking sheet.

Mash the flesh with a potato masher or puree with a hand blender along with the cauliflower. Add the buttermilk and salt, mash until smooth. Fold in half of the shredded cheddar (and chives if desired).

Spoon the potato/cauliflower mixture back into the shells. Top with the cooked broccoli (I just inserted them in) and remaining cheese on top. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melted. (you can also microwave it for a few minutes if you prefer not to use the oven.)

I originally found this recipe on Skinnytaste

Grilled Herb Chicken

2 T chopped oregano

1 T chopped Thyme

1 T chopped rosemary

2 t olive oil

½ t salt        

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

(If you don’t have fresh herb: 1 T fresh herbs = 1 t dried herbs)

Combine the herbs, oil, and salt.  Rub mixture on both sides of chicken.  Heat a pan or grill to medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side.

Cilantro Lime Tacos

cooking spray for sauteeing 2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces 
salt and pepper to taste 
1 teaspoon garlic powder 
1/2 cup cilantro lime pesto (recipe follows) 
flour or corn tortillas (we use whole wheat flour tortillas)
preferred taco garnishes (I recommend seasoned black beans, cheese, Romaine Lettuce and black olives) 

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute chicken over medium high heat and cooked through. Toss cooked, seasoned chicken with the pesto.  If you like more of a biting garlic taste do not heat the pesto.  If you prefer a milder garlic taste heat the chicken with the pesto on it for a little it.Fill tortillas with chicken and top with preferred garnishes.  

To freeze:  Cook chicken as directed as above and cool. Place chicken in freezer bag. Prepare cilantro lime pesto as directed below. Place a 1/2 cup of pesto in a small storage bag then place inside the freezer bag with the chicken. Freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost and heat chicken. Toss chicken with defrosted pesto. If desired, heat chicken and pesto together before filling tacos. 

Cilantro Lime Pesto (makes enough for at least 2 batches)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (do not include stems unless you have a high power blender like a Vitamix or a Blentec and place cilantro in the blender leaves down) 
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sliced, toasted almonds (we omit due to allergies)
3 tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic (or more to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice 
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan 
add salt if needed
1/4 cup chicken broth

 Using a blender, mix together the cilantro, olive oil, almonds, garlic, lime juice, Parmesan, salt and chicken broth on low speed for 2 minutes. 



I originally found this recipe on pinterest and it linked to here. 

White Bean Chili

2-3 C shredded chicken

2 cans white beans, w/ juices

1 can black beans, drained

1 can chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 t cumin

½ t garlic powder

1 diced onion

2 smalls cans green chilies

16 oz sour cream

 Stir together everything but the sour cream (reserve it in the fridge.)  Bag it up and freeze.

To serve: Thaw, heat-up, when bubbly add sour cream.  When bubbly again, it's ready.

Upside-down Fettuccine bake

½ lb Italian sausage

¼ C chopped onion

8 oz fettuccine

1 14½-oz can diced tomatoes

1 t dried oregano

½ C shredded mozzarella cheese

½ C grate Parmesan cheese

3 slightly beaten eggs

2 T melted butter

2 T parsley flakes

½ t chopped garlic

Brown sausage. Add onion during last few minutes.  Drain fat.  Meanwhile cook the fettuccine   Add tomatoes and their liquid to sausage mixture.  Add oregano and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, about 20 min, stirring occasionally.  Stir in mozzarella and half of the Parmesan cheese.

Mix the eggs, the rest of the Parmesan cheese, butter, parsley, and garlic together in medium bowl.  Toss the noodles with the egg mixture.  Spread the noodles in 10-in round pan.  Pour the sausage mixture on top.  Cover with foil, label and freeze.

To serve, thaw and bake, uncovered, in preheated 350˚ oven about 25 min, or until bubbly.  Cut and serve.


To Lighten: Use Turkey Sausage, Use 1/3 C part skim mozzarella, 1/3 C Parmesan Cheese, reduce eggs to 2, and reduce butter to 1 T.

Salsa Verde Pork

3½ lbs pork loin

1 15-oz bottle salsa Verde or homemade green enchilada sauce

2 C chopped onion

3 C broth

2 t ground coriander

2 t cumin

1 t dried oregano

½ C chopped cilantro

6 large flour tortillas

Trim excess fat from pork.  Place all ingredients, except tortillas, in a 1-gallon  freezer bag.  

To Serve: Thaw and place in slow cooker. Cook on low 7-9 hrs.  Shred pork and serve with tortillas.

Grilled Southwest Chicken with Cilantro Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts     

2 limes                                              

1 t chopped garlic                              

1 6-oz container plain yogurt

1 C sour cream

¼ C chopped fresh cilantro

½ t salt

½ t pepper 

1 C Pepper-Jack cheese

1 C salsa

Coat both sides of chicken breasts with juice of 1 lime.  Take the garlic and rub into both sides of the chicken breast.  Let the chicken stand for approximately 5 min. while you prepare the sauce.

Mix together the yogurt, sour cream, and cilantro.  Add the juice of the second lime.  Add the salt and pepper and mix well. 

Place the chicken in 1-gallon freezer bag.  Place the sauce in 1-quart freezer bag.  Shred cheese and put into a sandwich bag.  Bundle the bags together, label, and freeze.

To serve, thaw the contents of the bags.  Heat a grill and place the chicken on the grill and let cook 5-6 min on grill. Internal temp should be 162˚ (You can also bake the chicken in 375˚ oven for 50 min.)

Once chicken is ready, place ¼ C of shredded cheese on top of each chicken breast and let stand on open grill or in the oven for another minute, or until the cheese starts to melt.  Remove the chicken from the grill, or oven and place on plates and top with cilantro sauce and salsa.

To lighten, use fat-free sour cream and plain yogurt.  Reduce the amount of cheese and/or use reduced-fat cheese.

Chicken Dijon

3 T butter

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half

2 T all-purpose flour

1 C broth

½ C half-and-half

2 T Dijon mustard

Cook chicken in butter over medium heat until cooked through and lightly browned, about 20 min.  Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside to cool.

Stir flour into drippings and cook for 1 min.  Add the broth and half-and-half.  Stir and cook until the sauce thickens and bubbles.  Stir in the mustard.  Cool the sauce.  Pour chicken and sauce into 1-gallon freezer bag and freeze.

To serve, thaw the chicken.  Place chicken and sauce in skillet, cover, and heat 10 min.  

Condensed Soup

1½ C chicken broth
½ t poultry seasoning
¼ t onion powder
¼ t garlic powder
⅛ t black pepper
¼ t salt
¼ t parsley
1½ C milk
¾ C flour

In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two (longer if using fresh onions or garlic).

 In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.

Freeze in 1½ C portions

To lighten, use fat-free evaporated milk instead of milk.

Chicken Supreme

6 slices of bacon

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 10½-oz can cream of mushroom soup

½ C sour cream

Fry bacon until crisp and break into pieces.  Put the chicken and the bacon into a 1-gallon freezer bag.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour into freezer bag.  Lay flat to freeze.

To serve, thaw mixture.  Arrange in baking dish with as much sauce on top as possible.  Bake in a preheated 375˚ oven for 50 min.

To lighten, use fat-free sour cream, or strained fat-free plain yogurt.  You can also use the precooked bacon.

Staked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Foodhave chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

This challenge was such a exciting one for me.  I have been trying to master enchiladas for about a month when this was presented.  Several times I was able to make an inedible mess, but nothing I would want to actually eat. One night we sat down to dinner and I thought I had finally done it... but I was wrong.  I took one bite and announced we were going out to eat.  No one else had even picked-up their forks yet!

SO I made my own tortillas and enchilada sauce.  SOOOO good.  I have been munching on enchiladas for lunch now several times a week.  Here is the best part even Chris liked them... and he doesn't like enchiladas.  He doesn't even much like Mexican food!

I LOVED making my own enchilada sauce.  While I was at it I made some hot sauce for Chris' boss too!

I made these for Mother's Day.  While I was cooking I called my Mom's best friend, My Auntie Kathy.  She gave me all her tips and tricks from her mom for enchiladas.  Thanks Kathy for chatting with me on Mother's Day!

The recipe:

Ingredients

1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chilies (about eight 6 to 8 inch chilies) 24 ounces 678 grams - roast, peel, remove seeds, chop coarsely. Other green chilies (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size!)

7-8 ounces Tomatillos (about 4-5 medium)212 grams - peel, remove stems

4 cups Chicken broth (32 ounces/920 grams)

1 clove Garlic, minced

2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ tsp Kosher salt (add more to taste)

¼ tsp Black Pepper (add more to taste)

2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)

Hot sauce, your favorite, optional

2 Boneless chicken breasts (you can also use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs)

3 tablespoons Olive oil or other neutral vegetable oil (use more as needed)

Kosher salt and pepper

12 Small Corn tortillas (5-6 inch/13-15 cm). (you can also use wheat tortillas or other wraps)

6 ounces grated Monterey Jack, 170 grams (other cheeses (cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican cheeses) can be used. Just be sure they melt well and complement the filling)

Cilantro for garnish, chopped and sprinkled optional

Directions:

Roasting Fresh Chilies

1. Coat each chili with a little vegetable oil. If you are doing only a couple chilies, using the gas stove works. For larger batches (as in this recipe), grilling or broiling is faster.

2. Lay the oiled chilies on the grill or baking sheet (line pan with foil for simpler clean-up). Place the grill or broil close to the element, turning the chilies so they char evenly. They should be black and blistered.

3. As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool.

4. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out (it rarely does for me). Open the chili and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it.

5. DO NOT RINSE!

Green Chili Sauce

1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft.

2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor.

3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped green chilies, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.

4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes.

6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

1. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a medium-hot charcoal Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes a side for boneless chicken breasts.

3. Cool and then slice into thin strips or shred.

4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately.

5. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most).

6. Drain on paper towels.

7. Add oil as needed and continue until all 12 tortillas are done.

8. In a baking dish large enough to hold four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce.

9. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another ½ cup (4 ounces/112 grams) of sauce over the tortillas.

10. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas, top with another ½ cup of sauce and 1/3 of the grated cheese.

11. Stack another four tortillas, top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and another third of the cheese.

12. Finish with the third tortilla, topped with the remaining sauce and cheese.

13. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

14. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate. Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks and sprinkle with cilantro, if you wish. The stacks may also be cooked in individual gratin dishes.

Additional Information:

Roasting chilies: Whether you roast the chilies on a grill, under the broiler, or use the gas burner element on your stove will affect the time it takes. If you do all the chilies at once on a grill or using the broiler, it will take 15- 30 minutes, plus time to steam (10 minutes) and time to peel and remove seeds (20 minutes).

http://www.ehow.com/how_5106125_roast-anaheim-peppers.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4437304_roast-anaheim-green-chiles-grill.html

Cooking tomatillos: If you boil the tomatillos, it will take 5 -10 minutes. If you grill them, it will take 2-5 minutes. If you broil them, it will take 8-12 minutes. This can be done the same time the chilies are roasting. After they are cooked, they need to be pureed, which takes a few seconds in a blender.

http://culinarycory.com/2009/08/08/roasted-tomatillo-salsa/

http://jerseygirlcooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/roasted-tomatillo-salsa.html

Cooking chicken: If you grill your chicken, it takes about 5 or 6 minutes per side for boneless chicken breasts- depending on thickness of breasts. Other pieces (thighs, for example) or bone-in chicken will take longer. If you roast your chicken, a bone-in breast takes about 30 minutes (depending on size). Be sure chicken is done but not overcooked, since it will be in the oven in the last stage of the recipe.http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-to-make-juicy-grilled-chicken.html

Corn Tortillas (from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen)

Makes about 15

1 3/4 cups masa harina

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water

Pour hot water over masa harina, cover and let sit 30 minutes. Add (additional) cool water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky. Divide the dough into 15 balls and cover with plastic wrap.

Heat a large (two burner) ungreased griddle or two large skillets, one on medium-low and one on medium-high.

Put a ball of dough between two sheets of plastic. If you don’t have a tortilla press, press to a 5-6” circle using a heavy frying pan or bread board or other heavy, flat object. Put the tortilla into the cooler pan or cooler end of the griddle. The tortilla will probably stick, but within 15 seconds, if the temperature is correct, it will release. Flip it at that point onto the hotter skillet/griddle section. In 30-45 seconds, it should be dotted with brown underneath. Flip it over, still on the hot surface and brown another 30 seconds or so. A good tortilla will balloon up at this point. Remove from heat and let them rest while cooking the remaining tortillas. Use quickly.