Friday, July 9, 2010

July Meals

Parmesan Ranch Chicken - Amanda

Margarita Chicken Wraps - Britta

Rosemary Grilled Chicken - Cheryl

Caesar Chicken Wraps - Diana

Spinach Manicotti - Jeana

Cilantro Lime Chicken and Mexican Green Rice - Julianne

Hickory Smoked/Peppered Tri-Tip and Garlic Shrimp Kabobs - Julie

Chicken, Mushroom, Pesto Pizza - Kim

Asian Beef and Snow Peas - Kimberly

Grilled Glazed Trout Sandwiches
- Melanie

Garlic Shrimp Kabobs

1 pound shrimp
1/4 c. olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
pinch of parsley - fresh or dried

2 hours prior to grilling, prepare the marinade. Place shrimp on kabobs and cover with marinade. Store in refrigerator until ready to grill. Grill for 2-3 min. on each side or until pink. Do not overcook.

Hickory Smoked/Pepperd Tri-Tip

1-2 lbs. Tri-Tip roast
olive oil
Worcestershire sauce (about 1/4 to 1/2 c.)
1-2 tsp. hickory liquid smoke
salt
garlic powder
crushed black peppercorns
crushed red pepper

In a dish large enough to marinate, drizzle olive oil over meat and rub into it. Generously pour Worcestershire sauce over meat. Then spread liquid smoke. Now sprinkle on both sides - salt, garlic powder, crushed black peppercorns - and just a little crushed red pepper.

Marinate for a couple hours then cook on a hot grill. Grill on high 5 min. on each side to give it a nice seared crust, then cook an additional 20+ min. on medium. Basic rule of thumb is for every pound of Tri-Tip, cook for 30 min. at 325 degrees. It is best medium-rare to medium. Pull it off when the center reaches about 140 degrees.

Parmesan Ranch Chicken

1/2 c. cornflake crumbs
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 oz. dry ranch dressing mix

6 boneless chicken breasts
3/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
26 oz. marinara or spaghetti sauce

In shallow bowl, combine cornflake crumbs, 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, and ranch mix. Coat both sides of chicken with mix. Place in 9 x 13 in. pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spray tops of chicken with nonstick cooking spray to keep moist. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min. Just prior to serving, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Heat marinara sauce and serve over cooked pasta and chicken.

Caesar Chicken Wraps

1 bottle of Caesar salad dressing
spices - garlic, onion powder, Italian seasonings
2 pounds chicken
chopped onion

tortillas
toppings: lettuce, green onions, tomatoes, cucumbers

Cook chicken, 1/2 bottle salad dressing, seasonings, and chopped onion in a crockpot. Frozen: 5-6 hours on high. Thawed: 4-5 hours on high.
Or grill or bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.
After chicken is cooked, slice. Serve on tortillas and add toppings.

Margarita Chicken Wraps

Basting Sauce

1/2 tsp. lime zest
1/4 c. lime juice
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in saucepan with medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring to thicken. Broil chicken 10-15 min. or grill. Baste with sauce for last 5 min. Drizzle remaining sauce over chicken. Cut into strips and serve on tortillas with tomato, avocado, and Cilantro Sauce.

4 chicken breasts
4 tortillas
Tomato, diced
Avocado, diced
Lime - if desired for garnish

Cilantro Sauce

1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 Tbsp. sour cream
1 7 oz. can Tomatilla salsa
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 bunch cilantro
1 Tbsp. lime juice

Combine everything in blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.

Mexican Green Rice

1 onion, chopped fine
2 Poblano peppers, cored, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 14 oz. can green enchilada sauce
1 cup long-grain rice
1 1/4 c. water
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Saute onion, peppers, garlic, & cumin and 1 t olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add enchilada sauce, rice and water and bring to boil. Cook over low heat, stirring every 5 min. until rice is tender, about 20 min.

Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. To add even more green color, you can add 1/4 c. parsley or 1 c. chopped spinach. For more heat, add a minced jalapeno.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
2 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 tsp. salt
cooking spray

To prepare chicken, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand for 3 min. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 tsp. salt. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.

Grilled Glazed Trout Sandwiches

¼ cup + 2 TBL Dijon mustard
¼ cup prepared horseradish, drained
2 TBL honey
4 – 6 ounce skinless salmon fillets *
Vegetable oil, for rubbing
Salt and fresh ground pepper
4 Kaiser rolls – split, toasted with glaze
4 red lettuce leaves
8 thick bacon slices, cooked until crisp
½ Granny Smith apple, cut into 12 thin slices

* for Meal Exchange, I substituted the salmon with trout. Follow the same recipe and cooking instructions. Note: I grill the trout with the skin on then remove after it’s
cooked and place on toasted roll.

Light a grill. In a small bowl, mix the mustard, horseradish and honey. Rub the salmon with oil and season with S&P. Grill the salmon over moderate heat, skinned side down, until lightly
browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and grill for 3 minutes longer, until the salmon is almost cooked through. Turn the salmon again and spread each fillet with 1 TBL of the horseradish glaze. Turn and grill until glazed, about 30 seconds.

Spread the remaining horseradish glaze on the rolls. Place a lettuce leaf, 2 crispy bacon strips and 3 slices of Granny Smith apple on each roll and set a salmon fillet on top. Close the
sandwiches and serve. Serve the remaining glaze on the side.

Spinach Manicotti

24 manicotti shells
jar of your favorite tomato sauce

Filling
2 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
Approx. 6 cups spinach (i like to use less)
3 eggs
1 pound shredded or grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

Combine ingredients in large bowl and stir until well mixed
Spoon about 2 - 3 tablespoons into the center of the manicotti shell
Spoon your favorite tomato sauce into the bottom of the pan using enough to completely cover the bottom of the pan.
Arrange manicotti into rows in pan.
Cover manicotti with additional sauce and cheese.
Bake 350 for 25-30 minutes

Chicken, Mushroom, Pesto Pizza

1 Thin pizza crust (you can buy these in packages of 2 at Walmart)
¼ C Pesto sauce
2 Grilled chicken breasts – Season to taste
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
½ cup red, yellow, orange bell peppers – cut into strips
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

Grill chicken, season according to taste. Cut into bite size pieces. Spread pesto sauce on pizza crust. Cover pesto sauce with cheese. Top with chicken, peppers, and mushrooms. Bake according to directions on pizza package.

Rosemary Grilled Chicken

2 Tb Dijon mustard
¼ c coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tb dark brown sugar
3 Tb olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
4 lbs. chicken

Mix everything and marinate chicken 1-2 hours. Grill 10-15 minutes or just until chicken is no longer pink.