Friday, October 14, 2011

October Meals

Salsa Verde Braised Pork - Britta

Chinese BBQ Pork - Cheryl

Tortellini - Elsje

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole - Jeana

Taco Soup - Julianne

Honey Lime Enchiladas - Kim Rogers

Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic - Kim Roylance

Crock Pot Lasagna - Kimberly

Buttermilk Chicken Strips with Honey Mustard Sauce - Tamara

Salsa Verde Braised Pork

February 08 Sunset Magazine

3 ½ lbs. bone-in pork shoulder or tenderloin
1 bottle (15 oz.) salsa verde
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 t. each cumin seeds and coriander seeds
1 t. dried oregano
½ c. chopped fresh cilantro, plus some leaves
Salt

Trim excess pork fat. Put meat in a large casserole or Dutch oven with salsa, onion, broth, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is very tender when pierced, about 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375˚. With 2 wide spatulas, transfer meat to a rimmed baking pan. Bake until richly browned, 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, skim and discard fat from pan juices. Boil juices, stirring, until reduced to 2 ¾ c., 8-10 minutes.

With two forks, tear meat into large shreds. Add to pan with juices and stir in chopped cilantro. Season with salt. Spoon into a serving bowl and sprinkle with cilantro leaves. Serve with flour tortillas.

You can also prepare this in a slow-cooker. Put trimmed pork in a slow cooker (5-6 quart) and turn heat to high. In a pan, bring salsa, onion, broth, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and oregano to a boil. Pour over pork, cover, and cook until meat is very tender when pierced and registers at least 165˚ on an instant-read thermometer, at least 7 or up to 9 hours. Continue recipe with the 'oven' step, using a large pot for boiling down the juices.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

1 ½ lbs pork or chicken, cooked & shredded
1/3 c honey
¼ c lime juice
1 Tbs. chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Flour tortillas

Mix together honey, lime juice, chili powder, & garlic powder in a medium bowl. Add shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes. Lightly spray 9x13 with non-stick baking spray (depending on how thick you stuff your enchiladas you can also do 2 9x13s or one 9x13 and one 9x9). Pour green enchilada sauce into pan(s) to coat the entire bottom, about ½ of one can. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired about of cheese. Roll and place in dish. Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top – don’t be stingy! (I use 1 ½ cans – you can freeze left over enchilada sauce in a baggy). Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.

Optional – Turn on broiler after baking and place enchiladas near the top of the oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy.

Buttermilk Chicken Strips

1 lb chicken fillets
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup corn flakes, crushed into fine crumbs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp parsley
salt & pepper

Place tin foil in a cookie sheet. Mix buttermilk, salt & pepper and paprinka in bowl. Mix rest of dry ingredients in another mixing bowl. Dredge each piece of chicken into buttermilk mixture. Then place in bowl with dry ingredients until entire piece of chicken is covered in the crumb mixture. Place chicken pieces on pan and cook un-thawed at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve with Honey Mustard Sauce.

Honey Mustard Sauce

1/3 cup low fat Hellman’s Mayo
1-2 Tbsp liquid honey (depending on taste)
2 heaping Tbsp Dijon mustard

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve in individual ramekins alongside chicken strips.

Chinese BBQ Pork

2 Pork tenderloins
¼ C. Sugar
2 Tb Hoisin sauce
4 Tb Soy Sauce (shy 1/3 C)
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Red food coloring

Trim excess fat off pork. Marinate overnight. Bake at 350 ½ hour, then flip over and bake another ½ hour. Cool; Slice very thin. Serve cooled or chilled with ketchup, spicy mustard (ground mustard mixed with a little water) and toasted sesame seeds for dipping.

Taco Soup

1 pounds ground beef, turkey, or boca burger
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large crock pot or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours, 10 minutes
Total Time: 7 hours, 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
48-ounce jar chunky pasta sauce
14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 egg, beaten
2½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 box lasagna noodles
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Season with season salt and pepper to taste. Drain thoroughly. Add spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, and water. Simmer 10 - 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, parsley, and egg, and beat well. Add half of the mozzarella cheese. In 5-6 quart crockpot, pour 1 cup of the beef sauce. Then top with a layer of lasagna noodles (broken to fit). Top with mozzarella cheese, more ground beef sauce, then a layer of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers to fill crockpot 3/4 full. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-7 hours - DO NOT STIR. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve. Serves 6-8

Cordon Bleu Casserole

2 c. cubed (precooked) & sauted ham
3 c. cubed chicken, cooked w/ a little nutmeg
1 c. shredded swiss cheese
Layer these in bottom of dish.

For sauce, saute 1 sm. chopped onion, then move to saucepan with
1/3 c. butter or margarine
1/3 c. flour
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 3/4 c. milk
Pour sauce over cheese & meat.

Combine topping ingredients:
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs (I do abt. 1 c. bread crumbs & 1/2 c. wheat germ)
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. shredded swiss cheese
Sprinkle over top.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 min.