Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
1 can chicken broth (14 oz)
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Place rinsed quinoa and chicken broth in medium pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer 20-25 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Place cooked quinoa in a bowl and toss with olive oil. Refrigerate until cooled completely.

Dice the following ingredients into small dices.

½ cucumber
½ red or green pepper
1 tomato
1-2 Tablespoons red onion
half a bunch of cilantro
1 avocado (slice and place on top of salad to garnish)

When Quinoa is cooled add diced veggies and toss. Season as desired with salt and pepper.

Grilled Pork Loin with Creamy Pesto Sauce

1-2 lb. lean pork loin
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
Salt/pepper

Sauce ingredients
1 Tablespoon butter
4 teaspoons flour
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons pesto

Brush or rub pork with olive oil. Sprinkle both sides with Italian herbs, salt and pepper. Place on hot grill. Cook 8-10 minutes on each side or until juices run clear or 155 degrees internally. Remove from grill and cover with tin foil. Let sit 5 minutes. You don’t want to overcook it or it will dry out and be less tender.

While pork is grilling, in a small saucepan melt butter. Stir in flour and pepper. Add milk. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and stir in pesto.

Slice pork loin and drizzle with sauce. Serve with Quinoa salad.

Egg Drop Soup

2 cans chicken broth
1 cup frozen vegetables
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon chopped green onion

1. In medium saucepan, whisk cornstarch into broth and heat to a full boil. Stirring
constantly.
2. Add frozen vegetables and boil 3 minutes.
3. Beat eggs with a fork and pour slowly into hot soup. Stir once.
4. Continue cooking 1 minute, and then pour into soup bowls.
5. Garnish with green onions.

Panda Express Mandarin Chicken and Noodles

6-8 skinless chicken thigh fillets
Sauce
1 cup sugar
½ cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
½ cup water
2 Tablespoons flour
Noodles
1 package Asian noodles
2-3 stalks baby bok choy (part of the cabbage family)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil for frying noodles

For sauce; combine sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a
saucepan. Heat until almost a boil. Combine water with flour in a small bowl and stir until flour is dissolved. Once the sauce starts to boil add the flour water mixture. Simmer for 4-6 minutes or until a little thicker.

Grill chicken 4-6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove from grill and cut into bite sized strips. Place chicken into bowl and pour the sauce over it. Serve over noodles.

To prepare Noodles with Bok Choy
Place noodles in boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. Drain water. Cut stems off bok choy – don’t trim too much, just the end. Rinse well. Chop it all into thin pieces. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Place drained noodles in frying pan with hot oil and add bok choy. Stir fry until all bok choy is bright green and wilty. Serve with Mandarin chicken.

FROM FROZEN

Defrost chicken and sauce.
Heat chicken in fry pan until hot throughout. Add sauce. Serve over noodles.
For noodles: Use only half the bag and follow instructions above adding Bok Choy.

Red Curry with Coconut Milk

1 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
1 small onion chopped finely
2 ½ tsp. Red Curry Paste (I used Mae Ploy from the Asian Market)
2 teas minced garlic
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup chicken stock
1-2 Kaffir lime leaves (whole)
2 lemongrass stocks (in 2 inch pieces)
1 Tbs. fish sauce
2 Tbs. palm sugar or brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
12 oz. chunked chicken (raw)
1 red or green pepper cubed
½ cup sliced bamboo shoots
½ cup thinly sliced carrots
½ tsp. cornstarch mixed with ½ tsp. water (thickener)
4 large sweet Thai basil leaves finely sliced
Jasmine Rice

Heat oil in wok or large frying pan and cook onion for a few minutes. Add red curry paste and minced garlic and cook, stirring for a minute. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, lime leaves, lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and let it return to a boil. Stir in cubed pepper, bamboo shoots, and sliced carrots. Simmer on med.-low 10 min. or until vegetables are tender and chicken cooked through. Remove lemongrass and lime leaves. Add the cornstarch paste and stir continuously until thickened. Top with Thai basil leaves and serve over Jasmine Rice.

From Frozen:

Defrost

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a large frying pan or wok. Stir fry garlic, carrots, peppers, and bamboo shoots for a few minutes. Add defrosted curry/chicken mixture and simmer until all is warmed through. The curry will be pretty thin. If you like it thicker add more cornstarch water mixture. Serve over Jasmine Rice.

Homemade Rolls

3/4 cup shortening
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

Cream above ingredients well in a mixer. Then add:

1 1/2 cups warm water
4 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp. yeast

Mix all ingredients well. Sticky dough. Let sit 1 hour. Stir down. Shape into rolls or put in fridge until needed.

For crescent shaped rolls, split dough into 2 or 3 depending on how large you want your rolls. Roll them out into circles and cut like a pizza. Spread with melted butter then roll them up starting at large end first.

Let rise about an hour or until almost double in size. Bake at 350 for 15-25 minutes.

IKEA Swedish Meatballs

The meatballs are all fully cooked. You can heat your meatballs in the oven in a dish or I like to defrost them in the microwave and then put them in an empty fry pan. This was you can get a nice brown to them.

Boil or bake the potatoes.

The gravy is easy - boil 1 cup water, then add the 1/2 cup cream (defrosted) and the packet. Stir well. Simmer for 3 minutes.

Serve meatballs, potatoes and gravy with Lingonberry Jam (Lingonberries are similar to cranberries but not as tart) on the side.

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.

Applebee's Spinach and Artichoke Dip

4 oz. softened cream cheese
1/2 of a 16 oz. jar Alfredo sauce
12 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. minced garlic

Mix cream cheese with Alfredo sauce until smooth. Add all other ingredients. Mix thoroughly and spread mixture into a baking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cheeses are bubbling and melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

Grilled Chicken Bacon Sandwiches

Chicken breasts
Bacon
Buns
Provolone
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Mayonnaise

Defrost chicken and add your favorite seasonings. We do seasoned salt and pepper. Grill the chicken on your BBQ. When they are almost finished, add the cheese and crispy bacon (warm in the microwave for a few seconds) and let the cheese get melted. Spread some mayonnaise on the buns and put them all together.

Tom Yum Soup with Noodles

5 cups Water
2 cans Chicken Broth
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 Tbs. Olive Oil (to brown Chicken in)
2 Tbs. Fresh Grated Ginger (or more to taste)
4-6 Kaffir Lime Leaves (rough them up to let flavors release)
2 Tbs. Fish Sauce
2 Tbs. Chili Paste with Soya Bean Oil ( more or less for spiciness, this is pretty mild)
2 Limes (juiced)
2 dried Thai Chili Peppers( optional-adds a little heat)
2 stalks Lemon Grass (chop into 2 inch pieces and smash to release flavors)
1 Tbs. Palm Sugar (or brown sugar)
2 Green Onions (chopped)
8 oz. Mushrooms (sliced)
1 can Coconut Milk (optional)
½ bunch Cilantro (chopped)
Asian Noodles
½ pound Shrimp
1-2 Chicken Breasts (chunked)

In large pot heat 1 Tbs. oil and lightly brown Chicken and Garlic (salt and pepper chicken to taste). Then add 5 cups water and 2 cans chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add bag #1 (Lemon grass, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Chili Peppers–optional, and Palm Sugar). Reduce heat and cover. Let simmer 15 min. Remove lid and add bag #2 (Soya Bean Oil, Ginger and Fish Sauce). At this time also add Noodles and Mushrooms. Let cook until noodles are soft. (about 5 min.) Just before serving add the Shrimp (they are already precooked and just need to be warmed through) and bag #3 (Cilantro, Lime juice, Green Onions). You can also choose to add the Coconut Milk. It makes it less spicy and adds a sweet flavor. Personally it’s better with it but my Husband likes it without. I usually add it to each individual bowl to taste. Remove Lemon grass pieces, Kaffir Lime Leaves and Dried Chili Peppers before serving. Enjoy!

Tip for storing Cilantro: Right when you bring it home from the store rinse it and chop the ends. Shake off excess water. Then put it in a cup with about ¼ inch water. Cover it with the produce bag it came in and store in the fridge. I’ve had it last for weeks this way.

(This also works great for storing asparagus)

Lemon Parsley Rice

1 cup white rice
1 can chicken broth (14 oz.)
1 Tbsp. parsley, dried
1/2 to 1 lemon
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp. minced onions, dried
sprinkle of garlic powder
sprinkle of lemon pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth to a boil and add rice. Cover, turn to low and simmer 20 min. Stir in butter and seasonings. Add the juice of half the lemon or more to taste. Serve immediately.

Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

Recipe from EatingWell.com

Ingredients

1 scallion, minced
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 pound center-cut salmon fillet, skinned (see Tip) and cut into 4 portions
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, (see Tip)

Preparation

1. Whisk scallion, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag, add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate; let marinate for 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce.
2. Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.
3. Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (Discard the marinade.) Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

Tips & Notes

Tips: How to skin a salmon fillet: Place skin-side down. Starting at the tail end, slip a long knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30° angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either.

(It also cooks fine with skin on. It peels off very easily after cooking. You can also transfer it to a serving platter once cooked without the skin.)

To toast sesame seeds, heat a small dry skillet over low heat. Add seeds and stir constantly, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

One Jar Homemade Apple Filling

Double Crust:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup Vegetable Shortening
6-8 Tbls. water

Stir flour and salt. Blend in shortening with a fork until size of small peas. Sprinkle 2 Tbls. water and continue to blend. Repeat until all is moistened. Divide into 2 balls. Spread plastic wrap on table the size you will be rolling dough out.

Place dough on plastic wrap and flatten. Add another layer of plastic wrap over top of dough. Use rolling pin to roll out dough between wrap layers into a circle slightly larger than the pie tin. Take one layer of wrap off and place dough into pie tin. Remove 2nd layer of wrap.

Now add pie filling from jar. Repeat rolling out process for 2nd layer of dough. Place on top of pie and join top and bottom layers. Use a knife to cut a few holes in top of dough to let steam vent. You can do a cute pattern such as an apple. Place pie on cookie sheet so it doesn't drip in your oven.

Bake 425 for 10 min, then turn down oven to 375 for 45 min. Enjoy!
Note: This Apple Pie Filling Jar will make one 8" pie.

Mediterranean Pizza and Garlic Bread

Mediterranean Pizza
1 pizza crust (see recipe)
Mozzarella cheese
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Parmesan (shredded)
Baby Spinach
Grilled chicken (cubed)
Roma Tomato (diced)
garlic(minced)
olive oil
Spread a little olive oil and garlic out on crust. Add mozzarella, then
a layer of spinach, followed by chicken and tomatoes. On top sprinkle
feta and parmesan. Bake and enjoy
From Frozen: No need to defrost or preheat oven. Place on pizza
stone or cookie sheet and Bake 375 for 20-25 minutes or until
cheese is melted through.

Pizza Dough (Kim Roylance French Bread recipe)
3 cups warm water
4 Tbls. sugar
2 Tbls. yeast
Let above mix set 2 min then add
1 Tbsp salt
2 tbsp oil
7 1/2 to 8 cups flour
Stir. Batter is stiff. Stir down every 10 min for 1 hr.
Divide into 8 portions for thin crust pizzas.

Garlic Bread
1/2 cup butter (soft)
1 teaspoon mincled garlic
1/2 Tbls Italian herbs
1/2 Tbls parsley
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)
MIx all ingredients and spread on sliced French Bread.
Wrap in foil and bake 375 for 15-20 min or until
butter sauce is melted.

Homemade Caramel Apple Dip

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup (or honey, I used corn syrup)
1 can sweetened condensed milk

1. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over med-low heat.
2. Add remaining ingredients, raise heat to med-high and bring
to a boil, stirring constantly (will take 5-10 min.)
3. Lower heat to med and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly
(really-this is not the thing to walk away from! It will burn... I know from experience!)
4. Remove from heat, let cool a bit and pour into serving bowl and
serve warm.
5. Refrigerate any leftovers. Microwave a few seconds to soften before using again.

Turkey Pesto Panini Sandwiches

1 loaf focaccia bread
pesto spread
turkey
provolone
tomato
sprouts

Slice foccacia into 6 pieces and cut them in half the flat way.
Spread one side of bread with pesto. Layer provolone then tomato slice then
turkey following with other slice of bread. Grill on a covered fry pan
on med-low until cheese is melty. Flipping sandwich in the middle of cooking. (or use a George Foreman grill or sandwich maker) After it is done cooking open sandwich up and put a layer of sprouts. They add a nice fresh taste. Enjoy!

Breakfast Smoothies and Muffins

Breakfast Smoothies
1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 cups apple juice
2 cups frozen peeled peaches
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen fresh pineapple
1/2 of a frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries

Place ingredients in order given into a blender. The blender used for this recipe is 6 cups, so if yours is smaller, just half the recipe. If you are worried that your blender won't do well with frozen fruit, just let it defrost a little. The frozen fruit may turn brown if it defrosts, but won't change the flavor. Blend all ingredients until smooth. If it's too thick, just add more apple juice until it blends well. I don't like to add sugar, but add some if the yogurt isn't sweet enough.

For something fun, place leftovers in popsicle mold. They make excellent healthy treats!

Blueberry Muffins
4 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 cups white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups frozen blueberries (defrosted and rinsed)
sugar crystals - for topping
cinnamon - for topping

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In separate bowl, combine vegetable oil, egg, and milk. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients, being careful not to overmix. Mixing too much can make a tougher texture. Fold in blueberries. Place in greased muffin tin, about 12 over-sized or 24 regular. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar crystals. Bake 350, 25-30 minutes.

Pumkin Muffins
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups butter
3 eggs
2 cups fresh cooked pumpkin
2 tsp. vanilla
3 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
(Chocolate chips - optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Bake 350, 25-30 minutes. Makes about 12 over-sized or 24 regular muffins.

Zesty Salsa

10 cups chopped, peeled tomatoes (about 6 lbs. I blanch and peel them and put them through my bosch slicer)

5 cups chopped and seeded long green peppers (bell also work, about 2 lbs. I chop these in my blender with water then strain out water leaving chopped peppers. So much easier than by hand)

5 cups chopped onions (about 1 1/2 lbs. I've used yellow or red, also use blender with water, saves on teary eyes)

2 1/2 cups chopped hot peppers ( I use jalapeno, about 1 lb. I blend these in my blender with some tomatoes, that way I don't have to touch them a lot and get burned.)

1 1/4 cups cider vinegar

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons cilantro, minced (I've tried canning with and without this and I can't ever taste it unless its fresh, so just add it when you go to eat it)

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer. ( I let it simmer 30 min to 1 1/2 hours depending on how thin the salsa is. Roma tomatoes make it a lot thicker than slicing tomatoes) Ladle hot salsa into hot jars (so they don't break) leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Put lids and bands on. Process in boiling water bath for 25 min. ( The higher the altitude the longer the processing time) Yield about 6-7 pints.