Week of March 31st - THREE new recipes!

[NEW!] BAKED MUSTARD LIME CHICKEN
Original recipe here.

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Combine lime juice, cilantro, mustard, olive oil, chili, salt and pepper in a food processor.
Pulse until ingredients are well combined.
Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry and place in a 7 x 11 inch baking dish.
Pour marinade over chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 6 hours.
Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes uncovered, or until an instant read thermometer reads 165°.
Serve with extra sauce spooned over top.

[NEW!] SLOW COOKER BEEF AND CARROT STEW
Original recipe from Real Simple, not available online

Combine 1 ½ lb beef chuck (cut into two pieces), 3 cups low sodium chicken broth, 1 lb sliced carrots, 6 cups sliced cabbage, 2 chopped onions, ½ cup red wine, ¼ cup tomato paste, 2 TBS all-purpose flour, and 2 TBS thyme leaves in a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and cook until the beef is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.  Cut the meat into chunks before serving.

[NEW!] MEXICAN PORK TENDERLOIN & CARROTS
Original recipe from Real Simple, not available online.

Toss 1 lb carrots with 2 TBS olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet.  Season 1 ½ lb boneless pork tenderloin with salt and 1 tsp ground cumin; nestle in the carrots.

Roast in a 450 degree oven until the internal temperature of the pork registers 145 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes; slice.
 
Combine 1 mashed avocado and 3 TBS each plain yogurt and lime juice.  Season with salt.  Serve with the pork and carrots and lime wedges.

HERBED CHICKEN, ORZO, AND ZUCCHINI
Original recipe here.


Ingredients:

2 cups dried orzo pasta
4 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
5 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium zucchini, sliced
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill weed
Lemon wedges (optional)
Fresh dill sprigs (optional)

Directions:

Prepare orzo according to package directions; drain.  Return to saucepan.  Cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with basil.  In a large skillet heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium heat.  Add chicken; cook about 12 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once halfway through cooking.  Remove chicken from skillet.  Add zucchini to skillet ; cook and stir about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.

In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, 4 tablespoons of oil, and the snipped dill week.  Add to orzo; toss to coat.

Serve chicken with orzo and zucchini.  If desired, garnish with lemon wedges and dill sprigs.

Week of March 24th

TURKEY & SPINACH MEATLOAF
Original recipe here.

1 1/2 cups pecans
1 pound ground turkey
10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 eggs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of black pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  In a food processor, grind the raw pecans to a medium-fine texture.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pecans with the remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Place into an oiled loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

ZUCCHINI TART WITH CRUMBLED SAUSAGE & DIJON

Original recipe here.

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ pound sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed
2 small zucchini (about 1 pound), sliced
Kosher salt and pepper
1 sheet puff pastry (half a 17.3 oz package), thawed
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Green salad, for serving

Heat oven to 400.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until cooked partway through, 3 to 4 minutes.  Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon, reserve the skillet.

Add the zucchini, 2 tablespoons water, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the drippings in the skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.

Unfold the pastry on a baking sheet and prick all over with a fork, leaving a ½ inch border around the dough.  Spread the mustard on the pastry (avoiding border); top with the zucchini and sausage.  Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cut the tart into 8 pieces, serve with salad.

SHREDDED CHICKEN & SWEET POTATOES

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

2 medium sweet potatoes

3 8oz cans of El Pato tomato sauce

Can or two of black beans

Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Throw potatoes in slow cooker, throw in chicken breasts, throw in black beans, add sauce. Cook on low for 4 hours, take chicken out to shred and then mix back in.

CHILI PORK TENDERLOIN
From Diabetes Family Friendly Cookbook 2013

1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pork tenderloin (1 pound)
1 tablespoon canola oil

In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients, brush over pork.  In a large ovenproof skillet, brown pork in oil on all sides.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

 

Week of March 17th

We're keeping it super simple this week as we're busy-busy-busy.

SAUSAGE, BEAN & KALE STEW
Original recipe here.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ package of ground Italian Sausage
1 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 19-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 14.5-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 bunches kale leaves, torn into 2-inch pieces
kosher salt and black pepper
1 loaf country bread (optional)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring once, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the beans, broth, and tomatoes and their liquid and bring to a boil.

Add the kale and ¼ teaspoon each salt* (don’t add as much, people can season on own) and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the bread, if using.

ROASTED CHICKEN SAUSAGE & POTATOES
Original recipe here.

Preheat oven to 450.  Pierce 1 ½ pounds smoked chicken sausage all over with a fork; place on a rimmed baking sheet with 1 ½ pounds halved small white potatoes and 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves.

Drizzle all with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season generously with coarse salt and ground pepper. Toss to coat, and spread in an even layer.
 
Roast, tossing occasionally until sausage is browned and potatoes are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.  If desired, halve sausages crosswise before serving.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TACO BOWLS

Original recipe here
 

Ingredients:


1½ lbs. chicken breasts

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn

1 Tbsp chili powder

½ Tbsp cumin

½ Tbsp minced garlic

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp salt

to taste cracked pepper

2 cups dry rice

8 oz. shredded cheddar

½ bunch cilantro (optional)


Directions:


Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with ¼ cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.


Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.


Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving).


After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

Week of March 10th

SWEET BABY RAY’S CROCK POT CHICKEN

 Ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce
¼ C vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
¼ C brown sugar
2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Mix everything.  Put chicken in crock pot (frozen is okay).  Pour sauce mixture over chicken.  Cook on low 4-6 hours (if doing 4 breasts, eat either right at 4 or shortly before 4 hours).


VEGETARIAN BURRITOS
From Diabetes Family Friendly Cookbook 2013

Ingredients:

1 16 oz can refried beans
1 16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cups salsa, divided
1 cup fresh broccoli florets, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 small onion finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
8 flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the refried beans, black beans, 1 cup salsa, broccoli, ¾ cup cheese, onion and cumin.  Spoon down the center of each tortilla, roll up.  Place seam side down in a 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through.  Uncover, top with remaining salsa cheese.  Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Week of March 3rd

[NEW!] SLOW COOKER POT ROAST TO DIE FOR 
We found this recipe floating around The Facebook, we tweaked it quite a bit, and holy moly is it GOOD.

SAUCE

4 cups of water + tomato paste

Add 2 packs of each:

Ranch dressing mix

Brown gravy mix

Italian dressing mix

Stir into the water until smooth

Put the beef roast (your preference) into the cooker and add the sauce

Set for 8 hours

Chop up celery, onion, carrots, and potatoes, just enough to compliment.

Add the veggies in after 4 hours.

Roast is ready when it’s starting to fall apart and your house smells so good you can’t possibly wait another second. 

CHICKEN POZOLE

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion thinly sliced
2 carrots, chopped (unless they’re skinny then use 3)
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 dried ancho chile thinly sliced - or - chipotles in adobo sauce (as much or as little as you like)
2 cups shredded chicken (I made my own, but you can use a rotisserie from the store)
15 ounce can hominy rinsed
Lime wedges
Minced cilantro
Red pepper flakes

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper and cook until soft.  Add stock, tomatoes and chile – bring to a boil.  Stir in chicken, red pepper flakes and hominy and cook until heated through.  Add salt and pepper as needed.  Top with cilantro and squeeze in some lime juice.  Add more red pepper flakes if you like it hot-hot-hot!  ENJOY!


Mary's Potato Soup
My neighbor Mary brought me this soup when I wasn't feeling so hot and then kindly gave me the recipe - it's supposedly a Weight Watchers recommended recipe but it tastes SO indulgent.  And it's only THREE INGREDIENTS:

1 28 ounce bag of Potatoes O'Brien
1 Package of Country Gravy Mix
2 cans of chicken broth

Mix it all together until cooked through.  Shredded cheese and bacon on top is divine as well, but probably not as Weight Watchers friendly, haha!