Week of June 19, 2011

Sun - Father's Day

Mon - Wild Rice Salad with Chicken (Pampered Chef, MIFMIH, #69)

Tue - Chicken Enchiladas (leftover chicken)

Wed - Easy Sloppy Joes (my own Deep Covered Baker Recipe)

Thur - Sweat and Sour Pork with white rice

Fri - Easy Bolognese

To view recipes, click "read more"

Wild Rice Salad with Chicken

Dressing: Whisk together 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsp packed brown sugar, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp olive oil, 1/4 each salt and pepper. Set aside.

Salad and Chicken:

1 1/4 cup (300 ml) uncooked wild rice blend

1 medium pear

2 green onions

1 cup seedless grapes

1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped

18 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts (plus 1 lb more for enchiladas)

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

lettuce

2 oz blue cheese

1. Prepare rice blend according to package. Place cooked rice in mixing bowl, set aside and let cool. Meanwhile,slice pears and onions. Cut pear slices and grapes in half. Mix together with dressing and hazelnuts. 

2. Spray skillet with canola oil. Heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes. Flatten chicken to even thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes on side or until centers are no longer pink. Let cool. Thinly slice chicken.

3. To serve, layer a few lettuce leaves, rice mixture and chicken. Top with crumbled cheese.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken.

12-16 corn tortillas (taco size)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 large can (around 7 oz) of diced green chilies 

1 cup of sour cream

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne 

1 tsp salt and pepper (each)

Shredded cheese

Mix soup, chili's, seasonings, and sour cream in a bowl, and set aside. Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until flexible.

Spray a 9x13 rectangular baking pan with oil. To assemble the enchiladas, place tortilla in the pan, fill with a spoonful of chicken, cream mixture, and a sprinkling of cheese. Roll the tortilla up with the open side down. Repeat until pan is full. I usually do 12 total - 8 down lengthwise, an two sets of two on the side of the pan. Spread the rest of the cream mix over the top. Sprinkle with cheese. Heat in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until hot.

NON-OVEN RECIPE: You can also do this recipe with out using an oven in a casserole form: instead of rolling the enchiladas, layer the ingredients in a microwave safe casserole dish with a lid. Layer tortillas, cream mix, chicken, cheese, repeat 4x. On the top layer omit the chicken. Microwave on high, covered, for 20 minutes, or until center is hot. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes before serving.

Easy Sloppy Joes

1 lb ground beef

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp ketchup

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper

1 tsp seasoning salt

hamburger buns

cheese slices

Spread beef on the bottom of the Deep Covered Baker. Sprinkle the seasoning salt on top. Cover, and cook in microwave on high for 13-15 minutes or until no longer pink. (OR you can do this on the stove top). Drain.

Add tomato paste, ketchup, sugar, and other seasonings to meat. Stir. Heat in microwave for 1 minute, or until warmed. Taste, you may need to add additional salt or sugar depending on your preference. Serve on warmed buns with cheese.

Sweat and Sour Pork (non-fried version)

2 lb pork loin slices, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tbsp oil

Sauce:
1 can (16 oz) pineapple chunks in juice
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp red wine or rice vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger

2 cloves garlic, pressed
Cook pork in oil in a nonstick skillet until no longer pink. Remove pork from skillet. Add ingredients for sauce to the pan. Simmer on medium-high heat until it thickens. Mix in the pork pieces.
Meanwhile, make 4-6 serving of white minute rice according to package. Serve pork and sauce over rice.

Easy Bolognese 

12 oz uncooked spaghetti

1 lb italian sausage, browned and crumbled

1/2 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped

1 tsp italian seasoning mix

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with garlic and onion

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Boil spaghetti according to package directions. In a non-stick skillet, pour in the whole can (juice and all) of tomatoes, add tomato paste and italian seasoning mix. Stir (best to use a coated whisk - DO NOT use metal utensils in your non-stick pans) over medium heat until the paste is saucy, add water a tbsp at a time if needed. Mix in cream cheese until incorporated. Add cooked sausage, chopped parsley, and spaghetti to sauce and warm. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.