Week February 15, 2015

Grilled Burger and Sides

Sun - Roasted Chicken
Mon- Grilled Burgers
Tue- White Chicken Chili
Wed- Gnocchi
Thur- Ground Beef Stew over Mashed Potatoes
Fri- Pork Loin Roast

Roast Chicken - 30 Minute Chicken (Pampered Chef)
Chicken:
1 whole chicken (3½-4 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
All-in-One Chicken Dinner
Lightly spray Deep Covered Baker with oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken cavity. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Trim excess fat using Kitchen Shears, if necessary. Tie ends of legs together with cotton string. Lift wing tips up toward neck; then tuck under back of chicken. Place chicken on Cutting Board; brush with oil using Chef’s Silicone Basting Brush.
For seasoning mixture, combine ingredients in Prep Bowl; mix well. Completely coat outside of chicken with seasoning mixture. Place chicken, breast side up, in baker.
Combine 1 cup each celery and carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces, and 3 cups red or russet potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces, in Classic Batter Bowl. Toss with additional seasoning, if desired. Arrange vegetables around chicken. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 35-40 minutes or until Pocket Thermometer registers 165F in thickest part of breast and juices run clear. Remove from microwave. Cover with lid and let rest 10 minutes (temperature will rise to 170F). Remove and use juices to make gravy.
Yield: 4-6 servings. Nutrients: per serving: Calories 490, Total Fat 29 g, Saturated Fat 8 g, Cholesterol 165 mg, Carbohydrate 2 g, Protein 52 g,Sodium 450 mg, Fiber 0 g
Variations: Spice rubs and seasoning mixes give alternate flavors to your chicken.
(My) Gravy
drippings/liquid from baker
3-4 tbsp AP flour
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
Mix drippings and flour in a sauce pan with a whisk until incorporated. Add in chicken broth and heat to a boil. Boil until the gravy comes to the thickness you like (remember it will continue to thicken off the heat for a bit). Taste, add salt and pepper as necessary.

NOTE:  I will be removing leftover meat from bones for Tuesday's chili, and making chicken stock from the rest of the leftover chicken bones.

White Chicken Chili NOTE I think this recipe is a little garlic heavy - I cut the garlic in half.

Alfredo, Gnocchi, Peas, and Ham
1 jar Alfredo Sauce (I recommend Bertolli, ask for homemade version)

12-16 oz pre-made, fresh packaged Gnocchi
1 cup diced ham (or crumbled, crisped bacon)
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 green onions, chopped, if desired
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain thoroughly. Heat sauce, ham and peas in a sauce pan on med-high heat, stirring frequently. Careful not to burn the sauce, it burns easily. Mix pasta and sauce together and put on a serving plate. Top with green onions and serve.

I will also be serving a spinach salad on the side.

Pork Loin Roast
1 - (4 lb) boneless pork loin, with fat left on
2 tablespoons olive oil
6-9 tbsp Garlic and Herb Pampered Chef Rub, or other rub/seasoning mix such as Mrs. Dash
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Brush meat with oil and sprinkle with rub. With your fingers, massage the mixture onto the pork loin, covering all of the meat and fat. Place in roasting pan.
Roast the pork for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and roast for an additional hour - 1 1/2 hours. Test for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 160F, remove the roast from the oven. Allow to rest 20 minutes before slicing.

Week of Feb 8, 2015

Garden Bean Salad with bacon

Sun - Chicken Satay
Mon - One Pot Puttanesca
Tue - Sausage Peppers and Potatoes
Wed - Garden Bean Salad with bacon
Thu - Pork Loin Roast
Fri - Pork Loin Sandwiches

One Pot Puttanesca

4 cups chicken broth (can use veggie broth for vegetarian)
2 cans (14.5 oz each) Italian-style diced tomatoes
1/2 medium onion
2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 cup sliced olives

7 oz artichoke hearts, drained

2 tbsp capers
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
12 oz (350 g) uncooked linguine or spaghetti pasta
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, divided
Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1. In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the onion in oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Carefully add broth, tomatoes, pasta, olives, capers, and pepper flakes, if desired.. Simmer, covered, 9-10 minutes or until pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally.

3. Finely chop parsley; reserve 1 tbsp for garnish. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes or until pasta is tender and sauce is thickened. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and reserved parsley.

Sausage, Peppers and Potatoes Dinner
1 lb Italian Sausage
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 medium potatoes, cubed
In a large non-stick skillet, cook ingredients together on medium heat until sausage is cooked through and potatoes are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Garden Bean Salad with bacon

I will be adding diced, crisped bacon to this dish.

Savory Pork Roast with Apple Stuffing2 medium red apples, chopped (about 2 cups)1/2 cup chopped celery1/2 cup chopped onion6 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix1 cup apple juice1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted2 garlic cloves, pressed1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves, crushed1 teaspoon rubbed sage1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper1 teaspoon salt1 boneless pork loin roast (2 1/2-3 pounds)

DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine apples, celery, onion and stuffing mix in large mixing bowl. Drizzle with apple juice and butter; toss well to combine. Spoon stuffing mixture into Deep Dish Baker.2. Combine garlic, rosemary, sage, black pepper and salt; mix well and rub evenly over pork. Place pork, fat side up, over stuffing; loosely cover with aluminum foil, sealing tightly around edge of baker. Bake 1 hour, 30 minutes; carefully remove foil. Bake an additional 15-30 minutes for medium (155°F) to well (165°F) doneness. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes; carve on Reversible Bamboo Carving Board. Serve pork with stuffing.

Week of Feb 1, 2015

Sun - Baked Potato Bar

Mon - Bountiful Brunch Pizza
Tue - Easy Crescent Taco Bake
Wed - Pork Stir Fry
Thu -  Meatball Sandwiches
Fri - Fish Sticks and Chips
Sat - BBQ Ribs

Baked Potato Bar
Baked Potatoes 1 for each person
Put toppings for your potatoes out for everyone to top their own potato. Toppings I will be including are: butter, sour cream, chedder cheese, diced bacon, diced ham, chives, 3 bean chili.


Bountiful Brunch Pizza (Pampered Chef Recipe)
INGREDIENTS

Crust: 1 package (24 ounces) frozen shredded hash brown patties, thawed and broken apart, 1 egg, beaten salt and ground black pepper to taste

Egg Topping: 7 eggs, 1/2 cup milk Salt and ground black pepper to taste (optional) 1 cup chopped ham 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 1/4 cup green onion slices 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover Large Round Stone with Handles with sheet of Parchment Paper. For crust, combine potatoes, egg, salt and pepper in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well. Spread potato mixture into 14-inch circle on prepared Stone; pat down with back of spoon. Bake 20 minutes; remove from oven. For egg topping, whisk eggs and milk in Small Batter Bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, if desired. Microwave on HIGH 3 minutes; stir. Microwave an additional 3 minutes; stir. Spread cooked egg mixture evenly over potato crust; top with ham, mushrooms, green onion and bell pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven. Bake 10 minutes. To serve, cut into wedges with Pizza Cutter.


Yield: 10 servings Nutrients per serving: Approximately 210 calories and 15 grams of fat per serving
U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: No information is currently available.
Cook's Tips: For a special breakfast or company brunch without the last minute rush, assemble the recipe ingredients the night before. For example, place the hash brown potatoes in the refrigerator to thaw. Chop the ham and bell pepper with the Food Chopper. Slice the mushrooms with the Egg Slicer Plus®. Place in separate containers. Mix the eggs and the milk in the Batter Bowl. Cover all ingredients, refrigerate overnight and sleep tight!


Easy Crescent Taco Bake
I like to add a can of black or pinto beans to this recipe.

Stir Fry 
1 lb of your favorite stir fry meat sliced thin (chicken, pork, whole shrimp, beef, etc)
2 tbs of Asian seasoning OR 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce (found in Asian isle at grocery store)
1 tbsp honey

Stir Fry

2 tbs oil for cooking meat
1 tbsp fresh ground ginger
1 bag of frozen stir fry veggies
Cook meat in oil on medium-high heat until done. Add other ingredients and heat until warm. Serve with steamed white rice or ramen noodles

Fish Sticks and Chips

Prep Time:
5 minutes

Cook Time:
20 minutes

Servings:3

DESCRIPTION:


Simply prepare Fish Sticks and pair with your favorite French fries – it’s like fish and chips, only more fun.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F, Gorton's Classic Breaded Fish Sticks on baking sheet and fill remainder with fries.

2. Bake for 17-19 minutes, turn sticks and fries halfway through baking, let stand for 2-3 minutes, serve and enjoy!