Meal Swap: April 2015 Menu & Recipes

April 2015 Meal Swap Menu

***All dishes serve 6 unless otherwise specified.***

Your Choice:

Katie k – bacon quiche 
  
1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 C. mushrooms, finely chopped
1 1/2 T. green onions, sliced
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 C. half and half
salt and pepper to taste
Dash of Nutmeg
1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell

Prep Day Directions: Combine all ingredients but the last together, and place in unbaked pastry shell. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Serve Day Directions: Thaw completely. To reheat, bake quiche at 350-375 degrees for approximately 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

Kirsten –  burgers
  
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
small sweet onion (sauteed)
1/3 c chopped cilantro
Worcestershire
minced garlic
1 tsp ground chipotle peppers (smoky taste)
1 T Montreal Steak Seasoning
American cheese

Prep Day: Mix burger ingredients. Make patties. Freeze cheese & burger patties.

Serve Day: Thaw and grill! 

American/European:

Bridget – Beef Sandwiches
   

1 (3lb) beef chuck roast
4 clove garlic
1 (16 oz.) jar pepperoncini or banana peppers
Provolone Cheese

Prep Day Directions: Make small cuts in roast and insert garlic slices. Place roast and entire jar (including juice) of pepperoncini’s in a freezer bag.

Serve Day Directions: Thaw. Put in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred beef and put on buns with cheese.

Jenica – sweet & sour meatballs
  
4 ⅔ ounces Meatballs, Frozen
½ cups chunk Bell Pepper, Green
½ cups chunk Bell Pepper, Red
⅜ cups chunk Onion
⅔ cups drain Chunks Pineapple, Canned
⅓ cups Sweet & Sour Sauce
Freezer Containers
1 Gallon Freezer Bag
Skewers

Prep Day Directions: On skewers, alternate meatballs, peppers, onions, and pineapple. Coat with sweet and sour sauce. Grill or broil until all sides are lightly caramelized. Serve with additional sauce, if desired.

Freezing Directions: Why would I want to freeze this? On skewers, alternate meatballs, peppers, onions, and pineapple. When threading skewers, place the last chunk on the sharp tip of the skewer so it doesn’t poke through the freezer bag. Place kebabs in freezer bag(s). Pour sweet and sour sauce over all and gently shake to coat. Seal, label, and freeze.

Serve Day Directions: Remove from sauce and grill over medium heat for 1 minute, then turn them over and grill 1 more minute while brushing the leftover sweet & sour sauce over the skewers generously all over. Turn down heat and grill one more minute on each side or until they are lightly caramelized.

SW/Latin:

Leah – cilantro lime chicken
  
4-6 chicken breasts
3 Tbs olive oil
2 limes, juiced
2 cups cilantro
1 large bag of frozen corn (or two smaller bags)
4 minced garlic cloves
1 finely chopped red onion
2 cans of black beans, rinsed
2 tsp cumin or chipotle powder
salt/pepper to taste

Prep Day Directions: Mix the ingredients together (olive oil, cilantro, lime juice, corn, cloves of garlic, black beans, red onion, cumin or chipotle powder and salt-n-pepper to taste) then put mixture and chicken breasts into crockpot  OR cook it all on the stove top.

Serve Day Directions: Thaw chicken and cilantro lime mixture. You can cook it all on low for 8 hours in crockpot  OR  you can prepare it all on the stovetop.

Kelsey – beef potato burrito
  
Recipe to come!

Asian/Indian:

Nicole – curry crockpot chicken
  
2 lbs chicken breast
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1 can (13.66 ounces) light coconut milk (cream given instead, add half and water down with same amount of water and save half of the cream in another container refrigerated for smoothies, coffee or another recipe, use within a few days or just use the whole can)

1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (you provide)
3 green onions, sliced, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch (you provide)
2 tablespoons cold water (you provide)
1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
3 cups cooked rice

Prep Day Directions: Bag chicken with all the spices, onions, and lemon juice. Keep can of coconut milk separate.

Serve Day Directions: Directions after chicken is thawed. Sprinkle chicken with salt. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown chicken on both sides. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker.  

Optional step, Combine the coconut milk, curry, turmeric, cayenne and onions; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until chicken is tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened.  Serve chicken with rice and sauce. Add extra onions and lime juice to taste.

Ashley – teriyaki chicken thighs
  
1-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Prep Day Directions: Put all ingredients into freezer bag, mix, freeze.

Serve Day Directions: Thaw bag completely. Grill, bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or crock pot on low for 6 hours. Reserve excess marinade to drizzle over chicken and rice (not provided).

Italian/Mediterranean: 

Kellie –   
1 and 1/2 (24 ounces) packages of gnocchi
1 (8 ounce) package fresh basil pesto (in the refridgerated section of the grocery)
1 cup cream (you can also use half and half or milk)

You provide:
Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper

Prep Day Directions: Bag Gnocchi separately from pesto and cream bag. Label and freeze.

Serve Day Directions: Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add lots of salt to the boiling water to help flavor the gnocchi. While the water is heating, get a sauce pan and whisk together the pesto and cream bag with salt and pepper to taste over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a low boil and be sure to stir frequently. Turn down the heat to a low simmer. Once your water pot is at a full boil, gently add in the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes. The gnocchi will float to the top when they are done. Drain. Add the gnocchi to the pesto cream sauce. Stir to combine. Top with parmesan cheese that you provide. Enjoy!

Sara –  Pepperoni Neopolitan Pizza 
  
Serving Size: 6 or two pizzas

Dough:
5 1/3 c. (680 g) unbleached bread flour
1 Tbsp coarse kosher salt
1 tsp (3 g) instant yeast
2 Tbsp sugar or 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
2 c plus 2 Tbsp (482 g) water, room temp
2 Tbsp olive oil

Toppings:
1 bag of cheese
1 bag of pepperoni
frozen mixed peppers
1 jar of pizza sauce

Prep Day Directions: Put in a freezer bag cheese and pepperoni. Freeze. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Using paddle attachment of mixer, mix on low for 1 minute.  Dough should be coarse and sticky.  Let rest 5 minutes to hydrate flour.  Switch to dough hook.  Mix on med-low for 2-3 minutes.  Dough will be between tacky and sticky.  Use a bowl scraper to transfer to work surface covered with olive oil.  Stretch and fold dough several times.  Divide into two pieces and place in a separate quart size freezer bag misted with spray oil.  Refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days in fridge or freeze for several months

Serve Day Directions: Let dough thaw overnight in fridge.  About 90 minutes before baking, take dough out of fridge.  (Can cut this short, but dough will be harder to work with until it is room temp).  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Put about 1 c. flour (not provided) in a bowl.  Dust work surface with flour and put pizza dough in flour to coat (THIS IS A VERY WET DOUGH – SO FLOUR IS IMPORTANT).  Roll out dough.  Put on pizza pan and top as desired.  Bake for 15-20 min – depending on how thick you like your crust/how many toppings you have on it.