Meal Swap: July 2015 Menu and Recipes

July 2015 Menu and Recipes

All recipes serve 6 unless otherwise specified.

Your Choice

Liz – Homemade Frozen Pizza

  

Equipment: Parchment paper, Rolling pin! Baking stone (or baking sheet). Plastic wrap! and Aluminum foil

1 pound pizza dough

1/2 to 1 cup sauce

2 to 3 cups other toppings: sautéed onions, sautéed mushrooms, pepperoni, cooked sausage, cooked bacon, diced peppers, leftover veggies, or any other favorite toppings 

1 to 2 cups (8 to 16 ounces) cheese, shredded or sliced: mozzarella, monterey jack, provolone, fontina, or any other favorite

Prep Day – 

Pre-heat the oven to 450°F: Place a pizza stone or baking sheet on a middle rack in the oven as it heats.

Roll out the pizza rounds: Divide the pizza dough in half to make two individual pizzas, if desired. Place the ball of dough in the middle of a piece of parchment paper. Roll it out to your preferred thinness. If the dough starts to shrink back and crinkle the paper, let it rest for a few minutes and then try rolling it out again. If making two individual pizzas, repeat with the second round of dough.

Par-bake the pizza rounds: Slide the pizza rounds on the parchment sheets onto the pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 3-5 minutes until the rounds are puffy and dry on the top, but still very pale.

Let the pizza rounds cool completely: Remove the parchment from beneath the pizza rounds and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Top the pizzas: When cool, top the rounds as you would if you were going to bake them right away: spread some sauce on the pizzas, add toppings, and sprinkle cheese over the top. Note: pizza rounds can also be frozen un-topped.

Freeze the pizzas: Place the pizzas on a baking sheet and freeze, uncovered, until solid, about 3 hours.

Wrap the pizzas in plastic wrap and aluminum foil: Once frozen, remove the pizzas from the freezer and wrap them first in plastic wrap. Write the pizza toppings on a piece of masking tape and stick the label to the plastic wrap. Then, wrap the pizzas in a layer of aluminum foil. The double layer protects the pizzas from drying out in the freezer.

Freeze for pizzas for up to three months.

Serve Day –

Bake the frozen pizzas: When ready to eat eat the pizzas, preheat the oven to 550°F (or the temperature at which you normally cook your pizzas). If you have a baking stone, place it in the oven as it heats; frozen pizzas can also be baked on the foil used to wrap them. When the oven has heated, unwrap the pizzas, discard the plastic wrap, and slide into the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the crust is dark brown and the cheese in the center of the pizza is bubbly. Eat immediately.
American/European

Ashley – Garlic Mustard Beef Kabobs

  

2 lbs beef chunks

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup grainy mustard

2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Spanish paprika

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

Prep Day: Combine all ingredients in freezer bag and freeze. 

Serve Day: Thaw, place on soaked skewers, and grill. Optional to add peppers, onions, potatoes, etc.
Nicole – Southern BBQ Chicken 

  
2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 large cloves cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

10 chicken drumsticks

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Prep Day: Mash brown sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a mortar and pestle to form a paste. Spoon paste into a resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, coat with the paste, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours to overnight. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir ketchup, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce into onions; bring to a simmer and cook until flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Put all in the plastic bag and freeze.

Serve Day: Thaw bag in fridge. Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Cook chicken on the preheated grill until lightly browned on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Turn off one of the grill burners or move the coals and move chicken so there is no heat source directly below it. Baste drumsticks with the sauce and cook another 10 minutes; turn and again and baste the chicken with the sauce. Continue to drumsticks until juices run clear, 10 to 15 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C)
Southwestern/Latin

Sarah – Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

  

Vinaigrette

Garlic – 2 cloves, crushed

Soy sauce – 2¼ tsp

Rice vinegar – 2¼ tsp

Toasted sesame oil – ½ tsp

Brown sugar – ½ tsp

Cooking oil – 2½ tbsp

Flank or skirt steak – 1¼ lb

Cooking oil – for brushing

Chimichurri Sauce

Parsley – ½ bunch, bottom stems chopped off

Cilantro – ¼ bunch, bottom stems chopped off

Garlic – 1 clove

Shallots (small) – ½ bulb

Capers – ½ tbsp

Red wine vinegar – ½ tbsp

Lime – 1, juice of

Salt – ¾ tsp

Cooking oil – ⅓ cup (add more as needed)

Prep Day:

Prepare marinade / vinaigrette – Crush garlic. Whisk with soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar, and cooking oil.

Marinate steak – Cover steak in the Asian vinaigrette. Tenderize with a fork. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day or freeze in marinade. 

Make chimichurri sauce – In a blender or a food processor, combine parsley, cilantro, garlic, shallot, capers, red wine vinegar, lime juice, salt, and oil. Add more oil if it’s too thick. Season to taste with salt or more lime juice. Place in freezer bag and freeze.

Serve Day: Thaw. Just remember to take steak out of marinade 30 minutes before cooking. Heat up a grill pan over high heat. Brush with some cooking oil. Once pan is super hot, place steak onto pan and sear on both sides for ~3 minutes. Remove from pan, cover with foil and let rest. For a more well-done steak, turn down heat and cook for a few more minutes. Serve with tortillas.
Kellie – Enchilada Sloppy Joe

  

 Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1 small jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, diced

1 lb. ground beef

1 can (10 oz) Enchilada Sauce

½ cup cilantro, chopped

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

4 hamburger buns 

Prep Day: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add in the ground beef and cook, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain off any excess grease. Pour in the enchilada sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Cool and Freeze. Label cheese and label buns.

Serve Day: Thaw bag of meat mixture. Turn the oven on to broil. Place the bun bottoms on a baking sheet and lightly toast. Top the buns with the meat mixture, then the cheese. Place the bun tops on the baking sheet, cut side up (to toast) and place the baking sheet in the oven. Broil just until the cheese is melted and the top of the buns are toasted. Place the top of the buns on the mixture and serve.
Asian/Indian

Brittany – Coconut Honey Lime Filipino Chicken Skewers

  

2 pound skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite size cubes

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup canned coconut milk (lite or regular both work great)

juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup honey

4 cloves garlic, minced or grated

3 bay leaves

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

Prep Day: Cube chicken and add all ingredients to freezer bag.

Serve Day: Thaw 24 hrs, place chicken on skewers and grill.
Katie – Tangy Chops with Honey Curry Sauce

 

6 Pork loin chops

3 slices bacon diced

1 cup chopped onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic. minced

½ cup soy sauce

⅓ cup lemon juice

2T honey

1T Curry powder

2t. chili powder

¼ t. salt

Prep Day: Cook bacon in skillet until lightly browned. Add onion and garlic; saute until tender. Stir in soy sauce, lemon juice, honey, curry powder, chili powder and salt. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow sauce to stand for 1 hour until flavors are blended. Place pork chops in freezer bag and add sauce. Freeze. 

Serving Day: Thaw completely. Drain pork chops and save marinade. Place chops on broiling pan and place in oven 4 inches from heat. Broil 12-15 minutes; flip chops and broil 10-15 minutes more. Brush chops frequently with marinade. Pork Chops may also be grilled.
Italian/Mediterranean 

Jenica – Italian Sausage Tortellini 

  
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups diced onions

1 lb mild Italian sausage

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup chicken broth

1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes

½ cup regular or heavy cream

9 ounces tortellini (fresh or frozen)

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed

Prep Day: Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When the oil is very hot, add the onions. Squeeze the sausage from the end of the link to remove it from its casing and add directly into the pan. Use a spatula to break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned. Reduce heat to low, then add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Cool and freeze.

Serve Day: Thaw sausage mixture. Add sausage mixture, broth, tomatoes, cream, and tortellini to the skillet. Stir to combine. Increase heat and bring to a boil.

Cover, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until tortellini are tender and heated through. Taste the sauce and add plenty of salt and pepper to taste. I used 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Add spinach and stir until softened and wilted. Remove from heat and serve.
Bridget – Chicken Italiano

  

8 oz cream cheese

16 oz spinach

Boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 t dried oregano

1T olive oil

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 fresh tomatoes

Prep Day: Blend spinach and cream cheese in good processor And put into freezer bag. Chicken breast in freezer bag breadcrumbs and oregano in freezer bag.

Serving Day: Thaw and dredge chicken in breadcrumb mixture and cook chicken 2 min on each side.

Press spinach mixture on bottom of a 13x9x2 pan treated with non stick spray. Arrange chicken over and layer dress tomato slices on tip and sprinkle with cheese. Bake preheated 350 for 30 mins.