January 2016 Menu and Recipes
Your Choice
Kellie – Chicken Pad Thai
1/2 rotisserie chicken cut into small pieces
1 box linguine or angel hair pasta
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup cilantro
1 cup peanuts
Prep Day Directions: Put carrots, green onions, cilantro and chicken in a bag. Wisk together sesame oil, peanut oil, soy sauce and honey and place in chicken mixture and seal (bag 1 of 3). Label bag of peanuts (bag 2 of 3), and label pasta (3 of 3)
Serve Day Directions: Thaw chicken bag. Make pasta and add chicken mixture to hot pasta. Serve, garnish with peanuts
Note: I completely omitted any red pepper flakes so if you want it spicy, you can add your own.
North American
Liz – Pork Country Ribs + BBQ Sauce
2 pounds boneless country ribs
one bottle BBQ sauce (your favorite kind)
Prep Day: package up pork and freeze.
Serve Day: Cook time…8-10 hours on LOW. Serve with mashed potatoes, veggies, and salad.
Leah – Beef Roast
Beef roast
Carrots
Potatoes
Onions
Mushrooms
Minced garlic
Packet of lipton flavor broth
Salt & Pepper to liking
¼ C Corn starch & ⅓ C water if you want to thicken it up
Prep Day: Package up roast, chopped carrots (if not baby carrots), potatoes and onions. Freeze.
Serving Day: Thaw. Place all ingredients (carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic, beef roast) into crockpot. I add mushrooms at the top. Follow directions on Lipton packet, add to crockpot. Put in crock pot, cook for 6-8 hours on LOW. Enjoy.
Southwestern
Ashley – CrockPot Chicken Tacos
Adapted fromTwo Healthy Kitchens
Yield: About 5 cups
1½ pounds chicken breasts
1 1.25-ounce packet low-sodium taco seasoning (see note)
1 16-ounce jar of your favorite salsa
For serving: tortillas or taco shells and your choice of optional toppings, such as shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, black beans, corn, chopped avocados or guacamole, reduced-fat sour cream, and hot sauce
Prep Day: Package up chicken for freezing. Freeze.
Serve Day: Thaw. Place chicken in the bottom of the crock-pot. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Pour salsa on top. Cook on low (for 6-8 hours) or high (for 4 hours).
Just before serving, use two forks to shred the chicken. Stir to evenly distribute salsa throughout chicken. Serve immediately with desired toppings.
Nicole – Crock Pot Pork Tacos
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon salt
1 3-1/2 to 4 pound pork shoulder, rinsed and cleaned
1 16 oz jar mild salsa
1 package corn or flour tortillas
Prep Day: Place the first 7 ingredients in a bowl and mix. Package up for later use. Package up pork and freeze.
Serve Day: Thaw. Place the pork shoulder in the Crock Pot (slow cooker) and rub all over with the seasoning mixture. Pour the jar of salsa around the pork shoulder. Cook on low heat for 8-12 hours.
Remove the pork to a plate and using 2 forks, shred the into bite size pieces (I like to remove the visible pieces of fat). Pour a scoop or two of the juices into the pork and stir to combine (If you want to remove the excess fat from the juice you will use, pour it into a cup and refrigerate it until the fat solidifies and can be easily scooped out. Only the juices will remain).
Place the pork into the tortillas. Serve with desired accompaniments.
Asian
Anna – Teriyaki Chicken Wings
Yield:12 cocktail servings
Wings:
2 dozen chicken wings, about 3 1/4 pounds, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted in a skillet over medium heat until lightly browned
Leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Teriyaki Sauce:
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 fresh, hot red chile, halved
5 garlic cloves, halved
2 -inch piece fresh ginger, smashed with the side of a large knife
Prep Day: Package up ingredients for freezing and freeze.
Serve Day: Thaw. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Season the chicken wings with salt and pepper and drizzle a little olive oil on them to prevent sticking. Lay the wings in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until the skin gets crispy and the wings are cooked through.
Meanwhile, combine the teriyaki sauce ingredients in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat and reduce until slightly thickened. Pour the sauce into a large bowl. Dump the wings into the bowl and toss to coat them with the sauce. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve hot.
Italian
Katie / Brittney – Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
1 ½ pounds chicken breasts
1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets
2 (16 oz) jars Alfredo sauce (I use light)
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
Prep Day: Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.
Serve Day: Remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
Serve with cooked fettuccine noodles.
We tend to think of New York City, San Francisco, and New Orleans when it comes to the best of the best dining destinations. But the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN) are becoming hot spots for culinary creativity right this moment. The area has enormous amount of talent and it seems that you can’t go anywhere here without finding a James Beard Award winner chef. A wonderful new restaurant has opened up in my neighborhood and you won’t be disappointed. So glad this my home!
Northerly Nosh 