Posted in - Meatless

Minnesota Delights: Spaetzle

Hungry for more comfort food?! Enjoy this from chef Russell Klein of Brasserie Zentral.

Spaetzle

source: minnesotamontly.com

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Makes 8 generous servings

4 eggs
1 egg yolk
1¾ c. milk
1 lb. all-purpose flour
Prep Day: Combine wet ingredients in large mixing bowl and add flour, stirring until no lumps remain. Let rest for 30 minutes in refrigerator. Over pot of salted, boiling water, pass dough through spaetzle maker (available online and at kitchen supply stores). Once spaetzle pieces float to the top of the water, skim off and shock in ice water. Once chilled, remove spaetzle from water and toss with oil.

Serve Day: Store refrigerated in an air-tight container until ready to re-heat and serve. Reheat in sauté pan with a little butter and herbs of your choosing.

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Posted in - Meatless

Minnesota Delights: Hearty Tomato & Barley Soup

Hearty Tomato & Barley Soup

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24oz jar of pasta sauce
1lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup medium pearled barley (NOT quick cooking type)
1 small onion (about 1 cup), peeled and diced
12 oz fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (Or bag of “ready to cook” fresh green beans in the produce section)
1 cup frozen peas
15 oz can of great northern beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups of vegetable broth

 

Prep Day: Label your freezer bag with the name of the meal, cooking instructions, and “use by date”. (For standard fridge/freezer combos, this will be three months from the prep day.)

Add all of the ingredients to the bag (except broth).

Remove as much air as possible from the bag, seal it, and lay it flat in your freezer.

 

Serve Day: The night before cooking, move the frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw. OR You can also quickly thaw the bag in water in the morning so you can break apart the frozen block and fit it into your crockpot.

The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot and add broth.

Cook on “low” setting for 8 hours or until veggies are tender.

Serve with fresh bread or baked crescent rolls.

Posted in - 2015 Swap Recipes, - Meatless, - Pork, - Poultry, - Seafood/Fish, Meal Swap Recipes

Meal Swap: September 2015 Menu and Recipes

September 2015 Menu & Recipes

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

Your Choice



Katie/Brittney: Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

 

  • 1 package (12 Oz. Size) Jumbo Shells
  • 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ⅔ cups Hot Sauce⅓ cups Bleu Cheese
  • ⅓ cups Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
  • ⅓ cups Parmesan Romano Cheese
  • 2 cups Ricotta Cheese

Prep Day: Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Cut the chicken into small pieces, and then cook in a skillet over medium heat with the vegetable oil until no longer pink in the center. If any pieces are on the larger side, shred them with a fork once cooked.

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except the shells. Stuff each shell with as much filling as it will hold (it’s okay if some of them overflow a little). Place in your dish seam-side up. Wrap for freezing and freeze.

Serve Day: Thaw.Bake at 400ºF for 20–30 minutes or until heated through.

North American/European

Jenica: Big Kahuna Chicken Teriyaki Sandwiches

 

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 1 bottle Teriyaki sauce (we used Lawry’s brand)
  • 3/4 c. brown sugar
  • 4 slices deli ham
  • 1 can sliced pineapple (or you can use fresh which would be even better)
  • 4 slices Pepper Jack cheese
  • 4 large hamburger buns

Prep Day: Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/4″ thick all around. Place in a large Ziploc bag. Combine Teriyaki sauce and brown sugar until sugar dissolves. Add 1/2 of the mixture to the freezerbag with the chicken and seal tightly. Place ther rest in aproper containers for freezing. Also package up ham, cheese and buns for freezing. Freeze.

Serve Day: Thaw. Marinade the pineapple with the rest of teriyaki. Open pineapple can and save a little of the juice in a bowl. Place chicken and pineapple on the grill (medium heat).

Brush with Teriyaki sauce every few minutes until chicken and pineapple are done– try to only flip the chicken and pineapple once. Either on the grill or in a frying pan, cook ham with a little of the pineapple juice until it becomes nice and hot. Slice open hamburger buns and place a piece of cooked chicken on each bottom bun. Top with cheese, ham, grilled pineapple, and bun top. Serve immediately with remaining grilled pineapple.


Southwest/Latin

Leah:  Crockpot Mexican Turkey Wraps

 

Yield: 8 servings

  • 1lb. turkey tenderloins
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 envelope OR 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning mix
  • 8 flour tortillas
  • 1 cups prepared coleslaw
  • 1 cups shredded Cojack cheese

Prep Day: Place turkey, veggies, and spices in a freezer bag. Shake it up and freeze. Place cheese and tortillas in another bag for freezing.

Serve Day: Thaw. Put turkey tenderloins and other contents from the freezer bag into a 4 quart crockpot and spriand water, cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours until turkey is cooked.

Remove turkey from crockpot and, using two forks, shred the meat into thin strips. Add 1 cup water and taco seasoning mix to mixture remaining in crockpot. Stir in shredded turkey, cover, and cook on low for 1-2 hours until mixture is blended and thickened.

Make sandwiches using turkey filling, coleslaw, shredded cheese, and tortillas.

Liz: Slow Cooker Southwestern Pork Chili

 

  • 1 pound lean ground pork (You can sub ground turkey if you don’t eat pork)
  • 2 onions, peeled and chopped (about two cups)
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped (about one cup)
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 14oz can of tomato sauce
  • 15.5oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 cup chicken broth (store-bought or homemade)
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Prep Day: Brown the ground pork on your stovetop, and take it off the burner allowing it to cool.

Label a gallon-sized plastic freezer bag. Add all ingredients to the freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible, seal and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Serve Day: Thaw and cook in your crockpot on “low” setting for 6-8 hours. Break apart pork and serve.

I like to add chopped cilantro, two teaspoons of chipotle peppers (this is what makes it spicy), and fresh lime juice to the chili right before serving. Serve with sour cream, cheese, and avocado on the side.

Asian/Indian



Ashley: Chicken Stir Fry

 

  • 1.5 pounds chicken
  • 1 bottle stir fry sauce
  • carrots
  • peas
  • broccoli
  • onion
  • Sesame or Hot or Veggie oil

Prep Day: Bag chicken. Bag sauce and veggies separately. Freeze.


Serve Day
: Thaw both bags. Cook chicken in skillet until cooked through with a little oil. Add veggies and sauce bag and cook until hot.

Nicole: Asian Shrimp Stir Fry

 

Serving Size: 6 each (recipe makes 2 meals)

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons red curry paste
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 bags frozen stir fry vegetables
  • 2 lbs. frozen cooked shrimp (tails-off)
  • rice (you provide)

Prep Day: Combine coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, curry paste, and honey in a bowl. Mix well. Put into gallon size freezer bag: 1 lb. shrimp, 1 bag veggies, and 2 cups coconut curry sauce.

Serve Day: Heat on stovetop over medium heat until desired temperature. Serve over rice.

Italian/Mediterranean
Kellie: Chicken Cordon Bleu

 

  • 3 large chicken breasts, filleted
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 cup milk
  • 12 slices ham
  • 6 slices swiss cheese
  • 1 – 8oz. package dry stuffing
  • *1/4 cup butter, melted (you provide)


Prep Day
: Combine chicken, milk, and soup in freezer bag and freeze. Put ham and cheese slices in small bag and freeze. Bag stuffing separately and do not freeze.

Serve Day: Thaw both bags. Pour a little of the soup mix just to coat the bottom of your slow cooker. Layer chicken breasts over the sauce. Cover breasts with two slices of ham and one slice of cheese. Pour the remaining soup over the chicken. Sprinkle the stuffing over the top and drizzle butter over the stuffing. Cover, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

Anna: Fig and Goat Cheese Pizza with Arugula

 

Servings: 4 (Individual pizzas)

  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1 cup dried figs, stemmed, quartered
  • 1/2 cup Marsala
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more
  • 1 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 8 ounces fresh goat cheese
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 1 pear, cored, thinly sliced

Prep Day: Heat 1/2 Tbsp. oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot; stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add figs, Marsala, and rosemary. Increase heat. Bring to a boil. Add 1 cup water. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring often and adding water by tablespoonfuls if too thick, until figs are soft and jam measures 1 1/4 cups, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool and pack for freezing. Place in gallon freezer bag.

Pulse 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, bread flour, 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 cup water in a food processor until dough forms. Divide into 4 pieces. Wrap each in plastic airtight and place in freezer bag.

Prepare a bag with arugula, pear, and cheese for refrigeration pack.

Serve Day: Thaw contents of bag. Let the dough rest and rise until soft, 2–3 hours. Once the dough has risen, preheat oven to 450°. Roll out each dough piece on a floured surface to a very thin 10″ round. Cover with a kitchen towel.

Place 1 dough round on each of 2 baking sheets. Bake for 3–4 minutes to partiallycook. Repeat with remaining dough.

Spread 3–4 Tbsp. fig jam over each crust; scatter 2 oz. goat cheese over each. Bake in batches until crust is crisp, 4–5 minutes.

Toss arugula, pear, and remaining 1 tsp. oil in a large bowl; season with salt andpepper. Top pizzas with salad.