April 2016 Menu and Recipes
Ashley – Chicken Broccoli Foil Packets
Nicole – Coconut Basil Chicken
Anna – Baked Pork Chops
Katie/Brittney – Buttermilk Herb Chicken Breasts
Kellie – General Tso Meatballs
Leah – Spaghetti and Italian Sausage
Liz – Mini Italian Burgers
Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Foil Packets
1 package Stuffing mix; chicken flavor
1 1/4 cups Water
6 Boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 oz. each)
6 cups Broccoli Florets
1 1/2 cups Shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices Cooked bacon; crumbled (I used the already cooked bacon from Sam’s Club)
6 tbsp Ranch dressing, divided
Prep Day: Spray 4 large sheets of heavy-duty foil with oil. Combine stuffing mix and water. Spoon 1/4 of the stuffing mixture onto the center of each foil sheet. Top stuffing with a 6oz. chicken breast half. Top chicken with 1 c. broccoli. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese and 1 slice of bacon, crumbled. Drizzle with 1 T. ranch dressing. Bring up foil sides and fold to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside.
To freeze, I first froze each packet separately and then the next day put them all in a gallon size ziploc bag.
Serve Day: Thaw packets in fridge. Heat oven to 400 degrees and place packets on a cookie sheet and cook for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove packets and let stand 5 mins. Cut sits in foil for steam before opening. As a heads up, each packet that I made has a separate bottom and top piece of foil.
Coconut Basil Chicken
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
14 oz. lite canned coconut milk
1-2 cups basil
1 tbsp. ginger, chopped (or more to taste)
3 garlic cloves
2 limes
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Prep Day: Add the coconut milk, basil, ginger, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, turmeric, cumin, curry powder, salt, pepper, and cinnamon to a blender. Blend until combined. Put in bag.
Serve Day: Thaw. Add the chicken and sauce to the slow cooker. Pour the sauce over top. Cook for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
Baked Pork Chops
6 pork chops
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 egg, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup white wine
Prep Day: Package up pantry items. Package up pork chops and freeze.
Serve Day: Thaw pork chops. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Rinse pork chops, pat dry, and season with garlic powder and seasoning salt to taste. Place the beaten eggs in a small bowl. Dredge the pork chops lightly in flour, dip in the egg, and coat liberally with bread crumbs.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork chops 5 minutes per side, or until the breading appears well browned. Transfer the chops to a 9×13 inch baking dish, and cover with foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. While baking, combine the cream of mushroom soup, milk and white wine in a medium bowl. After the pork chops have baked for an hour, cover them with the soup mixture. Replace foil, and bake for another 30 minutes.
Chicken Pot Pie
1 box of refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
⅓ cup butter or margarine
⅓ cup chopped onion
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ¾ cups chicken broth
½ cup milk
2 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
Prep Day: Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.
In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.
Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.
Let cool for 10 minutes, wrap tightly in foil and then a freezer safe ziploc bag. Freeze until serving day.
Serving Day: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove pie from freezer. Bake for 60-75 minutes, covering edges of crust with strips of foil near the end of cooking to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Buttermilk Herb Chicken Breasts
1 C buttermilk
1T. Dijon Mustard
1T. Honey
1T. Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
½ t. Dried thyme
½ t. Dried marjoram
½ t. Salt
6 boneless skinless split chicken breasts
Prep Day: Mix together buttermilk with mustard, honey, and seasonings. Place chicken breasts in freezer bag. Pour marinade over chicken breasts.
Serve Day: Thaw chicken, discarding marinade. Grill over medium heat until chicken is tender and juices run clear.
General Tso Meatballs
Meatballs:
1 lb. ground turkey
2 T minced ginger (fresh is a must!)
2 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
Sauce:
1 tsp hot sesame oil
3 T mirin
3 T soy sauce
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup water
Slurry: 1 T cold water mixed with 1 T cornstarch
Prep Day: Combine all ingredients for the meatballs and mix well. Form into balls and place in lightly oiled baking dish.Bake about 30 minutes at 350 (checking internal temp). Combine sauce ingredients in a sauce pan except for the slurry and bring to a simmer. Add slurry to simmering mixture while stirring. Reduce heat and allow to thicken.
To Freeze: Follow directions above. Allow both meatballs and sauce to cool. In containers, add meatballs and pour over sauce. Label and freeze.
Serve Day: Thaw, reheat in a small sauce pan over low heat. Optional: Serve over rice.
Spaghetti & Italian sausage
1 lb. Italian sausage (mild, medium or spicy)
1 onion chopped
1 Tbs garlic minced
1 bell pepper chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
mushrooms sliced
Spaghetti noodles
parmesan if you desire
Prep Day: Chop, mince and slice veggie as described on ingredient list. Fry up sausage. Place spices, sauce and paste in gallon freezer bag. Seal and squish to mix. Then add sausage, and veggies to the bag. Seal and shake to mix. Freeze.
Serve Day: Thaw. Make spaghetti noodles according to package. Heat sauce on medium heat till hot and serve over noodles.
Mini Italian Burgers
1½ – 1¾ pounds ground beef
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
⅓ cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 mini buns, sliced in half
4 slices Provolone or mozzarella cheese, cut in half
Optional toppings: lettuce, tomato slices, mayonnaise, ketchup
Prep Day: Place the ground beef, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, tomato paste, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Using clean hands, combine the ingredients until they are all well-incorporated into the beef, taking care not to compress the ingredients. Shape the meat into 8 small patties of equal size and thickness.
Then, place uncooked burgers in a gallon-sized freezer bag or container in single layers with parchment paper between layers. Put the buns in another gallon-sized freezer bag. Wrap cheese slices tightly in plastic wrap or foil and place in the bag with the buns. Freeze the burgers, cheese slices, and buns together in the freezer until ready to cook.
Serve Day: Thaw in refrigerator overnight (preferred method) or using the cool water method (submerge freezer bag with the burgers in cold water until thawed, replacing water every 30 minutes). Preheat a greased pan over medium heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Place the burgers on the grill or in the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes each side, until cooked through. Top each warm burger with a half slice of cheese and serve on buns with preferred toppings.
Northerly Nosh 