A
B
Beef Stroganoff
C
Cheese Dip
"Chicken Fried" Steak
Chicken Soup
Cornbread and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
D
E
F
Fancy Fettuccini with Goat Cheese and Garlic Butter
Fish Tacos
Frozen Fruit Smoothie
G
Garlic Bread
Garlic Mesquite Marinated Chicken
Goat Cheese, Simple
Green Salad
Greens
H
Herbed New Potatoes with Goat Cheese
I
J
K
N
M
Maple Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Maple Glazed Pork Chops
N
O
P
Pasta Shells Stuffed with Fresh Goat Cheese
Peanut Butter Balls
Perfect Pie Crust
Pizza Pockets
Pumpkin, Stuffed
Pumpkin Fritters
Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin Stir-Fry
Q
R
Roasted Vegetable Lasagne
S
Smoky Sausage Stir-Fry
Spaghetti, Fried
Sweet and Sour Pork
T
Tangy Chicken Marinade or Sauce
Tasty Tenders
Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs
Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry
Turkey Cream Enchiladas
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Beef Stroganoff, April's
1 lb. ground beef, lowest fat you can find
about 1 cup chopped onion
about 2 Tbsp. margarine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
sour cream, to taste (about 1/2 to 1 cup)
salt, pepper, and mesquite seasoning, to taste
Melt margarine in a large, deep skillet over about medium heat. Saute onions until they turn transparent. If you're using low fat ground beef, crumble into the onions. If using high fat, remove onions, brown beef, drain fat, then re-add onions. When all is done, reduce heat to low and add soup. Stir in sour cream until creamy and the flavor meets your taste. Season as desired and serve over warm cooked egg noodles or rice.
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Cheese Dip, April's
about 2 cups creamy goat cheese (queso fresco or queso blanco) or ricotta
1 cup finely diced ham
1 green onion (scallion) chopped
1 tsp grated lemon zest
salt and pepper, to taste
Mix all ingredients together and chill well. I mixed it all in a food processor to avoid big chunks and make it easier to spread. Serve with crackers or veggies.
Notes: This dip also makes a great filling for stuffed chicken breasts. Just pound boneless, skinless chicken flat, lay some dip down the middle, roll up and bake at 350 until no pink remains in center.
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"Chicken Fried" Steak, April's
1-2 pounds cheap lean steak
1 egg
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup milk (any kind you like)
2 cup flour
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Oil, for frying, about 1-4 cup
Trim steak and cut into pieces about half the size of a deck of cards, but half the width. Pound with a meat hammer to tenderize, helps to place between plastic wrap. Place tenderized meat into a freezer bag with 1 cup milk, and marinate in the fridge at 4 hours or overnight. To prepare, remove meat from milk, discard milk. Rub meat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix together egg and remaining milk. Mix any remaining seasoning with flour. Dip meat into egg, then roll in flour. Dip back into egg, then one more time in flour. Fry in very shallow oil until well browned and desired doneness. Serve with corn and mashed potatoes.
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Chicken Soup, April's
2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts with excess fat removed
carrots, peeled or not, sliced to make about 1 1/2 cups of "coins" half an average onion, diced
1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
2 small to medium potatoes, peeled and diced into about 1/2-1 inch cubes
couple dashes mesquite seasoning
salt
pepper
garlic powder
italian seasoning
Boil chicken in a fairly large pot over low to medium heat until there is no or very little pink left in the middle. Remove from water and store in the fridge until later. Strain broth carefully through cheesecloth, and replace in pot. Add carrots, onions, a couple dashes each of salt, pepper, and mesquite seasoning. Return to heat and simmer until carrots are about halfway done and onions are transparent. Add celery and potatoes, simmer until carrots are done and potatoes are almost done but still firm enough not to crumble. Reduce heat to low. Shred chicken and add with a couple dashes garlic powder and italian seasoning about 5 minutes before removing from heat. Serve with good crusty bread like french with butter.
Optional: You can leave out the potatoes and add more vegetables like zucchini, peppers, a bit of corn, etc. Or you can add noodles instead - leftover noodles work great. All seasonings are to taste.
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Cornbread and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts, April's
boneless, skinless chicken breast halves - about 10
1 small size package cornbread stuffing mix, prepared according to instructions on box
Shredded monterey jack cheese to taste, about 1 cup
salt
pepper
mesquite seasoning (or hickory smoked salt)
dash italian seasonings
Place each chicken breast between wax paper and pound flat with a meat mallett. Mix prepared stuffing with cheese and a dash of mesquite seasoning. Lay chicken breast halves one at a time flat, spoon a couple tablespoons of stuffing in them and roll up. Place seam side down in two rows (end to end across the short end of pan) in a rectangle baking dish (9x13?). Bake at 350 or 400 (can change based on what else is in the oven) until chicken is no longer pink inside when cut. Excellent served with bar b que sauce or gravy. Add some fresh cooked broccoli and some mashed potatoes, and you have a fantastic comfort food meal.
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Fancy Fettuccini with Goat Cheese and Garlic Butter, April's
1 pk fettuccini, cooked, drained, rinsed in warm water
1-2 cups cooked meat, bite size pieces
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt, pepper, italian seasoning, paprika to taste
Combine meat, butter, and garlic in large saucepan over medium. When butter has melted and garlic is fragrant, toss with remaining ingredients and heat through. Serve warm with bread and salad.
I made this using tri-tip and home-made pasta, but it would probably also be good with chicken or even shrimp, and might add things like cooked slivered carrots, broccoli florets, green onions, spinach, pine nuts, fresh parsley, red wine, substiture alfredo or tomato sauce for butter.
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Fish Tacos, April's
1 lb fresh white fish, such as cod or pollock
1/2 - 1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp each salt, pepper, garlic powder
1/2 cup cornmeal
6 6-inch corn tortillas
1/4 cup Best Foods Real Mayonnaise
1-2 tbsp hot pepper sauce (Tapatillo, tobasco etc)
shredded green cabbage
Shortening or oil, for deep frying
Rinse fish and pat dry. Cut into serving size pieces no larger than 5 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide, 1/2 inch thick. Put in bowl or freezer bag with milk to cover. May add seasonings to milk if desired. Seal and put in fridge for at least an hour. Meanwhile, mix together 2 bowls for breading. In one bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, cornmeal and seasonings to taste. In the other bowl, add beaten egg with a little bit of milk.
Drain fish, discarding milk. Dip fish into flour mixture, into egg mixture, and back in flour. Place on a plate to allow breading to bond to fish. Meanwhile, heat several inches shortening or oil in a large heavy pot or deep fryer to 375. When hot, add fish a few pieces at a time. Fish is done when breading is crisp and nicely browned, and fish inside flakes easily - shouldn't take more than a couple minutes depends on thickness of fish though. Drain cooked fish on a paper towel lined plate.
Combine mayonnaise and hot sauce to taste. Wrap tortillas in damp paper towel and microwave until soft, about 60 seconds. For each taco, spread half or whole one side of tortilla with sauce. Lay fish down center and fill with shredded cabbage. Goes great with Corona beer and fresh lime wedges.
Note: As an alternative to deep frying, fish may be baked on a foil lined pan or roaster pan until it flakes easily. May also use chicken instead of fish.
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Frozen Fruit Smoothie, April's
1/2 sandwich bag frozen bananas (approx 2 bananas)
1-2 cups any other fruit you have handy, frozen or not
1 small tub yogurt
milk if needed
ice
Put about 1 1/2 cups ice into a blender. Blend with a little water or milk until pieces are about 1/3 inch across at biggest. Add yogurt and blend a bit more. Add bananas and other fruit slowly, a couple pieces at a time, and belnd inbetween adding them. Add more ice, or add milk if needed to adjust consistency. My favorite combo is strawberries, frozen, with a couple wedges of fresh peach and tangerine.
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Garlic Bread, April's
1 loaf fresh bakery french bread
1 cup Best Foods (Hellman's) Real Mayonnaise (do NOT substitute other brands!)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (may use romano or a mix)
1 tsp - 1 tbsp garlic powder, to taste
2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
Heat oven to 350. Split french bread in half as if for a sandwich. Mix together mayo, cheese, garlic powder, and italian seasoning. Spread cut surface of bread liberally with mayo mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake on cookie sheet until edges are golden. Cut into wedges and serve hot. May also make slices of bread like for french toast, and spread one side.
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Garlic Mesquite Chicken, April's
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, washed and with all visible fat removed
(measurements from here on are approximate)
4 tbsp garlic mesquite seasoning (or a mix of hicory smoked salt and coarse garlic powder
1/2 cup Kikoman soy sauce
1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
water to cover
Place chicken breast halves and remaining ingredients in a zip lock baggie you trust not to leak. Add water to cover the chicken, seal, and marinate about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Heat oven to 400, put chicken on a foil covered cookie sheet, close together but not touching. Sprinkle with dill, salt, and pepper. Bake about 10 minutes, turn, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until done. May take longer or less, depending on how thick your chicken is. Test by piercing with a knife at thickest part - chicken is done when pink is gone.
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Goat Cheese, April's Simple
1 gallon fresh goat milk
1/2 cup lemon juice or vinegar
1 tsp salt
fresh or dried herbs, to taste
Heat milk in a large, heavy pot or double boiler to 190 degrees. Be careful not to scorch milk, stir frequently. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice or vinegar. Allow to set a few minutes, and stir again. If curds are not clearly separating out from greenish whey within 5 minutes, add more lemon juice or vinegar. When curds are nicely separated, strain through colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth. You may reserve whey for many uses if you want, or may discard it. Mix salt and herbs into curds, being sure to mix well. Pick up corners of cheesecloth and twist to make a bag. You may want to let cheese cool before next step. Twist corners tightly, wringing moisture out of cheese until it's the desired consistency. You may skip wringing out and use as a dip or spread, or you can really remove a lot of moisture by pressing and use crumbled or diced. Then it can be used as a substitute for firm tofu - this cheese will not melt.
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Green Salad, April's
fresh greens, preferably a mix of baby spinach, iceburg and romaine lettuce
1/2 acocado, diced into bite sized pieces
1/4 sliced fresh onion
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 roma tomato, sliced
1/2 carrot, shredded
1/2 cup fresh croutons
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup diced, cooked meat such as crab, chicken, shredded or cubed beef, crumbled bacon
salt and pepper to taste
dressings
Wash greens well and tear into bite sized pieces. Toss together well. Separate into serving bowls or presentation bowl and top with remaining ingredients. May also serve remaining ingredients in side bowls to make a salad bar.
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Greens, April's
1 bunch collard greens
1 bunch mustard greens
1 bunch or salad bag spinach
1/2 pkg little smokies sausage
1 boullion cube
hot pepper sauce to taste
Rinse all greens very well. Slice stems out of leaves and set aside. Roll or bunch leaves together and cut into small pieces, 1 inch square or smaller. Dice stems separately into small pieces, 1/2 inch square or smaller. Put all greens into a large pot and add enough water just to almost cover. Add boullion cube and 1/2 pkg little smokies. Simmer over medium until tender. Serve greens, drained, with cornbread alongside and cooking juices to dip cornbread in.
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Herbed New Potatoes with Goat Cheese, April's
5 large red potatoes
several tablespoons minced fresh herbs (I used leftovers from trimming my potted herbs - included parsley, chives, basil, and rosemary. In a pinch, a tablespoon or so of dried italian seasoning should do)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
Heat oven to 400. Wash potatoes and prick with a fork all the way around. Put them in the microwave for 5 minutes, turn 'em over, and give them another 5 minutes, then check if they're done - softened. If not, give them more time until they are. Divide into quarters or bite size pieces, and put in oven safe dish. Sprinkle with herbs, drizzle with olive oil, and top with goat cheese crumbles. Bake about 20 mins, until lightly browned. Goes good with bar b que chicken.
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Maple Bacon Wrapped Chicken, April's
6 chicken tenders or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3-4 strips maple flavored bacon, raw
1/4 onion, sliced into strips
1 green pepper, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
Any other fresh veggies you like
fresh cooked rice
Wrap chicken in bacon. If using tenders, each tender should take half or 1 whole strip bacon. I like to do this in George Forman grilling machine, may use regular grill, roasting pan or skillet. Heat whatever you're cooking on and cook bacon wrapped chicken until browning outside and juices run clear. Use some of the drippings to lightly saute onions and pepper in a small skillet or put them in a grill basket. Serve chicken and veggies with fresh rice.
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Maple Glazed Pork Chops, April's
4 pork chops
1/4 cup maple syrup - real, not maple flavored
1/4 tsp pepper
Trim visible excess fat off pork chops. This may be cooked in a large pot on stove, roasting pot in oven or a crock pot. Whichever is being used, first heat a pan over medium high. Brown pork chops on all sides - don't worry about them getting done, just browned. Place browned chops in whatever you want to cook them in and cover with remaining ingredients. If using crock pot, add additional small amount of water. Turn chops to coat. Cook on medium, 350ish, until done in the middle and tender, and syrup begins to adhere to meat. Serve with mashed poatoes and desired vegetable (I like this with greens.
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Pasta Shells Stuffed with Fresh Goat Cheese, April's
8 cups fresh goat milk
strained juice from 2 lemons
1 package barilla large pasta shells
1 egg, beaten
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup pine nuts, chopped (optional)
minced fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, oregano
salt, pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, divided
1 jar spaghetti sauce 1/2 cup shredded mozarella or monterey jack cheese(optional)
In a large, stainless steel pot heat milk over medium to 185 degrees, stirring frequently to prevent scortching. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. When curds have separated from greenish whey liquid, strain through collander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth, cut long enough to hang over ends. Allow to cool until you can handle it, then twist ends of cheesecloth and squeeze out excess whey. Place bundle back in collander, place over a bowl in the fridge for 4-8 hours to drain.
Heat oven to 350. Cook pasta shells according to instructions on box. Drain and rinse carefully to avoid sticking together. Mix together crumbled goat cheese, beaten egg, spinach, pine nuts, herbs, salt and pepper, and about half the parmesan cheese. Stir well. Use this mixture to stuff pasta shells, placing stuffed shells into 9x13 pan. Drizzle with spaghetti sauce, being careful not to completely drown shells. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and mozarella or monterey jack cheese. Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.
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Peanut Butter Balls
peanut butter, approx 1/2 cup creamy
flour
sugar
cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves to taste
1/2 cup or so melted chocolate
Mix peanut butter and flour until medium-sticky like warm taffy or gum. Add sugar to taste, then more flour until it is solid and non-sticky enough to roll into balls. Roll into approx. 1/2 inch balls. Dip in chocolate, use a spoon if you want to. Put on waxed paper and refrigerate. Keep refrigerated until solid, store where cool...if it is not cold out, keep them in the fridge.
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Perfect Pie Crust, April's
2 2/3 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter flavored Crisco
Cut shortening into flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Use a pastry blender, it works well. Do not use your hands, this will make it too soft.
Mix into a bowl:
1 large egg, beaten
3 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
3 tbsp cold water
Add liquid to flour. Stir with fork until it forms a ball. Divide in half and roll between waxed paper. Makes 2 9"crusts or one two crust pie.
Note: Do not add any more flour! This is a very moist crust, and should be a wee bit gooey. Adding more flour will make it tough. Just follow the directions, and this crust turns out wonderfully tender and flaky every time, with that golden glow only found on magazines from the '50s.
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Pizza Pockets, April's
1 batch biscuits, bisquick, canned, whatever you like, unbaked
shredded mozerella cheese
jar pasta sauce
diced pepperoni
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and preheat oven to 350 or whatever the biscuit recipe says. Flatten out rounds of dough. If using canned biscuits, you can either fold over single biscuits or make mini sandwiches. Lay a spoonful of sauce on half of each round, like making tacos. Add some pepperoni and cheese, then fold in half and seal the dough around the filling. Prick each pocket with a fork to help prevent them making a mess, though they usually come unsealed and leak a little filling. Bake them about 15 minutes or according to biscuit instructions. Goes great with ranch salad dressing. May also use different toppings, or try brushing tops with melted butter before baking and sprinkling with grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, fresh herbs.
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Pumpkin, April's Stuffed
1 small to medium pumpkin, about 6 inches across
3 cups soft bread, torn (about 4 slices)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 cup chili sauce or catsup
Soak bread in milk. Meanwhile, cut top off pumpkin and scoop out seeds and strings. Cut 2 or 3 finger size holes in the bottom for drainage. Add eggs to bread and milk, mix well. Add remaining ingredients except chili sauce or catsup, mixing well again. Stuff as much of the meatloaf mixture into pumpkin as you can, mounding up on top like the natural pumpkin top would. Cover top loosely with foil. Bake in foil lined pan at 350 about 1 hour, top with chili sauce or catsup and continue baking another 15 minutes or until done. Form any excess stuffing into a meatloaf and bake alongside pumpkin.
Notes: Try this recipe with those giant zucchinis that got away from you in the garden instead of pumpkin, or with any large squash.
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Pumpkin Fritters, April's
2 cups mashed cooked pumpkin or canned pumpkin
1 egg, beaten
1/2 onion, chopped finely
couple spoonfuls flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled bacon or diced ham (optional)
vegetable oil, for frying
Heat a large skillet over medium high, with several tablespoons oil. In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, onion, bacon or ham if using, couple dashes each salt and pepper. Add flour slowly until mixture is roughly the texture of drop biscuit dough - amount of flour will depend on how moist pumpkin is. When oil is hot, drop dough onto skillet by heaping spoonfuls to form a hockey puck about 3 inches across. Flip when browned on bottom, press flat with the back of spatula or spoon. When both sides are browned, remove to paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve warm. This recipe also works very well with any other type of mashed, cooked squash, or with mashed, cooked potatoes or yams.
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Pumpkin Pancakes, April's
1/2 cup cooked mashed pumpkin (may use canned)
2 cups Krusteaz Baking Mix
1 egg
cooking oil
Preheat a small amount of oil in skillet or griddle over 375/medium high heat. Blend ingredients together. Pour about 1/4 cup for each pancake, turning when golden brown. Serve warm with your favorite pancake toppings.
Note: These do not taste like pumpkin pie. They taste like really rich, buttery pancakes and have a peachy color.
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Pumpkin Soup, April's
about 4 cups cooked mashed pumpkin (may use canned)
milk or cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 cup crumbled graham crackers
1/2 cup vanilla, pecan praline or similar ice cream
Mix together pumpkin, enough milk or cream to make the consistency of tomato soup and spices. Heat in a large, heavy pot over low or medium until warm. To serve, crumble graham crackers into bottom of bowl. Pour pumpkin soup over, and top with a scoop of ice cream. To make this a dinner course, omit ice cream and substitute regular crackers for the graham crackers, omit cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Season instead with salt and pepper.
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Pumpkin Stir-Fry, April's
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or 5-6 tenders
1 cup raw peeled pumpkin, 1/4 or 1/2 inch cubes
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red or yellow pepper, diced
any other favorite stir-fry veggies
cooking oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup juice (pineapple, pear etc) or water
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp cornstarch
Preheat large skillet. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Add chicken and pumpkin to skillet with about 1/4 cup water. Simmer until tender and chicken is done. Drain off any remaining water and cook a minute or two to make sure it's dry. Add remaining veggies and about 1 tbsp cooking oil. Stir fry until desired doneness. Combine remaining ingredients to make sauce, stir sauce into mixture making sure to stir constantly to prevent lumps. When sauce has thickened, serve over fresh cooked rice.
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Roased Vegetable Lasagne, April's
1 package Barilla lasagne noodles, uncooked
zucchini, about 3 small
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
about 2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 onion, quartered and sliced
2 jars Enricos (or favorite mild flavored, non-chunky) pasta sauce
1 pkg soft tofu (may use ricotta cheese instead)
1-2 1/2 cups shredded mozarella cheese, may use part or all monterey jack
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 tbsp olive oil (approximate)
about a half tsp each: italian seasoning and parsley
dash of: salt, pepper, garlic powder, seasoned salt, etc
Seed, wash, and slice all vegetables. Do not peel! In a freezer bag, mix oil with herbs and seasonings to taste. This is highly variable, add whatever you really like to this mix, above herbs and seasonings are only a selection of suggestions. If you're cautious, try just adding a couple tsp italian seasoning and leaving it at that. Put vegetables into bag, fill with air, seal well, and give it a good shaking to coat veggies in oil and seasonings. Heat oven to 350, and spread veggies onto a cookie sheet. You can really use any pan you like, and may have to use a couple to get them in a single layer, but you can go it batches to save on dirty dishes. Roast veggies until crisp tender, about 20 minutes but it's really your call how tender you want them. They'll get a bit more done later.
In a rectangle baking dish (I prefer glass) pour a small amount of pasta sauce to cover bottom. Top with a layer of UNCOOKED noodles, then a layer of veggies. Add some more sauce, and another layer of noodles. On that layer, crumble tofu, sprinkle with a bit of the cheeses and top with a dribbling more sauce. Add another layer of noodles, and keep alternating until you use up ingredients. End with a layer of noodles, then cover completely in sauce. Cover sauce completely in cheeses, topping with a sprinking of parmesan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 about 40 minutes, remove foil and bake another 10 or so to make cheese nice and bubbly. Serve with salad and garlic bread.
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Smoky Sausage Stir-Fry, April's
1 1-lb smoked sausage, sliced
1 green pepper, diced
1 organetti or other small winter squash, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 can diced stewed tomatoes
1 cup beef broth or boullion
1/4 cup red wine
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pack egg noodles, hot cooked
Preheat a large skillet over medium. Add broth, wine and squash. Simmer until nearly tender and liquid is reduced to almost being gone. Add green pepper and sausage to squash. Top with stewed tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until sauce is heated through and desired consitency. Serve with hot buttered egg noodles.
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Spaghetti, April's Fried
2-3 cup minimum cold leftover cooked spaghetti
4 tbsp minimum oil for frying
1-2 tsp Kikiman soy sauce
Optional: matchstick carrots, broccoli florets, cabbage
Heat oil in a large frying pan over about medium heat. Add spaghetti and stir frequently until heated through. Be careful as any residual moisture on pasta may cause oil to spit. When pasta is softened, add soy sauce. Keep cooking until noodles begin to have crunchy parts, but not burned. You may need to adjust the heat, especially if you use an electric range to achieve this. I put these into a strainer and shake it a couple times to remove any excess oil, and sometimes blot with a paper towel. They're similar in flavor to chow mein, and can be used to make it if you add some sauted cabbage and carrot matchsticks, maybe some bean sprouts too. To make this a one dish meal, add leftover veggies or heated pre-frozen stir-fry veggies, and leftover sliced meat.
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Sweet and Sour Pork (microwave)
4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 green bell peppers, seeded and sliced
2 pounds lean pork, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 green peppers, seeded and sliced
1 can (16 oz.) pineapple chunks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce (Mexican red chili sauce stuff)
1/2 tsp pepper
Cut all ingredients that require cutting. Pork is easiest to cut with a very sharp knife when it is slightly frozen. Combine carrots and oil in a 3 quart glass or ceramic casserole. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add peppers, pork, and onions, and continue cooking. Drain pineapple chunks, reserving 1/2 cup syrup. Stir cornstarch into syrup. Add remaining ingredients, then add to pork mixture with the pineapple chunks. Mix thoroughly, be sure to get the bottom. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Stir through several times and cook 15-20 minutes more or until sauce has thickened and pork is done. Serve over chow mein noodles or rice. IMPORTANT: Do not let the lid drip in the pork mix when you stir it. The excess water will make the sauce runny, and keep it from thickening properly.
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Tangy Chicken, April's
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or 8-10 tenders
Juice of 1/4-1/2 orange. I prefer honey tangerine
1 tsp Kikoman soy sauce (optional)
1 tsp catsup
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar or honey
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
In a zip lock freezer bag, mix about equal portions orange juice and olive oil, add catsup, vinegar and sugar or honey. Rub chicken with a mix of salt and pepper, and drop into bag. Squeeze out all the air and seal. Marinate in the fridge overnight or at least 3-4 hours.
This chicken is great on the grill, under the broiler, or fried in a bit of the marinade. All measurements are approximate and should be adjusted or omitted to taste.
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Tasty Tenders, April's
chicken tenders or breast strips, about 2-3 per person
1 tsp garlic oil (available at Cost Plus World Market if you can't find any)
2 tbsp olive oil
Spice Hunter salt-free mesquite seasoning, salt and pepper (about equal portions, mixed)
Rub chicken tenders with a mix of mesquite seasoning, salt and pepper. I also trim tenders to remove any visible fat, membrane or tendon. Heat oils in large frying pan over about medium. The idea is to add enough that the chicken won't stick and will have a nice texture, but NOT to deep fry them or leave them sitting in oil - I start with maybe a coffee mug size circle of oil and add more as needed. Cook tenders until all pink is gone, turning every couple minutes until most of the oil is gone and a nice golden seared area appears where chicken has been on pan. To achieve this effect, be sure not to add too much oil! These go great with herbed mashed potatoes, or roasted garlic mashed, and also make a really good topping for salads.
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Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs, April's
8 boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 small can pineapple chunks in juice, drained (retain 1/4 cup juice)
1 orange bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1/2 onion
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
3 tsp brown sugar
3 gloves garlic, minced or pressed
Rice to serve
Cut chicken, peppers and onions into about 1 inch pieces. Thread onto 4 kebab skewers, alternating with pineapple chunks. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, reserved pinapple juice, cornstarch and garlic. Split sauce in half in separate containers. Brush kebabs with half the sauce. Grill or broil. Meanwhile, heat remaining sauce over medium stirring constantly or microwave stirring every 20 seconds until thickened. Serve with rice, pour over sauce. Serves 2, 2 kebabs each. Weight Watchers points not counting rice: 4
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Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry, April's
6 chicken tenders or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag frozen asparagus stir-fry mix (optional)
Veggies, such as bell peppers, onions, baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots etc
1 inch section fresh ginger
1/4 cup kikoman soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
water
salt and pepper to taste
oil, for stir-frying
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Cut chicken and all veggies into bite size pieces. Peel ginger and finely dice. When oil is hot, add chicken and stir-fry until done and starting to brown. Add veggies and ginger and cook until those are desired doneness. Stir together remaining ingrediets with enough water to make about 1/2 cup sauce. Push stir-fry to edges of pan, leaving empty spot in the middle. Add sauce to empty spot and stir around, working in all the meat and veggies, until sauce thickens. Serve over fresh cooked rice, preferably jasmine or basmati rice.
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Turkey Cream Enchiladas, April's
leftover turkey, shredded (about 4-5 cups)
regular cream cheese, very cold (1 of the standard rectangle boxes)
1 large regular onion, diced
1 large package small corn tortillas. DO NOT use flour.
half and half or milk
couple cups shredded monterey jack cheese
margarine, couple tablespoons
oil for frying
salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 350. Fry diced onions in a couple tablespoons melted margarine until they turn transparent. Remove from heat, stirring to make sure they don't stick. Put turkey and cream cheese into a large bowl, cutting the cream cheese into about half inch cubes and trying not to mash them, but do not mix them yet. When onions are cool enough not to melt the cream cheese, add them to the turkey mix. Stir gently to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan over about medium and fry tortillas one at a time. It does not take long - they should be soft but not crisp. Fill each fried tortilla with a couple tablespoons of the turkey mixture, and place seam side down in a rectangular or square baking dish. When the dish is full, sprinkle the monterey jack cheese on the tops of the enchiladas and moisten the ends with half and half or milk. Bake just until cheese melts thoroughly. Serve with lemon or salsa.
Notes:
We like a lot of cream cheese and onion in ours. This recipe is highly adaptable, adjust the proportions of the filling to taste, or the batch size. We serve them with lemon, and they go very quickly.
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