Grilled Honey Lime Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp chopped jalapeno pepper

Mix together lime juice, oil, honey, cilantro, garlic and pepper.  Place chicken breasts in a bag and pour marinade over chicken breasts.  Marinade several hours.  Grill over medium heat until chicken is tender and juices run clear.  This dish is delicious served as a whole chicken breasts or it can be cut into strips and served as a southwestern chicken wrap with you favorite toppings.  I double this recipe so that the next day we have chicken wraps-my kids favorite.

-Natalie

Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwiches

2 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 cup honey

1 cup spicy mustard

2 TB mayonnaise -I use plain yogurt

1 TB Barbecue sauce

Butterfly chicken by cutting through the thickest part of the chicken and laying it open.  Pound with a meat mallet to flatten to near equal thickness.  Cut into 4 portions.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Pour off liquid.  Combine honey, mustard, mayo or yogurt, and bbq sauce.  Pour over chicken.  Bake 25 more minutes.  Allow to slightly cool.  Place chicken and sauce on toasted bun and top with lettuce and tomato.

-Natalie

Indian Dish

-this dish smells as delicious as it tastes

Heat 1-2 TB of Canola oil in a pan

Add 1 tsp of whole cumin seed

            1 tsp whole mustard seeds and heat until they are toasted and smell aromatic.

Add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic and cook until toasted

Add 1-2 small onions, finely chopped and cook until translucent

Add 1-2 tsp curry powder- we like more curry (3-4 tsp) so it would be more spicy.

            a dash of salt and a couple dashes of fresh ground pepper

Stir for a bit until onions are coated with curry

Add 1 14oz can of drained garbanzo beans for every adult you are serving and stir until coated with curry onion mixture.

Add 1 diced roma tomato per person and stir so they are coated with curry mixture then take a 10 oz package of chopped spinach and add to mixture.  (if frozen I microwave spinach first so it’s not frozen when placed in mixture.)

Stir until everything is heated through and stop before spinach loses its bright green color.

Serve with rice and top with 1-2 TB plain non-fat yogurt if desired.  My kids love it served with hummus and Naan-flat bread

-Natalie

Crispy Ginger and Garlic Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

1/2 cup finely chopped carrots

1/2 cup water

1 (20oz) package lean ground turkey

1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms

1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 TB minced fresh ginger

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

3 TB creamy peanut butter

1 TB sesame oil

1 TB rice vinegar

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 head iceberg lettuce, separated into leaves

Hoisin sauce (optional)

1.   Cook carrots in 1/2 cup water in a large nonstick skillet over high heat,  stirring occasionally, 3-5 mins or until carrots are starting to soften and water is mostly evaporated.  Remove from skillet

2.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cook turkey in skillet about 5 minutes, stirring until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink.  Add carrots, mushrooms, and next 8 ingredients.  Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, 4 minutes.  Add green onions, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.  Spoon mixture evenly onto lettuce leaves; roll up.  Serve with hoisin sauce, if desired.

Yield: Makes 4 to 5 servings

-Natalie

Fabulous Pork Tacos

Salsa to serve with pork tacos-mix and set aside

1 cup fresh corn kernels-can use canned corn

1 cup finely diced jicama

1 cup can black beans, rinsed-I use the full can

1 cup chopped tomatoes

4 TB chopped cilantro

2-3 TB fresh lime juice

1/4-1/2 tsp cumin

1/4-1/2 tsp salt

Take 1 lb pork tenderloin and cut into 2” stripes about 1/8” thick

Mix this dry rub together and then rub on tenderloin stripes

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

Saute tenderloin stripes over a medium heat for about 4 mins on each side.

Serve with corn tortillas.  Place spoon of guacamole, then salsa then pork and enjoy!

-Natalie

Oyako-donburi (Chicken and egg over rice)

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 chicken breasts, thinly sliced

shiitake mushrooms-fresh or dry thinly sliced

            you can use any type of mushrooms

snow peas or green beans juliennned

            very easy to use frozen ones-already julienned cut

6 stalks green onion chopped in 1 to 2 inch lengths

3-4 eggs beaten

Dashi- all this is per taste and how much liquid you want in the dish but this is the base

1- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth

4-5 TB soy sauce

1-2 TB brown sugar

2-3 TB Worcestershire sauce

1-2 TB vinegar

In a skillet, place the yellow onion, and half dashi and cook until onion is tender.  If you use shiitake mushrooms add those with onion otherwise add mushrooms when chicken is almost done.  Then add chicken slices and half of green onions.  When chicken is cooked, pour the beaten eggs over the meat and onions.  Sprinkle the julienned snow peas or green beans on top immediately and cover.  Cook until the eggs are cooked.  Pour the rest of the dashi over the top and stir.  Top with the rest of the green onions and serve with rice. 

-Natalie

Gyoza (Pot stickers)

1/2 cup thinly chopped cabbage

2 TB chopped green onion

1/2 lb ground pork or I use ground turkey

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp garlic

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

25 round gyoza wrappers (produce department by tofu)

Mix all ingredients together.  Place 1 tsp of filling in center of gyoza wrapper.  Dip fingertip in water and run along edge of wrapper and make semicircle, gathering the front side of wrapper and sealing top.  Heat a small drop of oil in frying pan and place gyozas in pan and fry on high heat for 1 min until bottoms are brown.  Add 1/3 cup water in pan and cover pan with lid to steam gyoza-you don’t need to turn the gyoza over.

Dipping sauce

4 TB soy sauce

4 TB vinegar

1/2 tsp to 1 tsp hot peopper oil

1-2 TB Worcestershire sauce

1-2 tsp sugar to taste

- Natalie

Hot and Sour Soup

1 skinless, boneless Chicken breast

1/2 cup slice dried black fungus (any Asian market)

6 oz firm tofu

2 qt. chicken stock

1/2 cup shredded bamboo shoots

1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 TB white vinegar

1/4 tsp white pepper

Seasoning:                                                               Thickener:

1/4 tsp salt                                                                1 1/2 TB cornstarch

1/4 tsp sugar                                                             mixed with 3 TB cold water           

3/4 tsp soy sauce                                                     1 1/2 TB soy sauce

1 tsp cornstarch

dash of pepper

1.   Cut meat into thin julienne style strips, place in a bowl

2.    Add seasoning ingredients to chicken.  Mix well

3.    Soak Fungus in warm water and cover for 15 minutes.  Drain, rinse thoroughly and drain again.

4.    Cut tofu into 1/4” thick by 1” long slices

5.    Bring chicken stock to boil.  Add chicken, black fungus, and bamboo shoots.  Cover and cook for 3 minutes

6.    Add tofu.  Bring quickly to a boil (do not overcook)

7.    Stir in thickener.  Cook for 30 seconds

8.    Stir beaten egg into soup in a  circular motion.  Immediately turn off heat.  Adjust seasoning with a little soy sauce.

9.    Add vinegar and pepper.  Mix well and serve.  Some people like more vinegar or pepper so add them to suite your taste.  When I’m serving to others I start with these measurements and then let people adjust the soup to their taste by adding their own additional soy sauce, chili paste or vinegar.

Advance preparation: This soup may be completed through step 5 a few days in advance and refrigerated.  Steps 6-9 should be done immediately before serving.

-Natalie

Shanghai Stir-fry

This recipe makes 2 big meals and originally a freezer meal.  (I usually make it into 3 meals but I have a small family)

6-7 lbs boneless top sirloin steaks

3/4 cup cranberry juice

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 3/4tsp minced fresh garlic (about 9 cloves)

3 3/4 minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (decrease to make less spicy)

Zest of 2 oranges

Rinse steak and trim excess fat.  Cutting across the grain, slice each steak into narrow strips.  Divide beef evenly for the number of meals can place each meal in a freezer bag.

Whisk together cranberry juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and zest of oranges in a medium bowl.  Divide marinade evenly over the beef.  Then add to each meal 1 1/4 tsp of garlic and ginger.  Depending on your spice level add 1/4 to 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes.

Freeze or let marinade for at least 24 hours.  Completely thaw meal if frozen and pour off the marinade and reserve.  Heat 1-2 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium high add beef and stir-fry until well browned.  Remove beef from pan and keep warm.  Add marinade to skillet, reduce hear, and simmer for 3 minutes.  Return beef to pan. Add 1 can of mandarin oranges and stir to coat.  Sprinkle with 2 1/1 tsp sesame seeds.  Serve over your favorite rice.

-Natalie

Honey Lemon Chicken

6-8 pieces of chicken

2 Tbls. butter, melted

1/3 C. honey

1/4 C. lemon juice

1 Tbls. soy sauce

*Note, I double the last three ingredients that make the sauce. I like to have extra for the rice.

Wash chicken and roll in flour, place on baking pan. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake chicken at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. (I like to brown my chicken first, so I skip this first bake time altogether and jump to the next step): Mix together honey, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Pour over chicken and bake for another 30 minutes. (Again, adjust the cooking time depending on size of chicken pieces and if you browned them first).

This is delicious with hot cooked rice.

-Steph

Brecken's Chocolate Shake

1 carton Dreyer's vanilla ice cream
3/4 c. malted milk powder (I found the Carnation brand by the hot chocolate at our grocery store)
3/4 c.milk
1 t.vanilla
chocolate sprinkles
Blend and serve. Shake will be thick, but add more milk if desired, and top with chocolate sprinkles.

-Erin

Cheryl's Pasta Salad

1 box of bowtie pasta cooked and cooled ( I toss with a small amount of Olive Oil to keep it from sticking together)
Roasted Red Pepper cut into small pieces (approx 1/2 from the jar)
Black olives sliced (1 small can)
1 cup of frozen peas
1 bunch of scallions thinly sliced white and green parts
1/2 inch chunks of diced diced Monterey Jack cheese- 1 block
1/2 inch chunks of diced Cheddar cheese
2 cups of 1/2 inch chunks of ham from a 1/2 inch thick slice (I have this cut into a 1/2 inch piece from the deli).

I always use the items listed above and sometimes add the items listed below:
Thin strips of salami
1 can of marinated artichokes sliced

Mix all ingredients together and serve tossed with Tuscan Italian Salad Dressing and Parmesan cheese. Note: I only mix the dressing with the amount we are eating then the rest can be refrigerated and served later. Serve with garlic bread for a Summer meal.

-Cheryl