1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
4 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. maple syrup or honey (You can use any sweetener here)
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp. chili powder
Whisk together peanut butter and water. Add remaining ingredients and whisk together, adding water if mixture is too thick. Pour over stir-fried vegetables and mix well.
Optional add ins:
Cooked or canned (drained and rinsed) beans, fresh vegetables, cooked protein of your choice, edamame, etc.
Some notes: This is a great base recipe. Add any vegetables that you have kicking around your fridge and some cooked protein and you have a great meal. Depending on how many add ins you add, you may need to double the sauce.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Crockpot Salsa Chicken
The basic recipe:
4 chicken breasts
1 large jar of salsa
Possible add-ons:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn (you can use 1 can of corn, drained)
1-2 blocks cream cheese (add at the end of cooking)
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
Mix in crockpot and cook on low until chicken is shredable. Shred chicken and stir back in to sauce mixture.
Use a you would taco meat - on tortillas, over chips, on a sweet potato, in a burrito, etc.
Sometimes I will stir in a bunch of chopped cilantro before serving.
Some notes: This is one of our favorite go-to meals. We have been making it for years and years (7-8?) and I don't see us ever getting tired of it.
This freezes really well so I usually make a whole crockpot full and freeze in meal size portions.
4 chicken breasts
1 large jar of salsa
Possible add-ons:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn (you can use 1 can of corn, drained)
1-2 blocks cream cheese (add at the end of cooking)
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
Mix in crockpot and cook on low until chicken is shredable. Shred chicken and stir back in to sauce mixture.
Use a you would taco meat - on tortillas, over chips, on a sweet potato, in a burrito, etc.
Sometimes I will stir in a bunch of chopped cilantro before serving.
Some notes: This is one of our favorite go-to meals. We have been making it for years and years (7-8?) and I don't see us ever getting tired of it.
This freezes really well so I usually make a whole crockpot full and freeze in meal size portions.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Dana's Tuna Pasta Salad
2 c. shell pasta (if you can't find shells, elbow will work)
1 6 oz. can of tuna, drained
1 large carrot, grated
1/4 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip. Use the real stuff)
1/4 c. milk
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. prepared mustard
1 t. dill weed
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
Cook pasta and drain. In the mean time, combine with remaining ingredients well. Mix well with pasta. Chill at least one hour. Serve.
Some notes: Trust me, you want it to sit for at least an hour. It is a totally different food.
1 6 oz. can of tuna, drained
1 large carrot, grated
1/4 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip. Use the real stuff)
1/4 c. milk
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. prepared mustard
1 t. dill weed
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
Cook pasta and drain. In the mean time, combine with remaining ingredients well. Mix well with pasta. Chill at least one hour. Serve.
Some notes: Trust me, you want it to sit for at least an hour. It is a totally different food.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Lemon Garlic Fish
4 fish fillets (Any white fish will work)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, diced
Salt & pepper to taste
4 large pieces heavy duty aluminum foil, about 18 to 20 inches long - optional (see notes)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix diced parsley, lemon zest and garlic together on cutting board. Run your knife through it a few times to mix well and finely chop all ingredients.
Place fillets in baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle lemon juice and butter over fillets, then sprinkle with parsley mixture.
Bake in preheated oven until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork.
Some notes: This is really good grilled. To grill, place a piece of fish in the middle of a piece of foil. Season, drizzle and sprinkle. Fold up the edges of the foil to make a loose tent. Make sure the edges are completely sealed and no steam can escape. Grill until fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork.
Basically, this is a fish with a lemon gremolata. A gremolata is just a mixture of parsley, garlic and lemon zest usually sprinkled on the meat before serving, but in this recipe, we do it before cooking. You can wait until the fish is cooked to sprinkle, though.
Want to impress your friends? Tell them that this is Krista's gluten free/low carb version of Fish à la Meunière. (I don't dredge the fish in flour. It is lighter and tastes fresher this way.) Want to impress them even more? Tell them that this is YOUR version of Fish à la Meunière.
Sometimes when grilling this, I will toss vegetables on top of the fish before sealing the foil. Any vegetables will work, but I particularly like broccoli with a squirt of lemon juice, zucchini and yellow squash with a squirt of lemon juice, or asparagus with... well, you get the picture.
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, diced
Salt & pepper to taste
4 large pieces heavy duty aluminum foil, about 18 to 20 inches long - optional (see notes)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix diced parsley, lemon zest and garlic together on cutting board. Run your knife through it a few times to mix well and finely chop all ingredients.
Place fillets in baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle lemon juice and butter over fillets, then sprinkle with parsley mixture.
Bake in preheated oven until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork.
Some notes: This is really good grilled. To grill, place a piece of fish in the middle of a piece of foil. Season, drizzle and sprinkle. Fold up the edges of the foil to make a loose tent. Make sure the edges are completely sealed and no steam can escape. Grill until fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork.
Basically, this is a fish with a lemon gremolata. A gremolata is just a mixture of parsley, garlic and lemon zest usually sprinkled on the meat before serving, but in this recipe, we do it before cooking. You can wait until the fish is cooked to sprinkle, though.
Want to impress your friends? Tell them that this is Krista's gluten free/low carb version of Fish à la Meunière. (I don't dredge the fish in flour. It is lighter and tastes fresher this way.) Want to impress them even more? Tell them that this is YOUR version of Fish à la Meunière.
Sometimes when grilling this, I will toss vegetables on top of the fish before sealing the foil. Any vegetables will work, but I particularly like broccoli with a squirt of lemon juice, zucchini and yellow squash with a squirt of lemon juice, or asparagus with... well, you get the picture.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Crock Pot Cola Chicken
1 whole chicken (1 1/2-2 lbs) or bone in, skin on chicken breasts
1 cup ketchup
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cup your favorite cola
Generously season chicken with salt and pepper and put in the crockpot. Toss the onion on top and pour the cola/ketchup mixture over it all. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Check every few hours to make sure chicken does not get too dry. If it is drying out, add a splash of chicken broth.
Shred chicken and serve on buns.
Some notes: Of course you would want to use Coke for this, because Pepsi is gross. You can use Diet Coke (or I suppose Pepsi. Blech.) if you don't want the sugar/calories/points from the regular. If you decide to use regular Coke, try to get the Mexican Coke, because it contains real sugar and not High Fructose Corn Syrup. You can find it at Mexican grocery stores/convenience stores, or locally at Piggly Wiggly.
This ends up tasting like a BBQish chicken. If you want, you can add a dash or two of liquid smoke to the shredded chicken.
You can remove the skin from the chicken if you don't want the fat from the skin. There is a better chance of your chicken drying out without the yummy fat from the skin, so keep an eye on it.
1 cup ketchup
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cup your favorite cola
Generously season chicken with salt and pepper and put in the crockpot. Toss the onion on top and pour the cola/ketchup mixture over it all. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Check every few hours to make sure chicken does not get too dry. If it is drying out, add a splash of chicken broth.
Shred chicken and serve on buns.
Some notes: Of course you would want to use Coke for this, because Pepsi is gross. You can use Diet Coke (or I suppose Pepsi. Blech.) if you don't want the sugar/calories/points from the regular. If you decide to use regular Coke, try to get the Mexican Coke, because it contains real sugar and not High Fructose Corn Syrup. You can find it at Mexican grocery stores/convenience stores, or locally at Piggly Wiggly.
This ends up tasting like a BBQish chicken. If you want, you can add a dash or two of liquid smoke to the shredded chicken.
You can remove the skin from the chicken if you don't want the fat from the skin. There is a better chance of your chicken drying out without the yummy fat from the skin, so keep an eye on it.
Friday, July 12, 2013
My Grandma's Ranch Beans (Kind of)
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 - 32 oz can of Baked Beans (Use Bush's. Trust me.)
1 - 16 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 - 16 oz can butter beans, drained
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Brown and crumble ground beef, onion and green pepper until cooked through. (If there is a lot of grease, feel free to drain it.) Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
Some notes: I am sure that everyone's grandma makes these beans. They are delicious and grandma wants you to be happy. This is my version of my grandma's beans. Her version called for dry onion soup mix, which I took out and replaced with an onion. You can also add a crumbled beef stock cube, but I don't find it necessary. If you are feeling particularly spendy you can add some crumbled bacon. If you have nothing but time, do what my grandma did and toss in to a casserole dish, top with bacon slices and bake for 45 minutes in a 350° oven. You can thank me later.
If you want to make it vegetarian, leave out the meat or use those Morningstar Crumbles.
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 - 32 oz can of Baked Beans (Use Bush's. Trust me.)
1 - 16 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 - 16 oz can butter beans, drained
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Brown and crumble ground beef, onion and green pepper until cooked through. (If there is a lot of grease, feel free to drain it.) Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
Some notes: I am sure that everyone's grandma makes these beans. They are delicious and grandma wants you to be happy. This is my version of my grandma's beans. Her version called for dry onion soup mix, which I took out and replaced with an onion. You can also add a crumbled beef stock cube, but I don't find it necessary. If you are feeling particularly spendy you can add some crumbled bacon. If you have nothing but time, do what my grandma did and toss in to a casserole dish, top with bacon slices and bake for 45 minutes in a 350° oven. You can thank me later.
If you want to make it vegetarian, leave out the meat or use those Morningstar Crumbles.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Slow Roasted Tomato, Garlic and Basil Soup and Cheesy Toast
Tomatoes
Onion
Garlic cloves
Olive oil
salt & pepper
Bread
Garlic clove
Cheese of your choice
Cut tomatoes and onion in to chunks. Peel and crush garlic cloves. Toss on to a cookie sheet (line it with parchment or non-stick foil. Trust me.) and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a 225° oven for 2 hours, then bump it up to 350° and roast until brown and caramelized.
Dump it all in to a saucepan (scrape the brown bits off of the parchment/foil) and add chicken broth to cover. bring to a simmer and then use your immersion blender and blend that shit up. If you don't have an immersion blender, use your blender, food processor or whatever you have. Return to saucepan and bring back to a simmer while you make your cheesy toast.
Cheesy Toast-
Make toast. When it is done, rub a peeled garlic clove over one side of the bread and top with cheese. Melt under broiler.
Some notes: I did not list amounts of ingredients because that is totally up to you. You can use canned tomatoes if you don't have fresh. Fresh is always better but if it is the middle of winter, do what you gotta do. You can also use this process for any vegetable - I have made roasted broccoli soup, roasted ratatouille soup, roasted pumpkin soup, etc.
Onion
Garlic cloves
Olive oil
salt & pepper
Bread
Garlic clove
Cheese of your choice
Cut tomatoes and onion in to chunks. Peel and crush garlic cloves. Toss on to a cookie sheet (line it with parchment or non-stick foil. Trust me.) and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a 225° oven for 2 hours, then bump it up to 350° and roast until brown and caramelized.
Dump it all in to a saucepan (scrape the brown bits off of the parchment/foil) and add chicken broth to cover. bring to a simmer and then use your immersion blender and blend that shit up. If you don't have an immersion blender, use your blender, food processor or whatever you have. Return to saucepan and bring back to a simmer while you make your cheesy toast.
Cheesy Toast-
Make toast. When it is done, rub a peeled garlic clove over one side of the bread and top with cheese. Melt under broiler.
Some notes: I did not list amounts of ingredients because that is totally up to you. You can use canned tomatoes if you don't have fresh. Fresh is always better but if it is the middle of winter, do what you gotta do. You can also use this process for any vegetable - I have made roasted broccoli soup, roasted ratatouille soup, roasted pumpkin soup, etc.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Lentil Soup
4-6 servings
1 tbsp olive oil (free)
1 tsp dried basil (free)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (free)
1/2 tsp dried oregano (free)
1/2 tsp thyme (free)
6 cloves garlic, minced (.30)
1 large onion, diced (.50)
2 medium carrots, diced (.59)
salt and pepper to taste (free)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (free)
1 lb lentils, rinsed and sorted (1.00)
1 tsp liquid smoke (free)
8 cups water (free)
3 stock cubes (1.00)
1 28 oz can tomato puree (1.28)
1 tbsp soy sauce (free)
cooked brown rice, for serving (.78)
In a large, heavy bottomed soup pot add olive oil, spices and garlic. When you can smell the garlic add the onion and carrots, a pinch of salt and pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Cook for several minutes, then turn the heat up to medium high and add the lentils, liquid smoke, water and stock cubes. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to med-low, and cover. Simmer until the lentils are tender (around 30 minutes), then add the tomato puree, soy sauce and more water if needed.
Some notes: As the leftovers sit, they will thicken. They make a great "gravy" to serve over rice. If you have any that last long enough, turn them in to veggie burgers.
1 tbsp olive oil (free)
1 tsp dried basil (free)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (free)
1/2 tsp dried oregano (free)
1/2 tsp thyme (free)
6 cloves garlic, minced (.30)
1 large onion, diced (.50)
2 medium carrots, diced (.59)
salt and pepper to taste (free)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (free)
1 lb lentils, rinsed and sorted (1.00)
1 tsp liquid smoke (free)
8 cups water (free)
3 stock cubes (1.00)
1 28 oz can tomato puree (1.28)
1 tbsp soy sauce (free)
cooked brown rice, for serving (.78)
In a large, heavy bottomed soup pot add olive oil, spices and garlic. When you can smell the garlic add the onion and carrots, a pinch of salt and pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Cook for several minutes, then turn the heat up to medium high and add the lentils, liquid smoke, water and stock cubes. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to med-low, and cover. Simmer until the lentils are tender (around 30 minutes), then add the tomato puree, soy sauce and more water if needed.
Some notes: As the leftovers sit, they will thicken. They make a great "gravy" to serve over rice. If you have any that last long enough, turn them in to veggie burgers.
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