Spaghetti and Baked Turkey Meatballs

Baked Meatballs

1lb ground turkey

2 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt, freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients with hands. Form into golfball sized meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Quick Marinara

3 cans crushed tomatoes

1T EVOO

3 garlic cloves

½ t. oregano

½ t. basil

red pepper flakes to taste

Heat EVOO and add garlic. Before the garlic browns add tomatoes and herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer for up to a half hour. 

Sesame Salmon Burgers with Dill Yogurt Sauce 

This is a favorite from my favorite blog Can You Stay For Dinner. 

(makes 2 burgers)

• 1 (8 oz) salmon fillet, skinned and chopped
• 2 TBSP minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 TBSP finely grated fresh ginger
• 1  1/2 tsp minced garlic, divided
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 2 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 TBSP finely chopped fresh dill

Combine salmon, parsley, panko, 1 tsp lemon juice, ginger, 1 tsp garlic, soy sauce, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

Form into two patties.

Heat oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the patties and cook for 3-4 minutes per side.  Stir together yogurt, dill, remaining 1/2 tsp garlic, and remaining 1 tsp lemon juice in a small bowl.

Serve burgers on whole wheat buns, topped with the creamy yogurt sauce.

The New and Improved Chicken Osaka

This is by far my favorite! I have adapted the recipe from many but mainly from the one that the Spokane Dinner Club posted. The secret is the wasabi in the Osaka sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken cut into bite-sized pieces 1 T oil (I use olive oil)
• 2-3 slices ginger
• 3 slices of fresh lemon
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1/2 c fresh lemon juice
• 1 T ground dry mustard (Coleman’s is the best)
• 3 T sugar
• 2 T sesame oil
• 2 T white vinegar
• 1 T wasabi paste
• 1/4 c oil (I use olive oil)
• 1/4 c milk

Directions:

1. Heat large frying pan, add oil.  When oil is hot, add chicken, ginger, and lemon slices.  Stir fry on medium heat until chicken is cooked through.  Drain any remaining liquid and remove/discard lemon and ginger slices.
2. Blend soy sauce, lemon juice, dry mustard, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, and oil until smooth. Add a little to the chicken. Continue cooking on low heat for a few more minutes.
3. Serve the remaining sauce on the side. I love to add it to rice. 

I know it's been decades, or at least over a year since I last posted anything but I've been creating some deliciousness that I thought I'd share. 

Crunchy Chicken

This is a delicious! Top this yummy chicken with either sweet and sour or almond chicken sauce. 

¾ c. flour

2 eggs

¾ c. panko + ¾ c. flour

2 T crushed almonds (I ground up whole almonds in the food processor)

Cut chicken into bite sized chunks or thin slices. Just make sure they are similar in size so they cook and the same time.

Set up 1 bowl with just flour.  Season it with salt, garlic powder and pepper.

Set up another bowl with 2 beaten eggs.

Set up 3^rd bowl with panko, flour and almonds.

Dredge small pieces of chicken in flour, egg then panko and pan fry until golden brown. 

Chinese Almond Chicken Sauce

1 ½ cup chicken stock

1 T butter

4 t soy sauce

2 T corn starch mixed with 2 T water (to avoid lumps)

Bring stock and soy sauce to boil, add butter. Whisk cornstarch and water together and add once sauce is boiling. Allow sauce to thicken on low.

Serve sauce over chicken and sprinkle with toasted almonds. 

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/3 cup white or rice vinegar (rice vinegar tastes best)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.

*I made crunchy pork with sweet and sour sauce tonight instead of chicken because that's what I had and it was just as delicious!*

Week 3

Weeknight Bolognese

So, if you are at all familiar with Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, you know that her recipes often call for “really good….” ingredients.  If a recipe calls for olive oil she says use “really good olive oil.”  Vanilla, “really good vanilla.”  She even says to use “really good mayonnaise.  I’m not sure how to determine what “really good” ingredients are.  I’m not even sure that here in Spokane we have the option to buy the “really good” ingredients that Ina buys in East Hampton.  I grew up in a world where fresh lemon juice came in a plastic shaped lemon, vanilla was imitation vanilla extract and if you couldn't buy it Costco, why bother.   Now I buy a big bag of lemons, at Costco, every month but I’m still not sure I could tell you the difference between real vanilla extract and imitation. This all led me to believe that when Ina suggested I use a “really good” bottle of dry red wine in this recipe that a ghetto $3.99 bottle of merlot would suffice. 

It didn’t. 

Do yourself a favor and at least buy a bottle of wine that has a cork. J  Also, just salt to taste, 1 tablespoon of salt would be WAY too much.

With that said, this sauce was really delicious although I’m not sure that it tasted much like a traditional Bolognese.

Chicken Osaka

Old fave…had to have it again.  This time I just sliced the chicken breast and stored in a Ziploc.  After it had thawed I put it on some paper towels to get rid of the excess liquid.  I chopped the lemon and ginger fresh.  I will continue to do it this way in the future.

Fish Tacos

When I make fish tacos I always make a sweet pepper salad to go with it.  I just make it up as I go but the recipe goes something like this. 

            Small sweet peppers (I get the bag from Costco)

            Avocado

            Cherry tomatoes

            Cilantro

            Black beans

            Sweet corn

Chop up the ingredients to be about the same size.  I slice the tomatoes in half, slice the peppers in little rings, and dice the avocado.  The amount of salad I want determines the amount of veggies I prepare. 

To dress mix lime juice, EVOO, grated garlic clove and salt.  I usually do 1 part lime juice to 2 parts EVOO. 

Another side I occasionally make with this dish is rice with black beans.  I cook about 1 cup of white or brown rice and mix in about 1 cup of black beans.  Then I dress with cilantro, the juice of 2 limes and salt and pepper. 

Falafel Gyros

Okay, so I saw this recipe on my favorite food blog and then put my own semi-homemade twist on it.  I bought the falafel at Costco (in the area by produce with pre-made stuff).  Instead of the tahini sauce I used the tzatziki that I made.  Then I cut up grape tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce and piled on a pita.  Yummy, yum, yum!  (I provide the link to the inspiration, in case you aren’t as lazy as me.) 

Tzatziki

1 c. greek yogurt

1 clove garlic grated

1 T fresh dill

2 inch chunk of cucumber grated

1 T lemon juice

lemon zest and salt to taste

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Like I said before…I’m obsessed.

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 T sundried tomatoes

1/8 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons softened fat-free cream cheese

1/4 c. defrosted frozen spinach

fresh ground black pepper

1 clove garlic grated or finely chopped

1 teaspoon olive oil or cooking oil

Directions

1. Using a sharp knife, butterfly each chicken breast by cutting horizontally, but not through, the opposite side. Place between two pieces of saran wrap and pound out until it is all the same thickness. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine next 6 ingredients. Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon into each pocket. If necessary, secure openings with wooden toothpicks. Sprinkle chicken with pepper.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 12 to 14 minutes or until tender and no longer pink, turning once (reduce heat to medium if chicken browns too quickly). 

 Chicken Shish Kabobs

Not much of a recipe here.  Marinate meat and grill.  We typically do all meat skewers and all veggie skewers because they have different cooking times.  I used the rest of the garlic lime marinade I used a few weeks ago on the flank steak.  To prep ahead I cut the chicken in equal sized chunks and froze in a Ziploc with the marinade.  I also cut up the peppers. 

Week 2

This "week" was a bit different.  We ate out, not because of convenience but because it was planned.  We went out for our anniversary dinner, had dinner with friends, and as we do every Sunday had dinner with parents.  Therefore, this week of cooking lasted a bit longer than the typical 7 days. 

I looked at our grocery budget and was shocked at how much it costs to buy “protein.”  Therefore, my goal is to come up with a 2-3 chicken meals, 1-2 seafood meals 1 red meat meal and 1 vegetarian meal each week. 

Roasted Cherry Tomato Spaghetti

I chose this recipe because I had goat cheese and wasn’t sure what to do with it.  Needless to say I don’t think I will make it again.  I loved the idea of roasting the tomatoes they were sweet and kind of saucy.  In the future I will likely do the same thing but just use parmesan cheese instead of goat cheese.  There was really no prep ahead for this one, it was just quick and easy. 

Shrimp Po’ Boys

I’m not sure what a Po’ Boy is supposed to taste like but this was great.  I love shrimp and sandwiches so why not put them together!  To prep ahead I just made the sauce, which resembles a sweet tartar sauce.  I served this with grilled corn on the cob.  Yummo!

Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Ham

I’m sort of obsessed with stuffed chicken recipes lately.  I love using my  fancy knives to butterfly a chicken breast, pound out the chicken super thin and then fill it with yumminess.  I used the recipe from my favorite blog and followed everything except the fontina cheese.  I used fresh mozzarella instead, primarily because I had it.  Cheese is expensive and I think it’s silly to buy it for just one recipe.  This was delicious.  Next time I may leave the ham out and add roasted red peppers.  I wrapped the chicken breasts in saran wrap and the stored in the freezer in a Ziploc. 

I served this with roasted asparagus and smashed baby reds. 

Green Enchilada Suiza Casserole

I made the recipe for this one up based on watching Rachael Ray make something similar a gazillion times.  Steve loved this!  I thought it had too much chicken in it.  (I’m not the biggest fan of meat but my husband is and I know I need to eat protein…) 

·      Cooked chicken (I used the cooked chicken breast pieces from Costco and used about ¾ of the package.)

·      Tortilla Shells (I used a flour/corn blend.)

·      16oz. Green Salsa or Enchilada Sauce (I used Goya Green Salsa)

·      2 c. swiss cheese (A used a mix of swiss and cheddar)

·      Sour cream

I basically made a lasagna with the ingredients.  Put a bit of salsa/sauce in the bottom of a 8x8 pan.  Put a layer of tortilla shells. (I cut them in half and treated it like tetris) Layer chicken and cheese and more sauce.  Add a final layer of tortillas and cheese on top.  Cover with foil and store in fridge until you are ready to eat it.  To warm heat oven to 400 and warm for about 20 minutes then take off foil and cook until cheese bubbles on top.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.

Balsamic Flank Steak

Well the recipe calls for skirt steak but I’ve yet to see that at Costco so I went with flank steak.  To prep ahead I (actually Steve) made the marinade dumped it in a Ziploc with the flank steak and froze.  We grilled it because that it the yummiest way to cook meat in my opinion.  This was yummy but really sweet.  Next time I make it I will use it in steak sandwiches and add some gorgonzola or blue cheese.  It needed a strong favor to balance the sweetness.

We had this with….guess….yup, green beans!

BBQ Hamburgers

Seriously, if I need to provide a recipe for how to make hamburgers you probably are not looking at these recipes in the first place.  You can prep ahead burgers in many ways.  Again, I have watched Rachael Ray make burgers a gazillion times.  You can use any and every kind of ground meat imaginable and add veggies, spices, and cheese to the mix.  Get creative. Wrap burgers in saran and store in a Ziploc until you want to make them.  While I LOVE yummy, crusty bakery buns, I try to use the healthy, sort of yummy, whole-wheat buns.  Serve with grilled veggies and fruit.

Yummiest green beans EVER!

So when I say we have green beans every night I don’t mean I open a can, heat and serve.  I buy frozen haricort vert which are tiny green beans.  I put the frozen beans in a sauté pan with a little water and let them steam.  Then I add equal parts butter and EVOO, salt and pepper and let them sauté until the beans brown slightly.  Sometimes I grate a small clove of garlic in.  (Do this just before they are done so the garlic doesn’t burn.) Sometimes I add fresh lemon juice.  Sometimes almond slices.  Sometimes we just eat them with salt and pepper.  Any way they are DELICIOUS!

Week 1

This was an awesome week! We did not eat out at all.  There were several nights that we came home late and normally would have grabbed something at Zips. Knowing that dinner was almost ready before I even stepped foot in the kitchen was so encouraging that Zips didn't even tempt me! I have a whole new week of meals planned to cook for tomorrow.  

Chicken Osaka

This recipe is a weekly favorite at our house.  I had it for lunch one day with Kellie and made it for dinner that same night.  It’s SO good.

This was a simple prep. I just made the sauce in a Tupperware and stored in the fridge.  I cut the chicken breasts into thin strips and froze in a Ziploc with lemon slices and ginger.  On the night that we ate this I made cucumber salad.  I just cut an English cucumber and marinated it in rice vinegar with a little Sriarcha. (you can also add onion but I don’t like raw onions!)

Chicken Souvlaki

Another favorite at our house. I do a few things differently with this recipe.  I add a clove of grated garlic to the dressing/marinade and I buy the tzatziki from Costco. (So you don’t need the yogurt and cucumber). I also add cucumber to the greek salad.

To prepare ahead I reserved a small amount of dressing for the salad and added the rest to a bag of thinly sliced chicken strips.  On the night we ate this I made the greek salad.  

*If you wanted to make this “semi-homemade” you could just use bottled Italian dressing.  This one is pretty easy to make though.

Lemon Chicken Cordon Bleu   

Absolutely delicious! And the blog attached to this recipe is nothing short of inspiring.  To prep this meal ahead I just stuffed the chicken breasts, wrapped in saran and wrap and froze.  The day I cooked the chicken I cut paper thin slices of lemon to top the chicken before I baked it.  I also drizzled a little EVOO and of course, added salt, pepper and parsley.  I served this with my homemade brown rice pilaf and green beans.  I’ve never baked chicken before so it was a bit dry…I need to practice this cooking technique because it was so easy

Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Yummy doesn’t even begin to describe this recipe.  I cooked it according to the recipe except I added a clove of garlic to the filling.  I used a microplane (fine grater) and grated the garlic right in.  That way you don’t bite into a raw chunk of garlic.  I served this with couscous and green beans.  (Can you tell Steve and I aren’t too adventurous with our veggies?)

Rosemary Garlic Flank Steak

My favorite steak marinade!  We had this at a friends house years ago and have loved it ever since.  To prepare ahead just make the marinade put it in a Ziploc with the steak and throw it in the fridge or freezer. 

I prefer to BBQ the steak because you get the best flavor but you can also broil it.  (About 7 min per side for a perfect medium rare)

I served this with baby red potatoes and yes you guessed it….green beans!

* I read in a Cooking Light magazine a few years ago that the trick to keeping flank steak tender is cutting it against the grain.  I cut thin strips against the grain so each bite is tender and delicious!

Fajita Flank Steak

I made this one up, so no real recipe.  I bought a marinade at the store that sounded fajita-y.  The one we had was garlic lime and it was delicious.  To prepare ahead I just dumped half the marinade in a Ziploc with the steak and put it into the freezer.  I also cut up a red bell pepper and onion in advance and stored in the produce drawer.  We BBQed the steak, cut it into thin strips (against the grain) sautéed the peppers and onions and served in tortillas.  Simple and yummy!

Shrimp with Pea Pods

A million years ago I bought a Weight Watchers cookbook featuring take out recipes.  This is one of my favorites.  To prepare ahead I just made the sauce and stored in a Tupperware.  I also prepared the snow peas by cutting the ends off and stored in a Ziploc.  I always serve this with white rice because my husband refuses to eat brown rice with Asian food.