BBQ Pork Noodle Bowl

1/2 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp oil, divided
1 lb pork tenderloin, thinly sliced into strips
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 lb capellini, uncooked
4 green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp minced gingerroot
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (or more!)

1. Mix first 6 ingredients until well blended.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add half the meat; cook 2 min or until no longer pink, turning after 1 min. Remove from skillet; cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining meat. Return all meat to skillet. Stir in BBQ sauce; cook and stir 1 min. Remove from skillet; keep warm.
3. Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile heat remaining oil in skillet. Add onions, ginger and garlic; cook and stir 30 sec. Stir in broth mixture; bring to boil.
4 Drain pasta. Add to broth mixture in skillet; stir to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into soup bowls; top with meat, nuts and cilantro.

You can substitute chicken or beef for pork.

I got this recipe from Kraft, and it is SOOO tasty. I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch! Things I do differently, I use powdered ginger instead of fresh and I just use a pinch. And if I don't want it to be too runny I let the pasta "cook" for just a minute after I add it too the broth mixture and it soaks it up nicely. Also a word about fish sauce, it is fairly inexpensive, but it is VERY smelly and unfortunately not in a good way. But it doesn't taste like it smells thank goodness! And it is great to use in pad thai too! This is a nice, fast and pretty healthy meal!

Creamy Tomato- Basil Pasta with Chicken

3 cups penne pasta, uncooked
1/4 cup sun dried tomato vinaigrette dressing, divided
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 oz Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
2 cups grape tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
8 basil leaves, cut into strips

1. Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile heat 2 Tbsp dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cover. Cook 5-6 min on each side if until done. Remove chicken from skillet cover to keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towel.
2. Add remaining dressing, broth and seasonings to skillet; cook 3-4 min or until heated through. Add Neufchatel; cook and stir 2-3 min or until melted. Stir in tomatoes; cook 3 min.
3. Drain pasta. Add ingredients in skillet with Parmesan and basil; mix well. Serve topped with chicken.

I got this recipe from Kraft. The changes I made were I cubed the chicken, used dried basil (and added it when I added the chicken broth) and I used cherry tomatoes cut in half.

Tilapia Veracruz

1/2 cup sun dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
2 Tbsp lime juice
4 tilapia fillets (1 lb)
2 large tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1. Heat oven to 400.
2.Mix dressing and juice. Place fish in 13x9 dish; drizzle with 1/2 dressing mixture. Toss tomatoes with remaining dressing mixture.
3. Bake fish 20 minutes top with tomato mixture and cheese. Bake 5 min or until cheese is melted and fish flakes easily with fork.
4. Sprinkle with cilantro.

If using frozen fish no need to thaw before using as directed!
I got this recipe from Kraft

Greek Bulgar Salad with Shrimp

3 Tbsp lemon juice
3Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup bulgar wheat
1/2 pound plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 pound cooked, peeled shrimp
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded ( I also added some romaine and green leaf lettuce)
black olives
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (which I didn't have so I used shredded Parmesan)
Other add in options:
sliced radishes
cauliflower or broccoli florets
hearts of palm
hard-boiled egg
artichoke hearts
sunflower seeds
asparagus tips
edamame
roasted eggplant
hummus
sun-dried tomatoes

1. In a small bow, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Place bulgar in a large bowl. Stir in 2 cups boiling water. Cover with plastic and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes cucumber, parsley, mint and 2 Tbsp of lemon dressing. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
3.Toss the shrimp with 1 Tbsp of dressing and set aside
4. In a large bowl toss together lettuce, onion, olive and remaining dressing. Equally divide among 4 dinner plates. Top each serving with bulgar shrimp and feta.

I got this recipe from Family Circle. Perfect Summer recipe since you don't have to use much heat!

Freezer Meal Night #3

This time we did things a little differently. We had 4 of us and we wanted meals that we could take right from the freezer and cook immediately...no thawing, no prep, nothing the night we ate them.  We also decided to just double each recipe we chose so we could have more of the same thing.  It turned out pretty well.  Once again, I am excited to eat the product of our hard work!

The recipes we did this time included....

Creamy Baked Taquitoes

Pork, rice, bean and cheese burritoes

Pesto Stuffed Shells

Cornflake Chicken Tenders

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

**In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.
**In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts
** To make ahead/freezer meals - Prepare as directed but place filled shells in an oven- and freezer-proof baking dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells, cover and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts. 

recipe found HERE

White Bean Pizza Dough

I've tried this out multiple times and think I finally have it mastered now. The next step will be making the flour from dry white beans, but that might be aways down the road yet.

1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1 can white beans, drained, rinsed and pureed
1 Tbsp sugar
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3-4 cups flour (mixture of any kind - white, wheat or bean)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp (or more to taste) garlic powder

1. Put water in mixing bowl, sprinkle in yeast and sugar and let stand about 5 minutes.
2. Put beans into food processor and pulse until smooth. Stir beans into yeast mixture. Add about 2 cups of flour and the oil. Stir until dough comes together. Let rest for a few minutes (3-5). Add salt, oregano, garlic powder and the rest of flour to dough until dough is soft and smooth, but don't let it get stiff.
3. Once the flour is mixed into the dough knead for 5-10 minutes on low speed. Cover the dough and lit rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Add favorite toppings and bake 10-15 min @ 450 °

This makes enough to cover a big cookie sheet (11x15 ) and still have some left over. I'm guessing it would make 2 big round pizzas. I usually wrap my leftover dough tightly and put it in the fridge for a couple days and then make bread sticks with it. You could also freeze it. It is a great way to sneak in a little extra fiber and protein and it doesn't change the flavor!