Weeknight Tang

Ingredients:

3 – 5 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts

12oz bottle Franks Red Hot Wings buffalo sauce

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

Directions: Place chicken breasts into crockpot, pour buffalo sauce over chicken.  Sprinkle ranch mix over top.  Cover with lid and cook on low for about 5 hours.

This week's menu....

Monday: 
Detox Veggie Soup

( http://www.skinnymom.com/2013/01/14/skinny-detox-soup/) 

Tuesday: 

Flautas with Buffalo Crockpot Chicken Filling 

( http://www.mommabblog.com/2012/02/crock-pot-buffalo-chicken.html)

Wednesday: 

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto and Shrimp

(http://www.theroastedroot.net/spaghetti-squash-basil-parsley-pesto-sauteed-shrimp/)

Thursday: 

Fircracker Shrimp with Green Beans

(http://www.passionforsavings.com/2013/08/firecracker-shrimp-recipe/)

Friday: 

Chinese Napa Cabbage Salad 

( http://www.dinner-mom.com/chinese-napa-cabbage-salad/)

My goals are to use my Abundant Harvest veggies and re-use proteins to keep the cost down!

Skinny Orange Chicken

This one will be in the rotation for a long time! Delicious and easy....

INGREDIENTS:

Orange Chicken Ingredients:
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
orange chicken sauce (ingredients below)

Orange Chicken Sauce Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey (add more to sweeten, if desired)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. white pepper
zest of one orange
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:

To Make The Orange Chicken:
Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute for about 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and nearly cooked through.

Pour in the orange chicken sauce, and stir to combine. Let the sauce come to a boil, then boil for an additional minute or two until thickened. Remove from heat and serve immediately over rice (I used the herb basmati rice from Trader Joes). 

I also added a little asparagus after a light saute in oil, salt, and pepper. 

To Make The Orange Chicken Sauce:
Whisk all ingredients together until combined. If you would like the sauce to be even sweeter, add an extra 2-4 tablespoons of honey.

Soup Sunday: Sweet Pea, Ginger and Mint Soup

1 bag frozen sweet peas (16 oz)
1 medium shallot, diced
2 T fresh ginger, minced
1/4 c fresh mint
1 T olive oil
water
salt & pepper

In a medium sauce pan heat the olive oil on a low/med setting.  Add shallots and ginger and sautee for about 3 minutes.

Next add 3/4 of the bag of frozen peas, stirring for 1 minute.

Add enough water to cover the peas and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Let the soup cool enough to place in a blender.  Add soup and fresh mint and puree the combination.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Return the soup to the pan and add the last of the peas.  They will defrost in the warm soup but will retain a bit of pop.

Egg Muffins- Revolutionizing Breakfast (might be an overstatement)

Take some creative liberties with the ingredients... but here is what I did my first go around....
(Thanks Kat for the original recipe!)
1) Chopped up some potatoes and put in the bottom of the muffin tins
2) Added some chopped bell peppers
3) Added some cheese
4) Beat and egg and fill the muffing tins to the brim with the egg
5) Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes... just check on them

Each morning, grab a muffin and heat in the microwave- mini omelette on the go!

***One suggestion: maybe asparagus and goat cheese next week????

Trader Joes BBQ Pizza

I call this Trader Joe's pizza because all the ingredients can be found with one stop at TJ's.

Ingredients:

Pre-made pizza dough

Marinara

Shredded cheese

Frozen artichoke hearts

Bell peppers

Tomatoes

Salami

For this particular pizza, I used the pre-made dough, but I often make the dough from Alice Waters (see below- super easy)

Before you start... run the artichokes under warmish water still in the package to thaw a bit and saute the bell peppers in olive oil and a pinch or two of salt.

1. Spread the dough and brush on olive oil

2. Bake the dough at 400 until it is a little brown on the crust

3. Take it out of the oven and spread the marinara, cheese, artichokes, bell peppers, salami (or whatever toppings you want)

4. Put back in the oven to melt the cheese just a bit (4 minutes?)

5. Put the pizza on the BBQ for 5-6 minutes to crisp up the bottom.

6. Cut up and enjoy... if you want some spice, add some crushed red pepper before baking a second time.

Alice Waters' Pizza Dough

Ingredients
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
3 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup olive oil
Method
Stir together yeast and warm water until yeast is dissolved. Add 1/2 cup flour and stir well. Allow the mixture to sit until quite bubbly, about 30 minutes.
In another bowl, mix together the unbleached white flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Stir this into the yeast and flour mixture and add cold water and olive oil.
Mix thoroughly by hand. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too wet and sticky, add more flour, but only enough to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
The dough is the right texture when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl of the mixer, but still adheres to the bottom. You are looking for a very soft, slightly moist dough.
Put the dough in a large bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours. For an even better-tasting and more supple dough, let the dough rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator. Remove from the fridge 2 hours before shaping.

Adventures with the Slow Cooker

Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

This "recipe" is an experiment and as we speak, is in the crock pot. I ordered chicken breasts from Abundant Harvest, so I wanted to keep it simple and actually taste the quality of the chicken.

First layer: Bay leaves and lemon wedges
Second layer: Two potatoes, halved long ways
Third layer: Chicken breast (dipped in melted butter and garlic and remaining liquid dumped over the top)
Fourth layer: Chopped parsley, salt, pepper
Fifth layer: 1/2 cup chicken stock

The plan is 6 hours on low.... to be continued