Recipe Review from 8/31/2015

Yes, yes, I KNOW it's been forever since I've posted about a new recipe!  It's just been that kind of month - a four day anatomy training down in the Cities, a trip to Spokane, two days of harvesting wild rice, and now my most recent adventures - which I'll discuss in the next post (hopefully).

The meal plan;

Sun (B) eggy sandwiches with gravy
(L) Broccoli and Bacon Mac 'n Cheese
(S) Chicken Verde Tacos
Mon (Bkgrp)  leftover tacos
Tues - either leftover tacos, or pasta with tuna and sauce
Wed (I'm on adventures!)

Lunches - Chicken Nicoise Salad, fruit, yogurt, luna bars

Sausage, Gravy and Egg Sandwiches  (Ckng Lght Sept 2015)  vegetarian,
This was a "Duh! Why didn't I think of this!" recipe.  I do eggy sandwiches about once a month, but I've never thought to put this combination together.  I did downsize the recipe to feed two of us (we don't have a microwave to reheat pre-made frozen sandwiches in).  I also simplified buying a package of sausage patties, rather than futzing around and making my own.

The Husband ate his open faced; I did mine as a complete sandwich, so there's some versatility here.  Recommended!

Recipe as written serves 6, with the option of freezing a portion.

1/2 pound turkey breakfast sausage

photo from Scifi with Paprika blog

2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

1 3/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

5 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Dash of ground red pepper

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

6 light multigrain English muffins, split and toasted

1. Divide sausage into 6 equal portions; pat each portion into a 3-inch patty (about 1/4 inch thick). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add patties; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Transfer patties to a plate. Reserve drippings in pan.

2. Combine milk and next 6 ingredients (through red pepper), stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add mixture to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 3 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add eggs; cook 4 minutes, stirring until curds form.

4. Divide eggs evenly over bottom halves of muffins. Top each with 3 tablespoons gravy. Place 1 sausage patty and top half of muffin on each sandwich.

To freeze: Separately cool sandwiches and gravy to room temperature. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap. Place sandwiches in a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; freeze. Fill ice-cube molds with gravy, 3 tablespoons per cube. Freeze until solid; transfer gravy cubes to a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag, and return to freezer. Store sandwiches and gravy for up to 3 months.

To heat: Remove sandwiches from wrapping; wrap each in a paper towel. Microwave at HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Place gravy cube in a small microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave at HIGH for 1 minute; stir with a whisk until smooth.



One-pan Broccoli-Bacon Mac n' Cheese (CkngLght, Sept 2015)  vegetarian option
This is touted as being a 25 minute meal, and with prep and assembly, this closer to 30 minutes.  Tho...to be fair, if I hadn't dropped a jar of spaghetti sauce on the floor with spectacular splatter range, it might not have taken me quite so long.

I did this pretty much as written, noting that for a vegetarian option, skip the bacon and use a vegetable broth.  Make sure you use a LARGE skillet.  My 12" was on this side of being too small.  Give yourself some stirring and mixing room, and make sure you have a lid handy.   Recommended. 

photo from cookinglight.com

2 center-cut bacon slices, chopped (optional)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups unsalted chicken stock (or vegetable broth)

1 cup 1% low-fat milk

1 (10-ounce) package frozen butternut squash puree, thawed

10 ounce uncooked large elbow macaroni

3 cups chopped broccoli florets

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided (about 1 1/4 cups)

1 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook 4 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan.

2. Remove all but 2 teaspoons bacon drippings from pan. Add garlic to ­drippings in pan; sauté 30 seconds.

3. Add stock, milk, and squash to pan; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

4. Add pasta; cover, ­reduce heat, and ­simmer 5 minutes, ­stirring occasionally. Stir in broccoli; cover and cook 3 minutes or until pasta is done and sauce is thickened.

5 Stir in salt, pepper, and 4 ounces cheese. Sprinkle bacon and remaining cheese on top. Cover; let stand 1 minute.

Chicken Verde Tacos (Ckng Lght, Sept 2015)  gluten free
Easy. Peasy.  I downsized to feed one.  My only note would be, make sure your salsa verde isn't "jalepeno" salsa verde.  That's a bit on the hot side even for this gal and definitely a no-go for little tastebuds.

Otherwise, recommended for an hot summer night, or if you need dinner on the table fast. 

photo from cookinglight.com

2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast

1/2 cup prepared salsa verde

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

2 cups thinly sliced purple cabbage

1/3 cup canola mayonnaise (I used plain greek yogurt)

1. Combine chicken and salsa in a saucepan over medium heat; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
2. Heat tortillas 20 seconds on each side over an open flame or according to directions.
3. Combine cabbage and mayonnaise in a bowl; toss to coat.
4. Divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas. Top with cabbage mixture.

 

Chicken Niçoise Salad (Ckng Lght, Sept 2015)  gluten free 

This was for my lunch and was easy enough to pull together.  I did it while catching up on some work on the computer and doing laundry.   My only complaint with this recipe is, it's a single serving. I kinda said screw that, and made extra to last at least a couple three days.   

 I also bought a rotisserie chicken and shredded it, instead of a single chicken breast (seriously?  who the heck buys one chicken breast?).  I then used the leftover chicken for the Chicken Verde Tacos (above)  If I end up with any leftover chicken after that, I can freeze and use at a future date.  So much simpler than cooking all these single pieces of chicken.

But, it's the dressing that pulls this together.  OMGosh!  Loved it!  Tangy, sweet, creamy and oh so simple!  This could easily become a summer favorite.  

 Honey-mustard vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon canola mayonnaise

photo from cookinglight.com

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon water

1/2 teaspoon honey

3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar

 Salad:

 Cooking spray

1 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast half, cut lengthwise into 6 strips

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

6 ounces red potatoes (about 2)

1/2 cup green beans, trimmed

1 cup mixed salad greens

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 tablespoon pitted kalamata olives, sliced

1. To prepare the honey-mustard vinaigrette, combine mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons water, and honey in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add vinegar, stirring with a whisk.

2. To prepare salad, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt. Add chicken to grill pan; cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Cut 3 chicken strips into 1-inch pieces. Reserve remaining 3 chicken strips for another use.

3. Bring potatoes to a boil in a medium saucepan filled with water. Cook 18 minutes. Add green beans; cook 3 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain. Cut potatoes into wedges. Top salad greens with chopped chicken strips, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, olives, and vinaigrette.