Sausage Red Beans and Rice

Do the excess herbs make it look like I'm trying too hard? Well I am because this is a repeat recipe and one of Steven's favorites.  I had to make it again for the freezer test. Results are in frozen is great for a work lunch or even a family dinner but if you are going to have guests over make it fresh. Unless they just show up, then they get family dinner quality. Ya know, still good but maybe no garnish.

I used this on sale sausage and it was delish. I prefer non-flavored sausage for this dish, I'll add my own garlic thank you.

Red Beans and Rice

Greek Chicken Salad

A whiny threenager because Frozen keeps freezing, an overtired babe strapped to you, a little of this, a little of that and viola - dinner.  Its that easy.

P.S. Please note the new page of not-inclusive-just-our-favs Recipes (it took forever).

Greek Chicken Salad

• basic baked chicken seasoned with oregano, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
• romaine lettuce
• red onion
• kalamata olives
• feta
• any vinaigrette dressing I used store bought bc I'm lazy
• I also included: avocado, grilled corn (leftover but delicious), and radishes. I used some pita chips for some crunch. If I had cherry tomatoes and a cucumber I would have thrown those in too.

Combine! I always start my making salads early in the afternoon because they take forever with all the chopping and the longer it sits out the more stuff I can scrounge up to add. Plus I'm a firm believer in a room temperature salad and sneaking bites along the way.

Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki

Why do we always want Chinese food for dinner, when lunch is like 40% off AND comes with an eggroll and a soup I won't eat!? I don't need to play those games with a slow cooker handy. 

Chicken Teriyaki

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• garnish: toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions

Add chicken breasts in a single layer to the slow cooker.  In a separate bowl whisk garlic, onion, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and pepper until combined and pour mixture over the chicken breasts. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

Remove chicken to a separate bowl and shred using two forks. Transfer the teriyaki sauce from the slow cooker to a saucepan.

Mix together water and cornstarch until its dissolved, whisk into the teriyaki sauce.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat and boil for about 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, pour on top of the chicken and toss to combine.

Serve with rice and broccoli and top with scallions and sesame seeds.

Crispy Carnitas

Full flavor right from the start, these are hands down the best carnitas I've made. I like to freeze some before the broiling process for a quick prep meal for my future self.

Crispy Carnitas
Adapted from Marks Daily Apple

• 3-4 pounds boneless pork shoulder - cut into 5 pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 onion, chopped or thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup water
• queso fresco for serving...optional

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. 

Preheat the oven on broil. Move meat to a cutting board (no liquid, cinnamon stick or bay leaf), shred, and spread evenly on a baking pan. Broil until meat is at your desired crispness. 

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole

White enchiladas for white people. If I had to put this in a food category I would said Ohio-Mex? Its definitely not Tex-Mex or Mexican. Its more casserole than enchilada and cheesy instead of spicy. Whatever it is, its delicious and there is a lot of it.  We froze some for a quick-fix later on.

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 4 ounce can chopped green chilies
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 24 soft flour tortillas, halved
• 2 cups shredded chicken, cooked
• 2 14 ounce cans white northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups shredded pepper jack or Monterrey jack cheese
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Heat butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add flour while whisking constantly. Cook for a minute. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and whisk until combined.  Add the rest of the broth, green chilies, and cumin and whisk. 

Bring to a simmer and let it thicken for a couple of minutes. Stir in Greek yogurt and whisk until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place 8 tortilla halves to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the cheese sauce, sprinkle with half the chicken and half the beans and 1 cup of cheese.  Repeat with tortillas, 1/3 of cheese sauce, the rest of the chicken and beans and 1 cup of cheese. The final layer is tortillas, cream sauce, and cheese. 

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve with cilantro and avocado on top.

Creamy Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Pasta

Savor this dish and try not to think about how there are only two more days of school left. Also try not to think about how your three year old isn't taking naps anymore.  Also try not to think about how construction on the house is going to take away the option of just throwing the three year old in the backyard. 

Yup, don't think about any of those things and just take comfort in pasta.

Creamy Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Pasta
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Serves 4-5

• 24 garlic cloves, peeled
• 20 ounces portabello mushrooms, large chop (any kind of mushroom)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper
• 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounce farfalle pasta
• freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat an oven to 375F and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

On a sheet of aluminum foil, lay out of garlic. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Fold the aluminum foil into a pouch and place on the corner of a baking sheet.  Spread the mushrooms out of the rest of the baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast for 25-30 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions in the salted water.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet oven medium-high heat. Add shallows and cook until they begin to brown.  Add the wine and scrape up any brown bits.  Add the chicken broth and thyme sprigs and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the roasted mushrooms, garlic, and cream and stir to combine.  Cook for an additional few minutes to thicken the sauce.

Drain the pasta in a colander and add to the sauce. Toss to combine and serve with Parmesan.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

My cooking goals have come full circle since college when I first starting fending for myself.  I went from cooking to survive, to super healthy, to super from scratch, and now we are back to cooking in survival mode. I'm currently trying to rebuild my freezer stash after a bad back had me on the couch and nuking our dinners for a week.

Having shredded chicken in my freezer has been one of the biggest helps.  Simply remove from freezer, defrost, add a sauce and a carb and serve. So far we have had barbecue chicken sandwiches and chicken nachos.  Amazingly easy.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

• 6 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 cup chicken broth - I used this time, not sure if I would use next time

Place chicken in a slow cooker and sprinkle with seasonings and broth. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low. Remove with tongs and shred.  Serve or freeze. I freeze in two cup batches which is enough for my family of 3.

Next time: I'm going to check it at 7 hours next time. This batch was a little too easy to shred. Almost mushy.