Orange Chicken (Crockpot)
Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style (Vegetarian, vegan without cheese)
Bulgur Wheat Salad with Avocado, Raisins, and Almonds (Vegan) (NOT wheat-free)
Taco Dip or Salad (can be vegetarian or vegan)
Lazy Shepard's Upside-down Casserole (Crockpot)
Shopping list tomorrow! Eventually! :-D
Orange Chicken (Crockpot)
The Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour (I used Pamela's Baking Mix)
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (I'd opt for little-to-no pulp. The pulp can taste a bit bitter when cooked)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
The Directions
Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.
Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.
This is one of Tony's favorite meals. He's been asking me to put it on the docket for weeks. He doesn't know yet that he's trading me for the bulgur meal, one I'm particularly fond of but he's not. I'd be more excited about this if I was getting cheese on my portion. :) Don't forget to save the seeds to cook 'em up like pumpkin seeds.
Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style (Vegetarian)
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/baked-spaghetti-squash-lasagna-style/Detail.aspx
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 cube vegetable bouillon
black pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can black olives, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with a thin layer of cooking spray. Place squash halves cut side down on the baking sheet.
2. Bake squash 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife can be easily inserted. Remove from oven, and cool.
3. Meanwhile, spray a non-stick saucepan with cooking spray. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until golden brown. Stir in tomatoes, basil, bouillon cube, and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until you have a medium thick sauce.
4. Remove squash strands with a fork, reserving the shells. Layer each half with a spoonful of the sauce, a layer of spaghetti squash strands, olives, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers until shells are full, or until all of the ingredients are used. Top with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until Parmesan cheese melts.
The first time I made this, I searched the grains section of every store in town, and several out of town to find bulgur. After picking it up at a store an hour away, I found it at our Save Mart, in the baking aisle, with the specialty flours and grains (apparently). I believe it's Bob's Mill brand. I bought an extra when I found it. I remember making a yummy bulgur pilaf in the past; I'll have to dig up the recipe. (I skip the spreading it out part, FYI.)
Bulgur Wheat Salad with Avocado, Raisins, and Almonds (Vegan) (NOT wheat-free)
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/01/healthy-delicious-bulgur-wheat-salad-with-avo.html
Adapted from Fine Cooking.
Ingredients
* 1 cup bulgur wheat
* 2 tablespoons golden raisins
* 2 tablespoons regular raisins
* 1 large lemon
* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon cround coriander
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
* 1 firm but ripe avocado, diced
* 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
* 3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Procedures
1. Cook bulgur wheat as directed. When finished, spread out on a cool surface and let it come to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl, combine raisins with enough hot water to cover them. Drain after 5 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, zest the lemon. To it, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk it all together.
4. In a large bowl, combine bulgur wheat, dressing, raisins, avocado, scallions, and almonds. Stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. (Don't skip that part.) Serve.
This is more of a meal idea than a recipe. You get the general idea, and can adjust the ingredients to your family's tastes.
Taco Dip or Salad (can be vegetarian or vegan)
Ingredients
Refried beans
lettuce
olives
mushrooms
salsa
avocado/guacamole
onions
ground beef/turkey
cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips
Directions
This is an easily customizable meal. Chop your desired ingredients (brown ground beef if using, of course) and layer them in a 9x9 or 9x13 casserole dish. I prefer beans on the bottom and salsa on the top. Eat as a salad or a dip with tortilla chips.
I cribbed part of this recipe from Stephanie over at A Year of Slow Cooking. Her original ecipe was for a meatloaf, but since I had to cut the egg, I thought it would be nice to make something other than "Pot 'o Meat." So added the rest. This recipe has *not* been tested yet, so if it explodes, kills you, or just doesn't taste good, you've been warned. And I'm sorry. :)
Lazy Shepard's Upside-down Casserole (Crockpot)
Partially borrowed from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/06/slow-cooker-big-easy-meatloaf-recipe.html
Ingredients
serves 4-6
1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 potatoes, diced
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cp mushrooms, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
Directions
Toss meat in a mixing bowl with all the spices. Mix well; I always use my hands.
Put potatoes in crockpot, followed by spiced meat and veggies. Cook on low for 6 hours, mixing half way. Check doneness after about 4 hours.
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