Monday, April 13, 2009

Pork tenderloin polynesian

1 pound pork tenderloin cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 eggs- lightly beaten
1/4 cup flour, whole wheat
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup chicken bouillon
1 cup pineapple chunks with juice
1 ea green pepper- chopped
1/2 cup carrot- chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ginger, ground
1 tsp garlic powder

Roll meat cubes in eggs and then flour.
Place in freezer bags
Add remaining ingred to another bag. Freeze.

Thaw both bags.
Brown the pork in a large skillet sprayed with oil until the juices run clear. 5-7 min. Remove and drain. Add the "sauce" bag to skillet, cook over med. heat until mixture begins to thicken.

Serve over hot rice.

Pork Satay

Ingredients
Marinade:
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Thai chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro
Salt
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch thick cubes
Wooden skewers
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a freezer bag, add pork and freeze.

Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Thai red chile pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
Heat the oil in a skillet and add the onion, garlic and chili. Saute for about 4 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, lime juice, coconut milk, coriander, and cumin. Thoroughly blend the peanut butter into the mixture.

Freeze sauce in a seperate baggie at this point.

To cook:

Thaw a bag of marinating pork and sauce. Thread the pork on skewers and grill.
The sauce you want to bring the sauce to a simmer over low heat, stirring frequently.

Grill for 7 to 8 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with the sauce.

Sausage and Rice

1 6 1/4 ounce box fast-cooking long grain and wild rice (Uncle Ben’s is the kind I used)
1 pound bulk Italian or turkey sausage
1 1/4 cups finely chopped onions
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 cup chopped, green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 4-ounce can mushrooms stems and pieces
1 10 3/4-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 tsp. salt

Cook rice according to package directions. Brown sausage; drain. Sauté onions. Combine rice, onions, sausage and remaining ingredients; put in a 1-gallon bag and freeze. (I used a foil dish and mixed it all up in the dish.)

Serving day: thaw casserole. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. (I cooked this one from frozen for a little over 1 hour. Turned out great!!!)

Makes 6 servings.

From Wilson & Lagerborg’s Once-A-Month Cooking

Ravioli Soup

1 Pound Ground Beef
1/4 cup soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp onion salt
2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 28-ounce can Italian-style or plain crushed tomatoes in puree
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 14.5 ounce can beef broth
1 cup water
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried basil leave
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 12-ounce package plain ravioli without sauce (for serving day)
Grated Parmesan Cheese (for serving day)

Brown the ground beef in a large pot; combine remaining ingredients except frozen ravioli and additional Parmesan cheese. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool, put in container and freezer.

On serving day: Thaw soup base and put in a large pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (the soup is thick and you may want to add water or beef broth to make it soupier).

Thaw and cook ravioli according to package directions until just tender. Drain ravioli; add to soup. Salt to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings

From Wilson & Lagerborg’s Once-A-Month Cooking

Spinach stuffed flank steak

Ingredients
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen leaf spinach, thawed
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated asiago cheese
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 lb) flank steak
1 teaspoon olive oil
Directions
1Heat broiler with rack set 4" from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. Place spinach in a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
2In a medium bowl, combine spinach,parsley, cheese, capers, vinegar, garlic, and red-pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Cut and open steak by laying meatl on a cutting board, with the grain of the steak running horizontally. Using a long sharp knife, cut the meat almost in half horizontally, opening it llike a book but stopping before going all the way through.
3Cut several 12" pices of kitchen string twine; space evenly underneath steak. Spread spinach mixture down center of meat. Roll steak over mixture, pressing firmly to compact the filling as much as possible, tie twine to secure roll. Cut roll in half crosswise. Place halves, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet, rub with oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Flash freeze at this point.
To cook:
Thaw. Broil until browned, 8-10 minutes for medium-rare; let rest, loosely covered with foil, 10 minutes. Remove string, and slice steak into 1/2"rounds.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Baked Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Baked Monte Cristo Sandwich

8 slices of bread
8 slices of provolone cheese (any sliced cheese will do)
8 slices thin sliced ham
8 slices thin sliced smoked turkey
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon melted butter
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 tablespoons milk
Powdered sugar for dusting sandwich
Raspberry preserves, warmed, for dipping sandwich

Heat oven to 425°F.Line baking sheet with parchment paper or release foil.Top 4 slices of bread with 1 slice cheese, 1 slice ham, 1 slice turkey,and another slice of cheese. Top with last 4 slices of bread.Mix together, flour and milk till blended. Then add the eggs, meltedbutter, salt, pepper.Dip sandwiches till lightly soaked.Place sandwiches on parchment lined pan. Pour any leftover egg mixtureover the sandwiches.Bake 8 – 10 minutes until bottom is lightly browned on first side. Turn,and continue to brown till second side is golden brown.Cut sandwich with a serrated knife, dust with powdered sugar and servewith warmed raspberry jam for dipping.Serve with Fries and enjoy.Hint:I didn’t have any raspberry jam, so substituted strawberry preserves andit was great.

French Toast Casserole

1 loaf Italian bread
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 C sugar, divided
1/2 t vanilla (or almond) extract
1/2 C pecans, optiona
4 eggs
2 C milk
1 t cinnamon (or more!)
2 T melted butter

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes. Place half of the bread cubes in agreased 9 x 13 baking pan. Melt cream cheese (carefully!) in the microwave. Stir several times. This takes about 2 minutes. Stir half the sugar and all of the extract into the cream cheese. Pour the cream cheese mixture over thebread cubes. It will not completely cover them. Sprinkle nuts over the cream cheese layer. (I will be giving the nuts on the side for you to sprinkle on top). Top with remaining bread cubes. Beat together theremaining sugar, eggs, milk, cinnamon, and melted butter. Pour the egg and milkmixture over the bread cubes. Refrigerate overnight to bake the next morning OR slide the pan into a two-gallon freezer bag and freeze. Thaw completely to cook. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until browned. Let sit at room temp for 5 minutes before cutting. Top with syrup or fruit toppings.