Category Archives: Recipes

Salsa Meatloaf

I think I will make this again sometime soon! We used to really like it (but then we left it in the fridge too long and have been scared since lol).

11/2 c oatmeal
4 lbs hamburger
2 eggs
3/4 c celery
3/4 c onion
2 t salt
1 t pepper
1/2 t thyme
1 t oregano
2 t basil
2 c salsa

Mix well all ingredients except the hamburger. Then add the mixture to the hamburger (I wear gloves and mix it into the meat w my hands :-/). Put into 2 bread loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.

Homemade Salsa

Homemade Salsa

I don’t measure exactly, but basically I chop up the following and blend them all up! I really like the fresh flavor of adding the cucumber but I feel like it could be improved still. What’s your favorite salsa recipe?

1 cucumber
1-3 tomatoes
1/2 sweet onion
lime juice (1 T?)
2 cloves garlic/garlic powder
1/2 t pepper
1 t salt
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/4 c cilantro (I always skip this? does it make a difference?)

Shrimp: Grandmom’s Spicy Garlic Shrimp & Red Thai Shrimp Stirfry

Two simple shrimp recipes that we like:

Grandmom’s Spicy Garlic Shrimp

Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic (minced, or I use garlic powder)
3 T white cooking wine
2 T chicken broth
4 t olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 red pepper flakes
1 lbs shrimp (frozen peeled & deveined shrimp, thawed)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 t cornstarch
angel hair spaghetti pasta

Directions:
In a bowl combine garlic, wine, broth, oil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Add the shrimp and marinate for 5 minutes.

Coat a large skillet with nonstick spray, and warm bell pepper over medium-high heat for 1 minutes to soften slightly. Add the shrimp and marinade (except 1 Tablesppon). Cook for 1-2 minutes (or until shrimp turn pink on the bottom), and then flip shrimp and cook 2 more minutes (or until shrimp are opaque).

In a cup dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1 T marinade. Push the shrimp to the side of the pan, and stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce in the middle of the pan. Stir and cook for 1 minute or until sauce thickens slightly. Serve on cooked pasta.

Thai Shrimp Stir-fry:

This is from the back of the Thai paste jar so super easy but good!

Ingredients:
2 T Red Curry Paste (I buy “Asian creations-Thai Kitchen” brand which is easily found at Giant, Whole Foods, etc)
1 can Coconut Milk
1 T brown sugar
1-2 T fish sauce (I substitute soy sauce)
1/4 cup fresh Thai Basil (I substitute fresh basil (and sometimes mint) or just dried basil flakes)
1 lb. shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1-2 bags of frozen vegetables (I use 2 bags of the bags w broccoli, carrots, sweet peas, and water chestnuts)
Rice (I often combine white rice w quinoa)

Directions:
Bring Coconut Milk to a simmer in a large skillet on medium heat. Stir in Red Curry Paste and brown sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and vegetables (I microwave my frozen veggies first). Cook 3-5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and veggies are tender-crisp. Stir in basil and Soy/Fish Sauce. Serve over rice.

Spicy Shredded Beef

Crock pot recipes are great cause they don’t take too much time! Here is a recipe my sister, Chelsey, found that we have enjoyed. It is Spicy Shredded Beef and is great for soft tacos or taco salad:

Instructions:
1)Mix together all spices ina small bowl. Rub the spices all over the meat — be generous! Place steak in the bottom of the crock pot.
2)Cover the meat with your choopped onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno. Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours.
3)After 8 hours, remove meat from crock pot and shred with a fork. (It should be increadibly easy to shred.) You can stick it back in the pot for another hour or serve as is.
4)If using tortillas, heat them in a skillet on the stove. Spoon meat in them and add toppings.

Ingredients:
2 lbs chuck roast
2 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 jalepeno, seeded & chopped
For spice rub:
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
For serving (not all are required ;):
corn tortillas or tortilla chips
avacado slices or guacamole
diced tomato
salsa
beans (a can of black beans is easy to heat)
shredded cheese
lettuce
cilantro
limes

Mom’s Lasagna

Here is probably a pretty basic recipe but I like it cause it is pretty easy and Ben likes to eat it :). Thanks for passing it along mom!

T= Tablespoon; t= teaspoon; c=cup

9 lasagna noodles
sauce mix:
1 lbs cooked hamburger
1 onion – chopped
1 clove garlic (or substitute powdered garlic)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 T parsley
1/2-1 t basil
1/2 t salt
3/4 c water
Cheesy mix:
16 ounces cottage cheese
1/4 Parmesan cheese
1 T parsley
1.5 t oregano
2 cups mozzarella cheese
topping:
1/4 Parmesan cheese

This recipe is pretty flexible so don’t stress is you are low on something – I don’t usually have parmesan cheese and just skip it. Mix together the sauce ingredients and heat in a large pot & mix cheesy mix together in a bowl. Get a 9×13 casserole pan and start the layers: Start with sauce then: noodles (yes still uncooked), cheesy mix, sauce, repeat a couple times. End with noodles, sauce, & sprinkle Parmesan cheese (or just plain mozzarella) on top.

Cover with tin foil and cook for 375 for 1 hour.

PS Double the recipe and freeze one casserole for an easy meal in the future! (Unthaw and then cook like normal.)

 

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Here is a recipe Ben & I love. Our friend Barbara Lougee made it for us a while back. The recipe is from a Thai, Indian, & Vietnamese Slow Cooker cookbook. I made it last week for my AZ family and they said they liked it too. (It is fairly mild – you could add more curry, green Chile peppers, or jalapenos for some extra spice.)

1TB         Oil
3 TB        Thai green curry paste
2              Long green Chile peppers, finely chopped (can substitute long red cayenne  chile peppers or 1 small can green Chile peppers)
6              Wild lime leaves (Kaffir lime leaves – leaves of small Asian lime – fresh or frozen. Or substitute 1 TB finely grated lime zest (basically grate the peeling of one lime)
1 TB        Soft palm sugar (aka jiggery, or substitute with raw cane sugar such as Mexican piloncillo or dark brown sugar)
8 oz         Pea (Thai baby) eggplant, cut into bite-sized cubes (I replace with more green beans or squash because Ben is allergic to eggplant)
1 c          Chicken broth
1.5 lbs    Skinless boneless chicken thighs – cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Can     Coconut milk
2 TB        Fish sauce, such as nam pla (Chelsey says soy sauce can substitute for fish sauce)
1 c           Sliced green beans (can be frozen)
1/2 c         Canned bamboo shoots
Large handful of Thai sweet basil leaves (or handful normal basil leaves and a handful mint leaves)
Large handful of cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 lime (use the same one you grated for lime zest)

*Serve with Jasimine rice —or cook white rice and quinoa together (quinoa is really healthy and is the grain with the most protein) (i.e. ½ cup quinoa, ½ cup white rice, 2 cups water…boil, turn down heat and let simmer)

1)      In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add curry paste and Chile peppers and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add lime leaves/lime zest, sugar and eggplant (I omit eggplant) and stir-fry for 1 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan.

2)      Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Stir in chicken, coconut milk, fish sauce, green beans, and bamboo shoots. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or on High for 2 1/2 hours. Stir in basil, mint, cilantro and lime juice and serve immediately.

*If you don’t like well-cooked green beans, use sliced frozen (unthawed) beans and add towards the end. Add the chicken to the pan in Step 1 and stir fry for 2 minutes before adding the broth, to ensure that it cooks properly within the time frame since the beans will cool the mixture.

Jamaican Pork Stir-Fry

So I’d rather eat food I make than going out so much, I’m even getting tired or my work favorite, Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil Flatbread, and Chipotle :(. I just need more ideas (and time…). If you try any new recipes or have any old favorites I’d love it if you would email it to me & I will try it out and post it to share. Here’s one I made this week (…okay so maybe the only one I made 😉 . I really like the flavor (it is not spicy if you are wondering):

Jamaican Pork Stir-Fry from Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook

1 16-ounce package frozen stir-fry vegetables (carrots, broccoli, snap peas, water chestnuts, etc)
2 tablespoons oil
12 ounces pork stir-fry strips
2 – 3 teaspoons Jamaican jerk seasoning
3/4 cut bottled plus sauce
2 cups hot cooked rice or pasta (I use 1/2 white rice and 1/2 quinoa)
Chopped peanuts (I skip this)

1) In a wok or large skillet cook and stir vegetables in hot oil over medium -high heat for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from pan.

2) Toss pork strips with Jamaican jerk seasoning until coated; add pork to the pan. Add more oil if necessary, and cook and stir for 2 to 5 minutes or until no pink remains.

3) Add plum sauce to pan. Return veggies to pan and stir (or gently toss) all ingredients to coat. Heat thrugh and serve over rice. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Per 1.25 cups stir-fry + 0.5 cups rice: 445 calories, 14 grams fat, 54 g carbs, 24 g protein.