Menu Monday Recipe Recap

This week was a success.  I actually made every recipe I set out to make.  It was fun because I got to try new recipes and use my family as Guinea pigs.  They loved it. All the recipes were very easy to make as well.  I did forget to take a picture of the crockpot White Bean Chicken Chili. That was a crazy day.  I wouldn't make it again anyway because I have had better White chili and the recipe did not make that much. I should say that all recipes posted here are from my cookbook Slow Cooker Casseroles and More by Publications International, LTD.

Recap:

This is not a new recipe and I do not follow a recipe for this.  I buy potstickers and Sweet Chili Sauce from Trader Joe's .  The sweet chili sauce is a MUST.  It is so good to dip the potstickers in. I cook the potstickers according to their package.  Then I just put my own mix of fresh veggies in a saute pan and add whatever sauce I like.  This particular night it was coconut oil with some Hoisin sauce.  *Be careful with Hoisin sauce though because it is extremely high in sodium.  My family really enjoyed this dish Steve even got seconds on veggies.

Chicken and Biscuits
¼ cup butter
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into half inch pieces
½ cup chopped onion
½ tsp. dried thyme leaves
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 14 oz can chicken broth, divided
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 pkg. frozen peas and carrots (I did not use frozen because I don't like frozen carrots)
1 (12 oz.) can refrigerated biscuits

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, thyme, paprika and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until chicken is browned. Combine ¼ cup chicken broth with flour. Stir until smooth. Set aside. Add remaining chicken broth to skillet; bring to a boil.  Gradually add flour mixture; stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Simmer 5 minutes. Add peas and carrots; continue cooking 2 minutes (I cooked this longer since I used fresh carrots.) Transfer to 1.5 quart baking dish. Top with biscuits. Bake 25 – 30 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Makes 4-6 servings (If I make this again I would add some heavy cream to the filling.)

Lentil Stew over couscous

1 Cup dried lentils

2 Tlbs. butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium ribs celery, sliced

1 small green bell pepper, sliced (I used a yellow, I am not to fond of green ones.)

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup canned tomato puree (I used canned tomato sauce)

1/2 cup water (ended up adding more towards the end)

1/2 tsp. dried marjoram leaves

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 1/2 cups - 2 cups hot cooked couscous

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (didn't use this)

Rinse lentils thoroughly in colander under cold water, picking out any debris or blemished lentils; set aside.

Heat butter in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion; cook until tender. Add celery, bell pepper, lentils, chicken broth, tomato puree, water, marjoram, salt and pepper to onion.  Bring to boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, about 45 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally,  Add addt'l water if lentils are not tender and mixture becomes dry.

Serve over couscous and top with cheese if desired.

(I had to double this recipe for our family)

Fiesta Beef Enchiladas

8 oz. ground beef (I used grass fed, organic)

1/2 cup sliced green onions (left these out, my Dad doesn't like them)

2 tsp. fresh minced garlic

1 cup cold cooked white rice (I made Spanish rice instead and used this)

1 1/2 cups chopped tomato, divided

3/4 cup frozen corn (I used a leftover ear of corn and cut the kernels off)

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (I used more)

1/2 cup salsa or picante sauce

12 corn tortillas

1 10oz. can enchilada sauce (I used almost the a whole big can of this)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook ground beef in medium skillet over medium heat.  Cook until no longer pink.  Add green onions and garlic.(Instead of this I added yellow onions to my Spanish rice recipe and cooked them with the rice.)  Combine meat mixture, rice, 1 cups tomato, corn, 1/2 cup cheese (I used more,) and salsa; mix well.  Spoon mixture down the center of tortillas.  Roll up; place seam side down in 13x9 inch pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Spoon enchilada sauce over enchiladas.  Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes until hot.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Take out of oven and top with last 1/2 cup of tomato.

(I am not sure if I just used more of each ingredient or what but this recipe made more than a 9x13 pan for me.  I also made a 8x8 dish filled with them too.  It was good to have more because my family polished off the 9x13 and then started in on the 8x8.  They loved these enchiladas.)

Spanish Rice recipe from my friend Reina

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 cups chicken broth

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

For future Menu Monday posts I will not be posting the full recipe of everything I cook.  I will choose my favorites of the week.  If you have any recipe in particular that you want to hear about and see, let me know and I will do my best to post a picture and recipe of your request. This is a lot of fun and as I said before it helps me to stick with my plan of having a Menu for the week and sticking to it.  Have a great week!  See you tomorrow for the Menu plan for the week of the 23rd.  Oh, let me know if you try any of these and what you think of them.