Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin {Slow Cooker}

INGREDIENTS:
Pork:
2 pound boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of large fat pockets
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, finely minced or crushed
1/2 cup water

Glaze:
1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub the spices all over the roast. Place the pork roast in the slow cooker and pour in the 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Near the end of the cooking time for the roast, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.
Remove the pork from the slow cooker, shred and place on a platter or plate. Drizzle the glaze over the pork and serve.

Freezer Instructions: I have never tried cooking the roast frozen but I'm sure if you had a lot of time that would work.  Otherwise, thaw the roast and put it in your crock pot with 1/2 cup water for 6-8 hrs. Thaw the glaze and reheat.  When the pork is done, shred and drizzle the glaze over it.

Grilled Sesame Pork Chops

6 pork shops or pork steaks
Marinade:
1/2 c. Olive Oil
1 c. white grape juice
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 T. dry mustard
1 tsp. black pepper
4 crushed garlic cloves
1/4 c. Sesame seed
1/2 c. green onions, chopped

Combine all marinade ingredients.  Place pork in large freezer bag.  Pour marinade over meat.  Seal & freeze.
To cook: Thaw in fridge
Grill meat on barbecue grill until cooked thoroughly.  Serve with Baked potatoes or white rice. 

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Serve over your favorite pasta

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips or chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup lowfat milk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound fettuccine

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a shallow pie plate or similar dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.
In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through (they’ll finish up in the oven). Don’t scoot the chicken around once you lay it in the hot oil! Let the oil work it’s magic to sear the crust on the chicken. If you get all antsy and try flipping too early and/or moving the chicken around the pan, the breading is lightly to fall off. Gently remove the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and tent with foil until ready to use.
While the chicken is cooking, heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until al dente. Also, wipe out the skillet with a couple paper towels and return it to medium heat, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and bell pepper, sauteing for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in one tablespoon flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring the mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small liquid measure, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Add the spinach, milk and cream mixture to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta. Serve immediately.


Freezer Instructions: Thaw chicken. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. or until cooked through.  Thaw sauce and reheat in microwave or on stove.  Do not boil.

Italian Chicken & Veggie Kabobs

Freezer Meal Instructions: Unthaw Kabobs, place on oiled grill (spray some Pam on it) to prevent sticking. Rotate to prevent burning. Cook until chicken is cooked throughout.

Instructions:
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast- cubed in large chunks

Dice into large chunks:
Red, green, yellow, orange peppers
Yellow squash
Zuchinni
Red onion
Sweet onion
*Other veggies that taste great are mushrooms and tomatoes. Pineapple also grills well.

Marinade chicken & veggies in:
Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
*Soak chicken in marinade overnight, only soak veggies for a few hrs. prior to placing them on skewer to prevent sogginess.

Supplies: Bamboo skewer sticks (soak in water for 20 minutes to prevent burning and slivers)

(Yield: 3 lbs. of chicken= 9 Kabobs with approx. 5 chunks of chicken per skewer)

Serve with: Fresh fruit, over a bed of salad, side of rice.

Spicy Southwest Chicken

INGREDIENTS
1 tomato, quartered
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1/4 jalepeno
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 TBS lime juice
1/4 C. cilantro

2 1/2 lbs. chicken  (I like to cut my chicken breasts horizontally into cutlets.)

DIRECTIONS
Put ingredients in blender until smooth.  Add  marinade to a bag.  Add chicken.  Let marinade for desired time. (at least 30 min.)  Then cook on a grill, or you can bake them at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. (much better grilled!)

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:  Thaw, marinade, and then grill.

Serving Suggestions:
-corn on the cob or a fresh garden salad
-Spanish Rice  (see recipe below.)
-fresh fruit
or
- serve chicken grilled and sliced on top of a Southwest Salad with greens, corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocados, and ranch dressing.

SPANISH RICE

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Saute rice, onion, and bell pepper until rice is browned and onions are tender.
2. Stir in water and tomatoes. Season with chili powder and salt. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

Roast Beef Sandwiches

Roast Beef Sandwiches - July

roast beef deli meat
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
shredded Pepper Jack cheese
hoagie buns

Saute onions and green pepper in 1 Tbsp. olive oil.  Slice beef in strips and add to vegetables when vegetables are almost crisp-tender.  Slice hoagie buns and arrange meat/vegetables on buns.  Add cheese.  Broil until cheese is melted. 

Side Ideas: salad (green, potato, fresh fruit, etc.), corn, green beans

SHREDDED SWEET PORK FOR CAFÉ RIO SALADS
1 3-4 lb pork roast       
1 can coke
3 cups salsa (I like La Victoria)
1 cup brown sugar

Place roast in a crock pot with the coke and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours. Drain off coke and shred meat. Combine salsa and brown sugar and toss with pork. Let simmer in crock pot for another hour on low.

CAFÉ RIO RANCH

1 1/3 cup sour cream            4 Tbl salsa verde
3/4 cup mayonnaise              2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 bunch cilantro                 1/8 tsp Tabasco
1 pkg Ranch dressing            juice of one lime

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Store in fridge. It taste better if you make it the day before and let the flavors blend.

SALSA

4 Roma tomatoes Chopped into small pieces
½ of a White Onion Chopped fine
1/3 bunch Cilantro leaves, chopped
½ of a lime squeezed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Seasoned Pepper Blend

Mix all ingredients together and let set a little while before you eat


CAFÉ RIO RICE

3 cups water                             1 can green chilies
4 tsp chicken bouillon              3/4 tsp salt
4 tsp garlic minced                   1 Tbl butter
1/3 bunch cilantro                    ½ onion, diced
1 1/2 cup rice

Blend cilantro, green chilies, and onion in blender. Bring water to boil. Add all ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes. (I just put everything in my rice cooker, I do not blend the cilantro, green chillies, and onions).       

To make your Cafe Rio Salad, fry the tortilla until lightly golden brown. Thaw and reheat the shredded Pork (you can do this in a crock pot, or on your stove top), place warmed pork on top of tortilla, then add black beans (I do one can of black beans and one can of water and heat on stove top use a slotted spoon to dish out beans), rice, cut up romaine lettuce, and top with dressing. (I usually buy one head of cilantro and divide into three parts, using some for salsa, some for the rice and the rest for the dressing).

Pork Egg Rolls & Pineapple Won Tons

Egg Rolls:

1 lb sausage
1/2 head of cabbage
1-2 TBL of freshly grated ginger
1 to 2 cloves of fresh garlic (grated or diced very thin)
4 green onions (diced)
Zuchini
Squash
Carrots
Celery
and ANY other veges you have available
Salt
Pepper
1 TBL of Sesame Oil
1 TBL of Soy Sauce

Brown Sausage with garlic and ginger in a LARGE skillet. Once brown, drain fat. Cut Cabbage in thin bite-size pieces. Grate all the other veges.  Put in cabbage and veges. Your pan will be overflowing with veges, but they will cook down quickly. Add Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce and Salt and Pepper to taste.  Place filling in wraps and deep fry until golden brown.

I know these are not great directions, but I learned to make these egg rolls from an sweet older Asian lady nearly 12 years ago.  She had no recipe, and I have modified her instructions over the past 12 years to suit our family taste.

Pineapple Won Tons

1 pkg of Cream Cheese
1/2 can crushed pineapple
3-4 green onions diced


Add the above ingredients together.  Make sure you squeeze out ALL of the pineapple juice before adding it to the cream cheese mixture.  Put in won ton wraps and deep fry until golden brown.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: 

You will need egg roll wraps & won ton wraps.  Defrost the filling for the egg rolls and the won tons. Because cabbage has a lot of water, you will have excess water in your bag. Cut the corner tip of the bag and squeeze out the excess water. Use a spoon to fill the middle of the egg roll/won ton (It doesn't take much filling).  Fold the egg roll/won ton using the instructions on the package.  You will need to use a cup of water to create a seal on the egg roll/won ton.


SIDE DISHES:

We always serve the above with soy sauce for dipping and rice.  We also have the following salad with the other half of the head of cabbage and left over pineapple:

Chinese Cabbage Salad:  (Adapted to use the extra's from making the egg rolls/wontons)

1/2 head of cabbage
1 can of mandarin oranges (drained)
1/2 can of pineapple  (drained)
1 pkg of Ramen noodles broken up
1/2 cup of oil
1 T soy sauce
1/4 c vinegar
3 T sugar
1 pkg of flavor mix from Ramen noodles
(If I have any, I put some almonds or sunflower seeds in as well)

Place cabbage, oranges, pineapple, and noodles in bowl. In separate bowl, mix oil, soy, vinegar, sugar, and pkg of Ramen flavor mix together. Pour over cabbage and serve.