Back In No Time

We are moving and with that comes packing and no time to cook. We will be eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pizza in the coming week. So in about a week or so we should be back up and running.

Utah here we come.

Chicken, Rice and Black Bean Salad

For the salad:
1 cup brown or white rice
1 cooked chicken (I use the Costco rotisserie), shredded
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
6 plum tomatoes, seeded, and sliced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

For the dressing:
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

For the salad:
Cook rice according to package directions. Mix together all salad ingredients including cooked rice.

For the dressing:
Mix together all ingredients and toss with salad.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 40 min.

Verdict:
We eat this a lot at our house. It is easy and fresh. We like it by itself or wrapped in a tortilla with some sour cream. You will like this too. I promise.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

For the corned beef:
1 package of corned beef from Costco
1 cabbage, cut into 8 pieces

I made a Reuben for me if you want that you will also need:
rye bread (I like Jewish rye)
Swiss cheese
sauerkraut
Dijon or thousand island

For corned beef:
Place corned beef in crock pot fill with water so that it is not quite covered. If the corned beef has a seasoning packet don't forget to add that. Cook on high for 8 hours or more. The longer the better. Right before you are ready to serve the corned beef steam cabbage for 10-15 minutes.
Remove corned beef from crock pot and trim off fat.
Slice thinly and serve.

Verdict:
Mmmm. Salty goodness.

Fish Tacos

For the fish:

1 lb. tilapia fillets (or other firm white fish)

blackened seasoning (I like Zatarain's- you can find it at Walmart)

For the filling and sauce:

1/4 c. sour cream

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/4 red cabbage, thinly shredded (about 2 1/2 c.)

4 green onions

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

8 flour tortillas

For the fish:

Coat fish in blackened seasoning. In a large skillet heat vegetable oil (about a half inch deep) and cook fish in oil until cooked through and slightly brown.

For the filling and sauce:

Combine in a small bowl sour cream and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Combine in a large bowl cabbage, green onions and jalapeno.

Add half of the sauce to cabbage mixture.

Warm tortillas over gas burner until blistered in spots.

Serve in tortillas with fish, cabbage and extra sauce if desired.

Serves 4. Total time 45 minutes.

Verdict:

I love fish tacos. Love them. They are tasty. Yum.

Menu

Mon: Fish Tacos

Tue: Corned Beef and Cabbage

Wed: Black Beans, Chicken, Rice and Tomato Burritos

Thur: Beef Stroganoff

Fri: Blackened Shrimp and Hearts of Palm Salad

Huli Huli Pork with Pineapple and Peppers

For the sauce:
1/4 c. ketchup
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

For the pork:
4 boneless pork chops
2 red bell peppers, stemmed and seeded
8 pineapple slices
8 green onions

For sauce:
Combine all ingredients in small saucepan and simmer until sugar dissolves. Use some while cooking the pork and reserve some for serving.

For the pork:
Preheat grill.
Season pork with salt and pepper. Grill pork, basting meat with sauce while cooking. Cook until done. Grill peppers and pineapple until lightly charred, 2-3 minutes per side. Slice peppers when cool enough to handle.
Serve pork with peppers, pineapple, green onions and reserved sauce.

Makes 4. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
We served this with rice. It was yummy. I liked the roasted peppers and pineapple. We used pineapple from a can and think that it worked out just fine. However, I am sure it would taste better with fresh pineapple. The sauce was good and had a slightly spicy flavor. Blake liked it and the kids didn't seem to mind.

Picture and recipe from Cuisine at Home grilling

Meat Lovers Pizza Burger with Provolone

For the burger:
12 oz. ground Italian sausage
6 oz. hamburger
6 oz. sliced pepperoni, chopped
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
4 slices provolone cheese
4 hamburger buns
3/4 c. jarred marinara sauce

For the burger:
Preheat grill.
Combine sausage, hamburger, pepperoni and Parmesan. Shape into four patties and coat both sides with nonstick spray.
Grill burgers, watching to make sure that no flare-ups occur. Cook until done.
Top each burger with provolone.
Toast buns.
Heat marinara sauce in small pan or microwave until hot. Place burgers on buns and top with 3 Tbsp. marinara sauce.

Makes 4 burgers. Total time 40 min.

Verdict:
Watch those burgers because they really do flare-up. Mine burnt a little around the edges. All in all I would say they were tolerable. I most likely wouldn't make them again. They were not bad just not good enough to go to all the trouble.