Brown Bag Burritos

9/27/11-leave out more chili powder.  Maybe try 1 tsp?  Easy to grab and have snack/meal from freezer.  4.

Brown Bag Burritos

• 2 lb. ground beef
• 2 cans refried beans
• 1 1/3 c. enchilada sauce
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/3 c. minced onion
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 3 c. shredded cheese
• 20 flour tortillas (burrito-size)

Brown ground beef; drain.  Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas).  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Heat 3-4 tortillas at a time.  Spoon 1/4 c. beef mixture down the side of each tortilla. 

Roll up.  Wrap each burrito in a paper towel, then wrap in foil, and pack in a ziplock bag or the tortilla ziplock bag.

Refrigerate or freeze.  

When ready to eat, remove foil and microwave for about a minute.  The paper towel keeps the burritos moist.  If you don’t use a microwave, skip the paper towel and just wrap in foil.  Then heat burritos in the oven with foil.  For a sit down meal they are nice topped with lettuce, cheese, salsa, and sour cream.  If you’re eating on the run, though, just grab and go!

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Baked Ziti

10/12/11-Yum and fairly easy. I doubled it and froze one in a ziplock bag unbaked.

Baked Ziti

Serves 6

• 1 pound lean ground beef (ground chuck or ground round)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped, about 1/2 cup
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or small clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces ziti or elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Sauté ground beef, onion, and green bell pepper in a large skillet until onion is tender and beef is lightly browned. Drain off excess fat; add tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir well; stir in ziti or elbow macaroni and 1 cup of the cheese; transfer to a 2 1/2-quart casserole. Top with the remaining cup of cheese. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

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Asian BBQ Chicken

9/29/11-easy and pretty good.  We ate 2 chicken breasts, and froze the rest uncooked. 4.

Asian BBQ Chicken 
Adapted from Cooking Light 

• 1/4 C packed brown sugar
• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 2 T lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 t curry powder
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 t grated fresh ginger 
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

 
Combine everything but the chicken in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve brown sugar. Place marinade and chicken in a zip-lock bag. Pop that bag in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, or longer if you have it (even overnight).

Preheat a grill (or an indoor grill pan or broiler). Spray cooking surface with cooking spray and place chicken on it to cook. Cook for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on the thickness.  Optional:  garnish with sliced green onions

*Tip:  When I make this I usually make 1 1/2 times the marinade.  I reserve some of the marinade before adding the chicken and then use it in the last few minutes of grilling, or just brush it on after for extra flavor.

Serve with Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple or Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice.

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Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice

4/17/2012-easy, I just threw all the ingredients into the rice cooker and pressed “brown rice” button. Not too great, Dustin prefers it over the previous rice recipe. 3.

Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice

• 2 c. white or Jasmine rice (I just used our regular brown rice) 
• 1 can coconut milk 
• 2 c. water 
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt (I just used our regular salt) 
• Splash of white vinegar (optional, but it helps with the texture) 
• 2-3 tsp. white sugar 
• Handful of chopped green onions, plus chopped green onion tops for garnish 
• Black pepper to taste

Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil  Turn heat to low and cover for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Allow to stand 5 minutes.  Add green onions, black pepper (if desired), and additional salt if necessary.  Serve with any Asian or tropical-inspired food.
 
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Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple

9/29/11-Dustin didn’t love with cilantro, but it was fun to have something different. 3. 

Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple 

• 1 cup dry white rice, cooked in 2 C water. (I used brown rice)
•  2 T real butter 
• Juice from 1 large lime, or two smaller ones (taste as you go, I add a lot!) 
• 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained. (You may want 2 small cans) 
• ½ – ¾ C chopped fresh cilantro 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice. As soon as it’s done, toss in the butter and stir to melt. Add lime juice, pineapple, and cilantro. Stir to combine, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

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Beat This: Lasagna

6/3/12-YUMMY!  Dustin said it’s the best lasagna he’s ever had! And it wasn’t too overly intensive. We served this with some freezer section Sister Shubert Baguettes, green salad, and cantaloupe.  As leftovers it was still good, but not nearly as wonderful as it was the first time.  I baked it for 40 minutes and it looked almost as if it was burnt , but it was perfect!  I doubled this recipe and froze ½ of it in two separate bags-already baked.  5.

Beat This: Lasagna

Written By Ann Hodgman

Serves 6 to 8

• 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey (or  chicken, Italian sausage, etc.) (I used ground beef) 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 26 to 28 ounces (about 3 cups) pasta sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine (optional) (I omitted this) 
• 1 cup chicken stock 
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 
• 2 tablespoons white wine (optional) (I omitted this) 
• 12 ounces (3 cups) freshly grated mozzarella 
• 6 to 8 no-boil lasagna noodles (I just boiled some lasagna noodles we already had) 
• 2 cups cooked/drained broccoli, spinach, peas, etc (optional) (I used a head of broccoli) 
• 1 cup (about 4 ounces) freshly grated parmesan 

Heat oven to 400. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. 

Thoroughly cook the ground beef, garlic, and herbs in a large skillet, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat. Stir in pasta sauce and bring to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Season to taste and add the red wine, if using. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add cream cheese, turn heat to low, and whisk until smooth, about 6 minutes. Season to taste and add the white wine, if using.

Spoon half the meat sauce into the pan as evenly as possible. Sprinkle 1 cup grated mozzarella over the meat mixture. Top with 3 or 4 lasagna noodles. If using vegetables, toss them evenly over the noodles.Pour the cream-cheese sauce over the noodles and cover with another cup of grated mozzarella. Arrange 3 or 4 lasagna noodles over the cheese, then spoon remaining meat mixture over noodles as evenly as possible. Top with the rest of the mozzarella and the grated parmesan.

Bake until brown and bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes. (You'll need the longer cooking time if you have made and chilled the lasagna in advance.) Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes or it will be too gloppy to cut well. (We barely waited 2 minutes to serve it, and it was just fine).  

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