EEEP I didn't mean to neglect you! Several recipes to follow...

Sorry guys, life caught up with me! I have many recipes to post, and some pictures to put up, but I'm on the work computer, so the pics will come later. Also, starting today I am going on a vegetarian fast! I got a vegetarian cookbook, so many of my recipes up will be veggie-friendly. Of course, my hubby will still be eating meat, so there may be some meaty recipes up too. I'll be on this fast until hubby hears if he was selected for an interview...so depending on how long that takes, we'll see how long vegetarianism lasts! Also, though I am fasting from sweets as well, there may be some sweets recipes up if we bring something to a potluck. Keep checking back!

So I'll start with the crockpot recipe from 2 Sundays ago...Bavarian Pot Roast. This came out pretty darn good! It was different for sure. I do have a pic I'll post later. For now:

Bavarian Pot Roast (the recipe says this makes enough for four, but we had enough for 2 + lunch-sized leftovers)

1lb bottom round oven roast, trimmed of fat (our roast was 1.87lbs, and I cut it in half and trimmed probably about 1/4lb of fat off the bottom of it! And this is a LEAN cut of meat! If you don't trim, you can just remove the fat after cooking)
1/4 onion, chopped
1/2 cup apple juice or cider
1/3 cup no salt added tomato sauce (I got a small 8oz can and froze what was left for later)
2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 carrots, peeled & sliced (or use baby carrots)
potatoes (I cut 3 or 4 petite red potatoes in quarters, no peeling!)
1Tbs + 1tsp cornstarch
2 Tbs + 2tsp water

1. You can skip this step, but I sauted the onions with a little olive oil cooking spray. Put in a large bowl.
2. Brown the roast on all sides in the same pan you sauted the onions in (don't COOK it, just brown it). Place in the crockpot.
3. Add apple juice, tomato sauce, vinegar, salt, cinnamon and ginger to the bowl with the onions. Mix well, pour over roast in the slow cooker.
4. Cook 7 hours. With about 2 hours left, add the carrots and the potatoes.
5. Remove roast from slow cooker to slice. Mix the water and cornstarch until cornstarch dissolves, add to the juices in the crock pot. Whisk until thick (with the crockpot still on).
6. Serve!



Coconut Tilapia

A staple in our house, because I don't like fish that much, but I love coconut!

1/2 lb tilapia filets (either two 1/4-lb ones, or cut a big one in half)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp flour
1/3-2/3 shredded coconut (to taste...I like a lot, hubby likes not so much, so I prob use more than this!)
1 Tbsp creole seasoning (we use Zatarans, it's like 1.50 for a big thing of it at the grocery store), or more if you like more spice
cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray.

1. Put the cornstarch and egg in separate bowls. In a 3rd bowl, mix together the flour, coconut, and creole seasoning.
2. Dip the fish fillets in the cornstarch; shake lightly to remove excess. Then dip in the egg; let excess drip off. Finally, coat in the coconut mix. Place on the baking sheet. (I sometimes take some in my hands and press it on the fish once it's on the baking sheet).
3. Spray the tops of the fish with cooking spray.
4. Bake for 12-16 minutes, depending on thickness of the fillets
(if you used frozen, if they were thawed completely. I get mine fresh and freeze them myself if I don't use them right away, and if they don't thaw completely before cooking I keep them in the 16 minutes. They are easier to handle if they are thawed all the way though!)


Apricot Chicken

The first time I made this was for a Valentines Day date (trying to use ingredients found in the biblical book Song of Songs), but hubby liked it so much we make it often! This makes enough for 2, but I kept the ingredients for the sauce at 4 because I like the sauce on my side dish (usually barley). If you don't like it saucy, cut the liquid ingredients in half.

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 in cubes
Salt/pepper
1/4 onion, chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp basalmic vinegar (we used a raspberry blush basalmic vinegar)
5-10 dried apricots (depending on size), with half of them cut in half (leave the rest whole)
1/2 cut apricot preserves (low-sugar ones work in this recipe)
1/2 c. chicken broth (we use low-sodium)
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (rosemary also does well)

1. Heat a skillet with some olive oil cooking spray (or just regular non-stick spray).
2. Season the chicken with the salt/pepper, and cook until brown on the outside but still pink inside, 3-5 mins.
3. Add the onion (if using) and cook about 2 mins more, until soft.
4. Add the basalmic vinegar, bring to a simmer for 2 minutes.
5. Add the apricots and the chicken stock, bring to a simmer.
6. As soon as it simmers, stir in apricot preserves and thyme. Cover and simmer 10-15 mins.
7. EAT!

For Valentines Day, we served this with Jasmine rice, but for everyday, we eat it with barley (the pearled stuff that takes 45 mins, not the quick-cooking), which is a whole grain and has high nutritional value with lower calories than rice (100 cals per 1/4 dry cup, which cooks up to a LOT). Jasmine rice is white rice and does not have much nutrient value to it. You could also use browrn rice. And of course, a nice green veggie!


Basic Shepherd's Pie, but a healthier version! This is enough for 2 + leftovers

So this is easy, and when I first made it, I told my hubby that I felt "ghetto" because well, it isn't complex, and we were super-newlyweds and I wanted to impress him with my cooking prowess. He told me it was fine (between mouthfuls!). I use ground turkey breast--did you knwo the plain ground turkey has as much fat and calories as ground beef?! I was SHOCKED! It's becasue the plain ground turkey uses who knows what parts--white meat, dark meat, etc., but the breast uses, obviously, the white-meat breast!

Potatoes (I use red potatoes, no peeling)--enough to make mashed potatoes with (varies depending on the potatoes you are using)
1/2 lb ground turkey breast
2 cups mixed frozen veggies, thawed (nuke 'em for 1 minute)
1/2-3/4 c. ketchup (could use tomato sauce too)
1/4 c. dijon mustard
1/8-1/4 tsp chilipowder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1. Boil the potatoes until tender; mash (add milk, butter, garlic, parmesan cheese if you choose). Set aside.
2. "Brown" the ground turkey breast (it actually turns white, not brown) in a medium skillet, drain off any liquid (shouldn't be much, unless it was frozen first, then there might be some from ice crystals).
3. Add the veggies to the skillet. Mix.
4. Mix the ketchup, mustard and chili powder together. Pour over the meat and veggies, mix well.
5. Dump the meat-veg mixture in a 8x8 glass baking dish. Spoon and spread the mashed potatoes on top.
6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until heated through. If desired, add a little shredded cheddar cheese on the top the last 2 minutes of bake time.
EAT!


Spicy Mango/Sweet Potato Chicken

Do yourself a favor--GET FROZEN MANGOS. Lesson learned--fresh ones are a pain. They are a pain to peel, don't yield much, and are hard to tell when they are good and ripe. We like this over whole wheat pasta or rice. You can also adjust the seasonings to make it spicier!

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large mango, peeled and cut into cubes (or use the frozen equivalent, just thaw it first!)
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 Tbsp teryaki sauce OR tamari soy sauce for a different taste (get it at an Asian market--I just use the teryaki and it's fine)
1/4 c.. water
1 Tbsp + 1/2tsp honey
hot sauce, to taste (I just use a dash or two of Tabasco)
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes--I use just a dash of the ground, because it gets HOT)
1/2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 3/4 tsp water
Whole wheat pasta or rice, cooked

1. Boil the sweet potatoes JUST until fork-tender, drain and set aside.
2. In a medium skillet (I actually used a wok) sprayed with non-stick spray on medium-high heat, cook the chicken cubes until no longer pink in the center (about 5mins). Remove from skillet, set aside.
3. Spray with a little more cooking spray. Add garlic, saute about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the teryaki/soy sauce, water, honey, and hot sauce, bring to a simmer.
5. Whisk in the dissolved cornstarch until thickened.
6. Add the chicken, sweet potato, mango, and red pepper flakes. Stir gently; cook and stir until hot.
7. Serve over whole wheat pasta or rice, with a green veggie!


OKAY! I think I'm all caught up now. Enjoy!

Later today/tomorrow I'll post the pics, plus a Mossoman Curry recipe we are having tonight (Thursday). On friday we are having a vegetarian white bean cassoluet, so I'll let you know how that goes too!