Here is my first food vlog! You can make real food fast!
Tag Archives: main dish
Bulgar Lunch
So I don’t know if I should call this a salad, pilaf, mixed bowl, or what. But this was my first official flour free and sugar free lunch! It was super easy and tasted pretty good. It was very filling and I only ate 1/2 of it at once.
Bulgur Lunch
Ingredients:
1/2 cup bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1 chicken thigh shredded
2 tablespoons shredded zucchini
1 tablespoon soy nuts
2 tablespoon feta
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon Champagne Vinegar
1 tablespoon (scant) extra virgin olive oil
Process:
Put 1 cup of boiling water, 1/4 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder and 1/2 cup bulgur in a bowl and cover it. Let it sit a half hour to an hour and drain off the excess water. Then mix every thing else together! I ate it immediately but i think it would have been good if it sat too!
How I Made 5 Trays of Enchiladas in 2 Hours
I do bulk cooking but not in the once of month method. I don’t make 30 days worth of food in 2 days. Instead I take an ingredient and then make a lot with it. This time it was chicken breasts. I assembled 5 trays in less than 2 hours.
Now to be honest I didn’t cook the meat in that time. I had dump a bunch of boneless skinless chicken breasts into the crockpot and turned it on low to cook over night. Then (while I was at a baby shower) my husband gave my 6 year old a big bowl, the meat and 2 forks. She went to town and shredded it all. Then he put it into gallon bags for me.
So today I assembled all my ingredients. Enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, corn, spinach, shredded cheese, and tortillas. I thawed the spinach under hot water and squeezed all the water out. In the big metal bowl I mixed up the spinach, corn, meat, cheese, some tomato sauce and enchilada sauce. The tomato sauce keeps it from being to spicy for the kids. Then I rolled! You know the process… put sauce in the bottom of your baking pan, then dip the tortillas in sauce, then put some filling in and roll! The key is to have everything lined up and ready to go. I use up the enchilada sauce then I just grab the next can sitting on the counter.
So for those of you who think they don’t have time for bulk cooking just remember that in about 2 hours I fully assembled these, made my kids pb & j sandwiches, tended to them during lunch, washed up and changed the baby, and did all my clean up! If I can do it so can you!
(I included this post in Cooking for a Crowd at Raising Olives)
Crispy Chicken Thighs
I love this super easy crispy chicken thighs! Dark meat is so meat and chicken thighs can go on sale super cheap (sometimes as low as 70 cents a pound) during BBQ season. You can make these with either bone in or boneless, the cooking times will just change. Either way you peel the skin off before breading! My recipe is based off the family pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs from Vons. So while it only says I think is somewhere in the 3-4lb arena. That makes us dinner and 2 generous lunches for NerdDad.
Ingredients:
6 skinless chicken thighs
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Oil Spray (such as Pam)
Process:
Put your panko crumbs, paprika, salt and pepper into a plastic bag (zip close or twist tie, your choice). Now I usually do this in 2 batches. Then I put in 1 chicken thigh (I really do this one at a time), close the bag and shake. Make sure the thigh is covered in crumbs and place it onto a lined sheet tray ugly side up. Continue this process until all your thighs are breaded and placed on the tray. Then lightly spray the thighs with oil spray. Then put your thighs into a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes (20 minutes if they have bones). Then flip the thighs and put them back in for another 10 minutes (or 15-20 minutes if you have bones). If you aren’t sure if they are done, the thermometer should read 180 degrees.
That is it! I often serve just over rice with a side of broccoli. It is a huge hit with the whole family.
Bacon Wrapped Tri Tip
Ok so the wrapping wasn’t perfect but it tasted great!!! And it was so easy to do!
I just got an unseasoned trip-tip. I rubbed it with Pappy’s seasoning. Then I wrapped it in thick cut bacon. I placed it on a cooking sheet (with a silicon liner). I then inserted a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat (it is on an alarm) and set it to Medium Rare. Then I roasted it in a 375 degree oven. Take it out and then let it rest 15 minutes. Then slice it up!
Everything is better with bacon!
Super Easy Pasta Bake
This is one of my big make ahead dishes. I always make it when I need to feed a crowd easy and for cheap! I buy the chicken breasts in bulk and cook them all up one day. Then I buy pasta in bulk and frozen spinach at Winco and the big bag of shredded mozzerella cheese from Costco. I stash pasta sauce in the pantry when it is on sale. I buy the disposable aluminum foil dishes from the dollar store (or the big pack at Costco from Christmas time). Then I make them up about 6 in just about 3 hours! I find they cost less than $10 to feed 8-10 people.
Ingredients:
1 lb (or 2 cups) cooked, cubed, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package frozen, chopped spinach: thawed and throughly drained
1 jar of pasta sauce
1 lb of pasta: cooked and drained
Mozzarella to top generously
Process:
To cook the chicken I put it on a baking sheet. Season it, put water in the bottom of the sheet and cover with foil. Then cook at 350 degrees for a half an hour. Let the chicken cool enough to handle and cube.
Then mix all the ingredients together except cheese. Then place in the baking dish. Top with cheese. This is the point you can cover tightly with foil and place in the freezer. To cook (thawed) just place it in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Make sure the cheese is throughly melted.
That is it!!! A yummy, hot, homey meal that can just live in your freezer.
Wordless Wednesday: Food Mystery
So what is this? Spaghetti? Maybe? Recipe to follow!
Chicken Tamale Pie
I had cooked chicken and was craving some sort of comfort food so I was rummaging around my pantry and the internet for a yummy recipe. So I found a recipe over on the Bisquick site and then I started to modify. It came out pretty good!
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 package of taco seasoning
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and wrung out
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used 3 cheese blend)
1 cup Bisquick
1 cup corn meal
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
Process:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the Bisquick, corn meal, taco seasonings and eggs together. Then add milk and mix until smooth. Put chicken in the bottom of a 9×13. Then top with spinach and cheese. Then top with mixture. You can top it with salsa and guacamole. It is supper easy and yummy!
Wordless Wednesday: Pot Pie
My second attempt at pot pies went a little better! I will post the recipe soon!
Oven Poached Salmon
First off, I take horrible pictures but anyway… Here is my recipe for easy oven poached salmon.
Ingredients:
4 Salmon Fillets
Parsley to taste
Pappy’s/Seasoning blend to taste
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place fillets in 9×13 baking dish. Pour Chicken Stock in dish around fish. Sprinkle both fish and stock evenly with both Parsley and Seasoning Blend. Cover with foil. Cook for 20 minutes.
Yes, that really is it. You can serve it over a simple cousous with some broccoli! It is good for you, cooks in 20 minutes and is really easy. What else do you want?