Ham & Veggie Skillet Dinner

I am forever throwing stuff together into a skillet and seeing how it cooks up.  Seriously.  Do you do this, too?  I had some produce I needed to use up and some Thrive Ham Dices that I needed to use, so I just kind of cut it all up and came up with today's post.  It was really good!  And filling!  And healthy!  The meal trifecta.

Ingredients:

Fresh Zucchini, cut up 

Fresh Red Bell Pepper, cut up

Fresh Cherry Tomatoes, halved

Thrive Ham Dices or any diced ham

Olive Oil

All Purpose Seasoning

Sea Salt

Feta Cheese

Heat up olive oil in a medium to large skillet.  Add all ingredients except cheese.  Saute until veggies are cooked, but not mushy.  Add in Feta Cheese and stir to combine.  Serve.

Quick Po' Boy Sandwich

Have you ever eaten a Po' Boy sandwich?  I have had one in my entire life.  This past week we spent a few days at the beach and of course had to hit a local seafood joint to get me some shrimp!  I brought the leftovers back to the beach house.  Mostly I just ate the cold shrimp right out of the take-out carton, but one day I was thinking I should be a little more creative.  And here you have another tasty concoction from leftovers...

Ingredients:

Hamburger Bun (or a baguette or other kind of roll of choice)

Leftover shrimp

Lettuce, shredded

Mayo or mustard

Assemble your sandwich and enjoy.  Po' Boys can be made of different kinds of items, so be creative!

Tomato & Corn Salad

Isn't it fun to be creative with your leftovers?  Recently I served Slow Cooker Roast Beef, garden peas, sweet corn, and mashed potatoes for dinner when two of our missionaries from church joined us for supper.  Comfort food.  Real food.  Surprisingly, there were some leftovers of the vegetables so I used them for sides with my next meal which was a Thrive Express Meal of Fettuccine Alfredo.  (future post, so stay tuned).  I put the peas in with the Fettuccine.  That was yummy.  For the corn, I decided to combine that with some grape tomatoes that I needed to use up and added a few more things to dress it up.  So that is how we get this recipe.

Ingredients:

grape tomatoes, as many as you want

Thrive Sweet Corn

Thrive Green Peas

Mozarella cheese, shredded

Red Wine Vinegar

Thrive Chef's Choice All-Purpose Seasoning

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients except the salt, and toss.  Taste and then add salt as needed and toss again.

Serve cold.

Sunday Night Stir Fry

I was really craving something quick and healthy to eat on Sunday evening--and something that I could just create from what I had on hand.  Fortunately, I had some cut up rotisserie chicken left over from making chopped salad (heaven in a bowl) and several veggies in the fridge that desperately needed to be used before they were unrecognizable.  You know what I'm talking about--those things you buy at the store when you think you are finally going to cook at home and fix all healthy dishes and then life happens, other agendas take over, and there is not time to do anything but go out to eat.  Happens too often at my house, although I do enjoy eating out.  Alas, sometimes even that gets old.  Anyway, here is what I came up with.  I am adding this to my recently-started list of definite menu winners.  I have just got to get organized with a 2 week list of "we will definitely eat this and love it" so that we CAN eat at home more often. 

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked or grilled chicken, cut in bite-size chunks
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 2 or 3 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut up
Carrots (mine were already julienned)
Snow peas, cut in half
Red onion, about 1/8 cup, chopped coarsely
Sesame seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt to taste
All-purpose seasoning, to taste
1-2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1.  Heat olive oil in large skillet.  Add all ingredients and stir fry until veggies are just tender and chicken is heated through.

2. Serve with rice.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Fideo Pronto

This is a super-easy dish to throw together when you don't have a lot of time on your hands--so basically any day of the week.  It can be a main ( throw in some grilled chicken or whatever meat you want) or side dish.  The recipe is from a box of broken up vermicelli that I used to be able to get in El Paso, Texas at my local grocery store.  Now I buy the vermicelli in a bag, in the Hispanic Foods section, and the recipe is not on there.

This is also a good way to get some veggies into your kids, and a good way to use leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 7-oz. pkg. vermicelli, broken up

1 15-oz. can of diced tomatoes, any flavor, with juice

1 tsp. sugar

1-2 T. olive oil

any veggies you want to add (we like fresh spinach, green chilies,  fresh broccoli...)

salt to taste

1.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add vermicelli and stir-fry until golden brown.  Be careful to not burn this.  The vermicelli will continue to brown quickly.

2.  Add the tomatoes with the juice and the rest of your ingredients.  Bring to a light boil, reduce heat and let simmer about 5 minutes or so.  You want the vermicelli to be a little chewy, but not crunchy.

Nachos de Sobras

I made a big batch of ham and veggie soup Sunday and figured we were good for at least 3 nights of supper.  Well SOMEBODY didn't want soup for supper last night and so I am thinking what the heck will I fix now?  And then it hit me!  I had leftovers from a THRIVE class/party and from dinner at my daughter's house one night.  Put it all together and what do you get? Nachos de Sobras (leftovers).  It was a filling and tasty meal and perfect to have while watching the election results.  SOMEBODY even commented on how good it was.  Really? Leftovers?  Yes, really. Que rico!

Ingredients:

Fritos Scoops or any tostada or corn chips

Taco-seasoned ground beef

Cooked and seasoned Pinto beans

Chunky salsa 

Shredded Mexican-blend cheese

Sour Cream

Assemble as desired.  Done.

Last Minute Tortilla Bake

 

 

 

 

 

The other day my husband mentioned, in passing, that our daughter and her family were coming over that evening.  I had no plans for supper and no time to go to the store so I threw this dish together "on the fly."  It's not super amazing or anything, but it was tasty and filling and I was able to feed the 6 of us--which included my two grandsons, ages 4 and 2--from items I had at home.  Don't you love throwing things together and having them magically turn into a meal?

 

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas

rotisserie chicken (left over from a previous meal)

Colby Jack Cheese

Salsa Verde (Herdez is a great brand, in the Hispanic Food section of your grocery store)

Purple bell  peppers (we picked these up at a local farmers' market and I thought they would be a fun garnish)

 

1.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

 

2.  Cover bottom of dish with 6 corn tortillas, chop or chunk the chicken and spread over the tortillas, spoon desired amount of salsa over top, and sprinkle with about half a cup or more of cheese.  Repeat layers one more time and sprinkle with purple bell pepper strips.

 

3.  Bake 30 minutes at 350 F., or until cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy on the edges.

 

I served this with a big bowl of cut up watermelon, stir-fried zucchini with Mediterranean seasoning, and a Roasted Corn Blend that I found at Sam's in the frozen vegetable section.  I stir-fried that with some olive oil.  Yummy.

Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings. Super simple, super yummy, ultimate comfort food. My daughter LOVES chicken and dumplings. I often use leftover roast chicken or frozen chicken thighs. I boil the chicken and thighs in some water and then strain the liquid, remove the meat from the bones and use the liquid and the meat.

Chicken and Dumplings

6-8 Chicken thighs (can use frozen)
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic
8 C. chicken stock
1/2-1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
cracked pepper
salt to taste

Dumplings
1 1/2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. shortening
3/4 C. milk


Place the chicken thighs in a large pot and cover with water. Simmer until chicken is done. Remove thighs to a cutting board. Drain liquid. Dry out the pot.

Pour a small amount of olive oil in the pot, heat over med. heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook and stir til veggies start to soften, about 5-8 mins. Add the garlic, stir til fragrant. Then pour in the chicken stock.

Pick the meat from the chicken thighs and add it back to the pot. Stir in the dried herbs and pepper. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Note: if your soup looks thick, add more liquid. The dumplings really thicken up the soup, so err on the side of more liquid than you think you need.)

Bring the soup to a boil. While it is coming to a boil, make the dumpling mixture by placing the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the shortening and pulse til blended. With the machine running, add the milk til is just comes together.

With the soup boiling, drop in the dumpling mixture by spoonfuls. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Reduce heat slightly. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Serve.

Turkey Pot Pie

I found this recipe on Allrecipes a few years back. It is one of our favorites and a great way to use up turkey leftovers. As I have said before, I tend to be a home made pie crust snob, but when it comes down to it, buying store bought pie dough just makes things so much easier.

Turkey Pot Pie



1 recipe for a double crust pie  
4 tablespoons butter, divided  
1 small onion, minced  
2 stalks celery, chopped  
2 carrots, diced  
3 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or any other dried herbs. I use thyme and basil sometimes.)
salt and pepper to taste  
2 cubes chicken bouillon (or equivalent of chicken base or stock, etc.)
2 cups water
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed  
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey  
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out bottom pie crust, press into a 10 inch pie pan, and set aside. 

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm. 

In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Itsa Pizza!

My friend, Saren, posted a recipe for Southwestern Pizza that got me motivated to throw one together myself.  She just used ingredients she had on hand and that is pretty much what I did except I did pick up some black beans and Queso Fresco at the store since I had to go anyway.  This is a great, easy, quick dinner and pretty healthy as well.  You can find Saren's recipe HERE, but I will show you what I used to make mine.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Tomato sauce
Cholula sauce
Minced garlic
Green chilies, chopped
Black beans, drained well
Canned corn, drained well
Green bell pepper, chopped
Jalapeno, seeded and sliced thin
Pulled pork (because I had some left over  from supper earlier in the week)
Queso Fresco
Onion Salt, to taste
Salt, to taste (balance with the onion salt
Crescent Roll Dough (you can use homemade or ready-made pizza dough, pita bread, whatever...)

1.  Open 2 cans of Crescent Rolls. Keep the dough together for the eight rolls in the first can.  Spread out on your pizza stone or rectangular cookie sheet.  Pinch the dough together at the perforations to form one crust.  Take half of the second can and add to the dough you have already formed, so that you have a pan-size pizza.

2.  Mix tomato sauce, Cholula Sauce, and minced garlic (I would have used salsa instead, but we were out).  Spread evenly over dough.

3.  Add all of your toppings in layers, as desired.  Top with the cheese.

4.  Sprinkle with salt and onion salt.

5.  Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until dough is done in middle.  Watch your exposed crust so it doesn't get too brown.


Source:  Original recipe idea from Saren Loosli, Five Kids in Five Years.

Leftover Rice Pancakes

When I make rice, I love to make a big batch and reuse it in other meals.  But after a while, rice can get boring.  And I hate boring leftovers because that means they don't get eaten.  (Perhaps I am some sort of kitchen nerd but I have to tell you that eating up every last bite of leftover anything gives me a thrill!)  This recipe has come in handy numerous times when I've caught myself staring into the fridge at a container of rice and wondering, "What the heck am I gonna do with all this rice?"  Added bonus:  no added sugar!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups leftover cooked brown rice (white or brown)
2 cups buttermilk*
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour (white, whole wheat, or combo)

1.  In a blender, combine rice and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk.  Pulse several times, scrape down sides.  Repeat several times until rice is in tiny bits.
2.  Add remaining buttermilk, salt, baking soda, and eggs.  Blend until thoroughly combined.  Pour into mixing bowl.
3.  Add flour and whisk just until the flour is incorporated.  Pour by scant 1/4-cupfuls onto hot griddle.  Turn pancakes over when the top is covered in bubbles and the edges are no longer shiny.  Once flipped over, cook until the underside is golden brown.

*If you don't have buttermilk:  pour 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar into a 2-cup measure and fill with milk to the 2-cup line.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes before using.

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen scant 1/4-cupful pancakes

Source:  Hillbilly Housewife