Yam Nachos

6 large yams, cut into 8 wedges
3 T olive oil
1 egg white
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t paprika
3/4 t kosher salt
1 t lime juice

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups shredded Colby jack cheese

3 green onions, thinly sliced and ends trimmed

Sweet peppers, diced

guacamole

sour cream

salsa

Combine the olive oil, egg white, chili powder, paprika, salt and lime juice in a small mixing bowl and whisk until completely combined.  Toss with the potatoes, ensure to evenly coat them, and spread the potatoes out in a single layer on a well-oiled baking sheet.  Bake at 400 for 45 minutes, or until golden brown with a crispy exterior.

Remove from oven and cover with cheese, black beans and green onions.  Place the pan back in the oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese has thoroughly melted.

Garnish nachos with sour cream, guacamole and salsa...or whatever else you want.

You can make this with Russet Potatoes as well--yum!

Photo and recipe from Traci Magleby

Wendy's Oriental Chicken or Beef Short Ribs

2/3 c thinly sliced green onions
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
1/4 c sesame oil
2 1/2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 T crushed toasted sesame seeds
1 T minced garlic
1/4 t ginger or 1 T grated fresh ginger
1/2 t ground red pepper
1/8 t black pepper

Marinate 2 hours or overnight.  Remove from sauce and bbq or broil.  Could be baked at 325 degrees for 1 1/2-2 hours or until tender.

Tyra's Chicken Enchiladas

6 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 can diced green chilis
1/2 pt. sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 c grated cheese
12 corn tortillas (torn into bite size pieces)

Combine all ingredients.  Spread in 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  I remember the first time I had these at Ashli's Bday Dinner.  

Tilapia with Lemon Vinaigrette

8 T olive oil
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 large head radicchio, coarsely chopped
1 (15 oz) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed (or great northern if you can't find)
1/3 C vegetable broth 
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 (5-6oz) tilapia fillets
Flour for dredging
Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Heat 2 T of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes.  Add the radicchio and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Add the beans and broth, and cook until the beans are heated through, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Season the radicchio mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, heat 3 T  of oil in a nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper.  Dredge the fillets in flour to coat completely.  Shake off the excess flour and fry fillets until they are golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Spoon radicchio mixture over the center of the plates.  Top with fillets.  Drizzle the vinaigrette over and serve immediately.

Lemon Vinaigrette:
2 t finely grated lemon zest
¼ C fresh lemon juice
¼ C lightly packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
½ t salt
¼ t freshly ground pepper
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
Blend the lemon juice, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil.  Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Photo and recipe from Traci Magleby

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Simmer for 5 minutes:
2 14 oz cans coconut milk
1-3 T green curry paste (taste carefully, 1 T for kids)

Add:
1 lb chicken, sliced thin
2 T thai fish sauce
4 T brown sugar
1/2 c bamboo shoots
1 c frozen peas
2/3 c chicken stock

Simmer for 10 minutes.  Garnish with fresh basil and serve with jasmine rice.  Serves 6.
Additional add-in ideas: 1 can bamboo shoots, frozen peas, cubed egg plant, green pepper

Wendy Robinson

Thai Chicken Pizza

TOPPINGS:

• 1 to 2 chicken breasts
• 3/4 c. House of Tsang Peanut Sauce just for the marinade
• 2 to 3 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 c. julienned carrots
• 1/2 c. bean sprouts
• 1/2 c. peanuts
• 1/4 c. fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/4 c. diced green onion

PEANUT SAUCE:

• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 6 Tbsp. heaping creamy peanut butter
• 2-4 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce - depending on how hot you like it
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 6 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
• 4-5 cloves garlic pressed or minced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Marinate the chicken in the House of Tsang peanut sauce while preparing the rest of the pizza.
2. In a small sauce pan, stir together all the sauce ingredients and let simmer on a low heat.
3. Grill the chicken (discarding excess marinade) then cut into thin slices.
4. Make the pizza crust according to directions then top with cheese, peanut sauce (that you just prepared) grilled chicken slices, carrots, bean sprouts, peanuts, cilantro, and onions.
5. Bake 10-15 minutes at 450 degrees until edges are golden brown.

Tater Tot Casserole

Brown:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion (small, chopped)
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 can green beans or corn, drained
1 small bag frozen tater tots

Mix together:
1 can cream of chicken
1 1/3 c milk

Spread meat in bottom of 9x13 pan.  Cover meat evenly with green beans (may substitute with corn).  Line up tater tots in one layer over all. Pour cream of chicken mixture over all.  Bake for 1 hour at 350.

Sweet and Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

• 3-4 large chicken breasts mine were massive, and I sliced them into 7 average portions. You can always use more smaller breasts

For the marinade:

• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

For the sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups white vinegar optional: sub in some broth -- see note above
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes*
• 2 tbsp apricot jam

Instructions

• In a large ziploc bag, combine chicken breasts, coconut milk, ginger and ½ tsp red pepper flakes. Seal bag and use your hands to combine ingredients. Marinade in the fridge at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Over medium heat, grill chicken for about 10 minutes per side (**Note: cooking time will vary greatly depending on thickness of your chicken. Use your own discretion here.)
• While chicken is cooking, combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, pepper flakes and jam in a medium pan on the stove. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook about 20 minutes or until reduced and slightly thickened. Watch closely and whisk constantly as the glaze starts to get close to being done -- it can burn quickly because of the high sugar content. Glaze will thicken considerably after it starts to cool down.
• Spoon glaze over cooked chicken and serve with rice or noodles.

Sweet Pulled Pork--Cafe Rio

2 1/2 lbs pork
1 c Pace medium picante salsa
1 c brown sugar

Mix brown sugar and picante sauce together in a small container.  Place pork in crock pot, pour sauce over all.  Cook on high for 6 hours or on low over night.  Shred and serve.

Succulent Country Ribs

3 lbs country-style pork ribs
1/2 c mild soy sauce
1/3 c ketchup
1 t dry mustard
2 T brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 t black pepper
1 t chili powder
few dashes tabasco
cayenne pepper

Cut off excess fat from ribs.  Bake ribs only in 9X13 foil covered pan at 300 for 4 hours.  Pour sauce over ribs to coat and bake 5-10 more minutes til caramelized. Yum!    

Sloppy Joes

2 lb hamburger, browned
1/2 pkg lipton onion soup mix
1 t mustard
1 can chicken gumbo soup
1 can Manwich BBQ Sloppy Joe Mix
1 c brown sugar

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Tyra Barrett

Shish-kabobs

1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c pineapple juice
1 clove garlic
1/4 t ginger

Marinate meat of choice for several hours.  Build shish-kabob as desired.  Grill.

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Picata

• • 1/4 cup fine almond meal 
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
  • Four 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 
  • 1 tablespoon butter 
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons capers 
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan and almond meal and set aside on a shallow plate. Season both sides of the chicken with some salt and pepper then lightly dredge in the Parmesan mixture and let rest for a few minutes.

3. Add the olive oil and butter in a medium-size non-stick skillet and allow it to preheat over medium heat, then add the chicken breast and let them sear on both sides just for a couple of minutes (keep an eye on it to make sure the almond meal doesn't burn). Place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for about 8 minutes to finish cooking them through.

4. Add the wine, stock, capers and lemon juice in the same skillet and cook over medium-high heat until it reduces by half. Finish with some fresh parsley and drizzle over the chicken.

Technique tip: Always grate Parmesan cheese on a microplane grater so it's light and not compact.

Swap option: You can use a mild fish, such as tilapia, in place of the chicken. You could also swap out the wine for some additional stock.

Outback's Alice Springs Chicken

Honey Mustard Marinade:

• 1 c. Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon)
• 1 c. honey
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts skinless, boneless, cut into halves
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 c. sliced mushrooms
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• salt and pepper
• paprika
• 8 slices bacon cooked
• 1 c. Monterey Jack cheese shredded 
• 1 c. Cheddar cheese shredded 
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley finely chopped 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Use an electric mixer to combine the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whip the mixture for about 30 seconds. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour in about 1/3 of the marinade. Seal the bag and press out as much air as you can and marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
2. Chill the remaining marinade until later. After the chicken has marinated, remove chicken from bag and discard the marinade that it has been soaking in. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and heat an ovenproof frying pan large enough to hold all four breasts and 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. (If you don't have an ovenproof frying pan, transfer the chicken to a baking dish).
3. Sear the chicken in the pan for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove pan from heat but keep chicken in the pan. As the chicken is cooking, in a small frying pan saute the mushrooms in the butter. Brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the honey mustard marinade being sure to save a little extra that you can serve on the side later with the dish.
4. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika ( I am usually pretty generous with the paprika, I love the flavor). Stack two pieces of cooked bacon, crosswise on each chicken breast. Spoon the sauteed mushrooms onto the bacon, being sure to coat each breast evenly. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese evenly onto each breast followed by 1/4 cup of cheddar.
5. Bake the pan of prepared chicken breasts for 7-10 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble. Sprinkle each breast with 1/2 teaspoon parsley before serving. Put extra honey mustard marinade into a small bowl to serve on the side.

One Pan Mexican Quinoa

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.
3. Serve immediately.

(I add 2 chicken breasts, diced and cooked thoroughly in the oil, before adding garlic and jalapeño.) 

Mom's Teriyaki Chicken

1/2 c brown sugar

1 c soy sauce

1 tsp. crushed ginger

1 tsp. chopped garlic

Mix together and soak chicken overnight. Grill.