Better Than Take Out Pad Thai

BETTER-THAN-TAKEOUT PAD THAI
Serves 3-4
8 ounces pad thai noodles
2 eggs
1 batch of pad thai sauce
3 cooked chicken breasts, sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup cilantro
3 green onion, sliced
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Prepare noodles according to package instructions.

PAD THAI SAUCE
Serves 5-6
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Whisk together ingredients. Serve several tablespoons over pad thai.

Notes: This dish I absolutely perfect! I have shared this with several people and they all have loved it! Original Recipe.

Itialian Crescent Ring

2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dinner rolls Save $

1/2 cup well drained roasted red bell peppers (from a jar)

8 slices provolone cheese, halved

1/3 lb deli sliced hot salami

1/4 lb deli sliced ham

1/4 lb deli sliced capocollo

1/2 cup well drained hot pepper rings (from a jar) 

 

1. Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick cooking sheet).

2. Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 8 rectangles. On ungreased 12-inch pizza pan, arrange rectangles in ring so short sides of rectangles form a circle in center. (Dough will overlap; half of each rectangle will hang over edge of pan. Dough ring should look like a sun.)

3. Spread roasted red bell peppers toward center of ring on bottom halves of rectangles. Top with half of the cheese. Layer salami, ham and capocollo slices over cheese. Arrange pepper rings over top. Cover with remaining half of cheese.

4. Bring each dough rectangle hanging over side of pan up over stacked filling, tucking dough under bottom layer of dough to secure it. Repeat around sandwich until entire filling is enclosed (some filling might show a little). Sprinkle with black pepper.

5. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until dough is golden brown and thoroughly baked. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into serving slices.

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  Notes: I couldn't get the dough to bake fully so some parts of the bread were raw dough. I flipped the ring and baked it for an additional 10 min, which helped but did not completely solve the problem. Next time I will try cooking the meat in a pan first so that it is warm when you put it in the oven to see if it helps the dough cook fully. Aside from that a quick and smaller version of Big Sandwich. 

Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Casserole

 

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ½ cup water
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 32 oz frozen mixed vegetables (look for the un-sauced stir fry or Asian varieties that only include zero-point veggies for WW)
• 1 cup drained canned pineapple tidbits or chunks (packed in juice or with no added sugar)
• 3 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350.
2. Combine the soy sauce, the ½ cup water, the brown sugar, honey, ginger, olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan and cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove lid and cook for one minute once boiling.
3. While waiting for the sauce to come to a boil, stir together the corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water in a separate dish until smooth to form a slurry. Once the sauce is boiling, add the slurry to the saucepan and stir in to combine. Cook for another minute until the sauce starts to thicken and then remove from heat.
4. Lay the raw chicken breasts flat in a 9×13 casserole dish and pour about a cup of the sauce over top of the chicken. Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes until breasts are cooked through*. Remove the dish from the oven and shred the chicken right in the dish using two forks.
5. *While the chicken is cooking, steam or cook your frozen vegetables according to package directions.
6. When the chicken is shredded and the vegetables are cooked, add the vegetables, pineapple and rice to the casserole dish with the chicken. Add most of the remaining sauce, reserving a bit to drizzle over the top when finished. Stir everything together in the casserole dish until well combined. Return the dish to the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, drizzle with the remaining sauce and serve.

Notes: Uses a lot of pans. I liked to grill my pineapple first before adding it at the end. Very yummy and very simple!! 

Hobo Stew

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of chopped mixed sweet and hot peppers
• 1/2 cup of celery
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1-1/2 pounds of ground beef
• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups of beef stock or broth
• 3 (11.5 ounce) cans of original or spicy V-8, or tomato juice
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups of fresh diced carrots (about 2 large)
• 2 cups of corn
• 2 cups of cut green beans
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Couple dashes of hot sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, optional
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

In the bottom of a Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, peppers and celery; cook and stir until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ground beef, cook and stir until meat is browned and cooked through. Drain off excess fat. Sprinkle meat with flour; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add the beef stock, V-8 juice and diced tomatoes. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, corn and green beans. Add Worcestershire, hot sauce and seasonings to taste. Stir, cover and simmer over medium to medium low (low bubble) for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Hobo stew can be served as is, or spooned over rice or mashed potatoes. Serve with hot cornbread, biscuits or rolls.

Cook's Notes: Use other meats such as stew meat, venison, bacon, Italian sausage, smoked sausage, andouille or kielbasa - all good choices. If using a stewing type of meat, allow it to cook in the base veggies and juice for about 1 hour before adding in the vegetables. Use fresh or frozen vegetables, or may substitute 1 can of drained carrots, corn and cut green beans or use a variety of other vegetables or beans, such as mixed vegetables, shredded cabbage, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, hominy, turnips, kidney beans, great northern beans, lima beans. You'll want around 5 to 6 cups fresh or frozen, or about 3 (15 ounce) cans. If using canned vegetables, allow the potatoes and carrots to cook for 30 minutes before adding in the canned vegetables.

Also okay to use lower sodium or spicy V-8, but taste stew to adjust seasonings up or down as needed. If using spicy, take into consideration hot peppers and other spicy seasonings you use. May also substitute a can of Rotel tomatoes for the diced, if desired.

Crockpot: Saute the vegetables and brown the meat as above; add that along with the remaining ingredients to a 6 quart slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until veggies are tender.

Variation: To convert to a Hobo Soup, increase the beef stock/broth to about 4 cups or to desired consistency.

Notes: I used steak instead of hamburger and the second time I made it I just used vegetables. I also cut out the oil and didn't bother sauteing anything. Very yummy. 

Quick and Easy Chilli

Ingredients
2- cans of diced tomatoes
1 lb ground beef
1 small iced onion
1 diced green pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 - can kidney beans rinsed and drained
2-3 tbsp chilli powder (I just used Jakob taco mix)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 - can tomato sauce (small)

Put meat and onion in pot and begin to brown. Add rest of ingredients. Add more salt to taste.