Chicken and Asparagus Roll-ups

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 tablespoon season salt

1/2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

asparagus

1/2 stick butter

Mix first 4 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside

Wash chicken and pat dry. Cut in half and pound flat

Snap ends of asparagus and place in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water

Melt butter, dip chicken in butter, then roll one side of chicken in bread crumb mixture

Place 4-5 asparagus on chicken, then wrap chicken around asparagus

Place in a grease 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

**may serve with hollandaise sauce**

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

This recipe is super fast and soooooooooo good.
Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini (find them in the dry pasta aisle)
4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)*
3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¾ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or more if you like spicy)
1 medium lemon
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.

Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat. Cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain. Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth. Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.

While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon. Then cut lemon in half and remove juice. Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce. (Note: I really love lemon so I added this to my tastes. If you don’t want as strong of a lemon flavor, I suggest cutting it down to 1 teaspoon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice) . Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture. Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Add sauce and gently stir to combine. Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan and also crumbled bacon.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Beef Empanadas with Black Bean Dipping Sauce

While not the Argentine version - this one comes from the Caribbean (Turks and Caicos) - this is a stinkin' delicious recipe for empanadas.

From Bon Appetit

Beef Empanadas

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 lb ground beef

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Empanada shells (you can get these frozen at any latin food store)

3 large egg yolks, beaten (for glaze)

Dipping Sauce

1 15 oz can black beans, drained, rinsed

1 cup sour cream

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded, chopped, divided

2 large scallions, chopped, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

BEEF EMPANADAS

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and garlic; cook, stirring often and breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until beef is cooked, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste, cumin, and cayenne. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add cilantro, season to taste with salt and pepper. Let filling cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375. Spoon filling into empanada shells. Fold edges over and press to seal. Brush tops with egg yolk glaze. Bake until tops are puffed and golden brown.

DIPPING SAUCE

Meanwhile, puree beans and sour creme in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in half of tomatoes and half of scallions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining tomatoes and scallions over.

Cafe Rio Shredded Pork

5-6 lb. boneless pork roast (I used half of a pork shoulder roast from Costco)
20 oz. Dr. Pepper or Coke
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
7 oz. can chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce (I found them at Walmart in the Hispanic foods section)
6 oz. red taco sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. cumin
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne (red) pepper

Cover the pork roast about halfway with water and cook in a crock pot on low for 12 hours - I put it in the night before and let it cook all night. Drain and shred the pork with 2 forks. Depending on how fatty your roast was, you may want to remove any big chunks of fat as you shred.
Mix the remaining ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved. You can leave the chipotle peppers whole as you mix them in (if you chop them up, it will make it super spicy, so do it if you love the heat).
Add to shredded pork and cook on low an additional 4-6 hours. My crock pot has a warm setting, so I cooked it in the sauce about 3-4 more hours (stirring occasionally) and then turned it to warm until we were ready to eat. I pulled out the big chunks of peppers before serving. Mine was thawed and cooked up really tender - I'm not sure what adjustments you would have to make to the cooking time if you put the meat in frozen.

Flank Steak

1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C soy sauce
1 C pineapple juice
1 T freshly grated ginger
4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced

up to 2 lbs flank steak

Combine first 6 ingredients for the marinade. Whisk together until combined. Remove 1/4 cup and set aside.

Score flank steak with a knife diagonally on both sides.

Place steak in large ziploc bag and pour marinade (excluding the 1/4 C you set aside) over it. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Take out of fridge 30 minutes before grilling. Place steak on grill and cook for 5-10 minutes per side, depending on the size. Use the 1/4 C marinade you set aside to brush over steak in the last few minutes of grilling. Flank steak should still be pink in the middle when done.

Remove from grill and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting so the juices can redistribute. Always cut flank steak against the grain, in thin slices to serve.

Marsala Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup marsala wine (this is what the recipe calls for - I would use 3/4 to 1 cup)
½ cup sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation:

Mix the salt and pepper with most of the flour and coat the chicken in it.

Brown the chicken on both sides in a skillet in the oil, then put it in the slow cooker.

Sauté the mushrooms in the marsala wine in the skillet for 10 minutes, stirring the mixture constantly.

Sprinkle the remaining flour over the chicken, and then pour the sauce on top.

Cook for 6 hours on low.

(Serves 4)

Chicken Rollatini

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
24 Genoa salami or pepperoni slices
6 provolone slices
18 asparagus spears, trimmed
1 jar (24 oz) Classico Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce, divided
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Halve each chicken breast and pound to 1/4-inch thick. Season, then place 4 salami slices, one cheese slice and 3 asparagus spears in center of each breast; roll up and secure with a toothpick.

Spread 1/2 cup of sauce on bottom of an 11x7 baking dish. Put chicken in dish, top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked through.

Sweet Pork

2 pounds pork (we like to use boneless pork ribs)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can RED enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

Chicken Fajitas

5 skinless chicken breast fillets (cut into 1/2" strips)
3 Tbsp white vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 cup fresh cut green pepper & onion strips
2 Tbsp margerine or butter
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, pepper & cumin into a shallow pan or dish. Marinate chicken strips into mixture for at least 30 minutes. Drain marinade from meat and reserve.

Over medium heat for 1-2 minute, stir fry green peppers and onions in butter; adding small amounts of reserved marinade to prevent sticking. Add marinated chicken strips. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked fully.

Place chicken mixture on heated tortillas and roll-up. Serves 10 * Steak can also be used.

Apple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
8 lb pork tenderloin
Salt/pepper to taste
1/4 cup & 1 tsp chopped parsley
3 sweet onion, diced
6-1/4 gala apple, cut into chunks
3 cups white grape juice mixed with 2 Tbsp water & 1 tsp powdered sugar
32 oz jar apple jelly
3/4 cup and 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a large enough baking dish to hold the pork tenderloin.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, browning the loin on all sides. Place browned loin in baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley.

Cook and stir the onion and apple in the same skillet over medium heat until the onion becomes soft, about 5 minutes, and pour in the juice mixture. Scrape all browned flavor bits off the bottom of the skillet and stir to help dissolve them. Bring to a boil, and pour the onion, apple, and juice mixture over tenderloin.

Mix apple jelly and balsamic vinegar in a separate bowl until smooth. Spread over pork.

Bake the loin until thermometer placed in center of meat reads 160 degrees. Bake an additional 30-45 minutes. Slice and serve with apple-onion mixture.

Curry

In honor of our morning spent at the Hare Krishna Temple and the Color Festival, I think we should go make some curry. Te parece?

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk - (14-ounce)
1/2 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/3 cup basil leaves - coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound chicken breast halves - cut in 1" cubes
1/2 medium bell pepper- julienned
1 medium carrot - shredded
1 medium zucchini - shredded

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk and red curry paste. Bring to a low boil and let simmer for five minutes. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. Stir, let simmer for 5 more minutes. Add basil leaves; remove from heat.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Season chicken cubes with salt and pepper. When oil is hot, add chicken. Cook until no longer pink in the middle (about 7 minutes). Add bell pepper, carrot, and zucchini. saute until the vegetables wilt. Add curry sauce to chicken mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat. Serve over rice.

***Remember that last time we followed the recipe exactly and it wasn't very spicy. If I were making it again, I would add like 1 tablespoon of the curry paste instead of just 1/2 tablespoon***

Andalusian Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

2 pork tenderloins (3/4 lb. each)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Rub tenderloins with oil. Combine the garlic, paprika, salt, cinnamon, cayenne and nutmeg; rub over tenderloins. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Place tenderloins in a 13x9 baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

•1/3 cup honey
•1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
•2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
•2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
•12 corn tortillas
•2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
•1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
•1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
•nonstick cooking spray
•1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.

Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish. Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top.

Milanesa

Ingredients

1/2 cup Chopped Parsley

4 Eggs

Pinch of Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 Tbsp Oregano

4 cups Bread Crumbs

Milanesa sliced beep

Instructions

Mix parsley, eggs, salt, pepper, and oregano. Place beef in marinade and let sit at least 15 minutes. Coat in bread crumbs. Fry in hot oil (375 degrees) until golden brown. Can serve with a lemon wedge or topped with sauce, ham and mozzarella cheese. If adding ham and cheese cook in oven at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

Sauce

1 Chopped Onion

3 Tbsp Chopped Parsley

2 medium Graded Carrots

5 Bay Leafs

1 Diced Green Pepper

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook until pepper and carrots are tender.

Add the following:

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp Oregano

1/4 cup Water or Chicken Stock

1/2 cup Sugar

1 28 oz. can Chopped Tomatoes

2 8 oz. cans Tomato Sauce

Let simmer.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients

3 lbs Chicken Breasts or Tenders

1 tsp Garlic Powder or Garlic Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1 beaten Egg

1 cup Cornstarch

3/4 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Vinegar

1/2 cup Chicken Stock

3 1/2 Tbsp Ketchup

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Instructions

Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt/powder and pepper. Let stand for one hour or more in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Dip chicken in beaten egg, then in cornstarch that has been placed in a plastic bag and shake to coat. Brown chicken in hot oil (about 250 degrees). Place in baking dish. Cover with following sauce: Mix sugar, vinegar, chicken stock, ketchup, and soy sauce in saucepan and heat. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Turn chicken once or twice. Makes 6 servings.

Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos

(from Cooking Light)

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup thinly sliced white onion

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

4 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets

1 tablespoon canola oil

8 (6 inch) corn tortillas

1/2 ripe peeled avocado, thinly sliced

4 lime wedges

Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine jalapeno sauce and onion in a small bowl.

Combine paprika and next 6 ingredients (through ground pepper); sprinkle evenly over fish. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish, onion mixture, and avocado evenly among tortillas. Serve with lime wedges. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos)