Main Dishes

Cheesy Sausage Pasta Skillet

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First off, I want to share how happy I am to be back with the Mormon Mavens. I took a year hiatus… and missed it! I love trying new recipes and sharing the good ones I find as well as those tried and true recipes that you can never go wrong with. Thanks for having me back, friends!

Now… onto the yummy food….
Cheese.
Sausage.
Pasta.
YUM!
This recipe is a true one pot meal and comes together quickly. 
Cheesy Sausage Pasta Skillet


Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. Smoked Turkey Sausage, sliced
1 C. diced onions
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (about two fresh cloves)
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream (if you don’t have this on hand – milk would work too)
8 oz dry pasta (any small pasta will do)
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped scallions, for garnish
Directions

1.  Add olive oil to a 4-5 quart saute pan over medium high heat. Add onions and sausage and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
2.  Add chicken broth, tomatoes, milk, pasta, and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
3.  Turn off the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover for about five minutes to allow cheese to melt. Top with sliced scallions and serve.
Makes about 4 servings.



Many thanks to Yellow Bliss Road for sharing this recipe!

Red Curry and Ginger Pork Loin

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So, I like to cook with pork. It is so versatile and lends itself well to different flavors. I decided to make up a curry and ginger marinade and sauce. It is slightly sweet with a definite kick due to the curry.

Ingredients:
1/4 C. oil
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar2 Tbsp. red curry paste
1 tsp. fresh ground ginger

2 lbs. meat. I used pork, but it would be great with chicken or beef. 

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Place meat in a large zip top bag. Pour marinade over the top. If you have a meat injector, you could also inject some of the marinade into the meat. Let marinate in the fridge for an hour or two.
Heat up your grill over med high to high heat. Oil your grill grate. Remove meat from marinade and place on grill. Let sit for a few minutes, then turn. Continue cooking pork until an instant read thermometer registers between 145 and 160 degrees F. Let meat rest for at least 5 minutes.

For extra sauce cook the following in a small sauce pan:
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. Brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. red curry paste
1/3 c. water
juice of 1 lime.
Heat til just boiling, then simmer for 5 mins or so. 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

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One of the things I have a hard time resisting is pizza.  Even when I’m not trying to eat wheat- and dairy-free, pizza is a huge temptation.  I just love it.  But it doesn’t love me.  I didn’t think there would be an alternative that I would enjoy.

I’ve seen pics for this crust all over Pinterest but never really had the gumption to try it until now.  While it doesn’t rival Domino’s or Pizza Hut or Whatever-Your-Favorite-Pizza-Place-Is, it’s good enough that I will be making it again.  And that’s sayin’ somethin’.

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded cauliflower
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup mozzarella Veggie Shreds
1 tsp. dry oregano
1/2 tsp. finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp. onion salt

1.  Remove leaves from cauliflower and cut head into pieces.  In a food processor with a grater blade, process the cauliflower.
2.  Place 2 cups of cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on full power for 5 minutes.
3.  Cool to room temp.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
4.  Grease a cookie sheet or pizza pan.  Form pizza crust into desired shape.
5.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with desired toppings.  Return pizza to oven for a few minutes, or broil to melt additional cheese.

Notes:

  • The head of cauliflower I used yielded about 3 1/3 cups of shredded.  
  • You can use regular cheese, but I’m trying to go dairy-free so I used a cheese substitute.  If you want to give it a try, you can find it in the produce section at the grocery store.
  • I didn’t add extra cheese since there is some in the crust already.  I just topped with a bit of pizza sauce and some pepperoni.  If you are adding veggies, you may want to saute them a bit first since they won’t spend long in the oven.
Makes 6 pieces of pizza crust

Chili Blanco

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This is my favorite time of year for so many reasons.  One is that we get to have stews and soups and all kinds of yummy, warm comfort foods.  This chili recipe is actually quite healthy and was really easy to put together.  You just need to allow time for the beans to cook, as you will note in the instructions.  I will probably be posting other recipes from this cookbook (see source below), so stay tuned for more deliciousness.

Ingredients:
1 pound dry white beans, rinsed and picked over *
4 (14-oz. each) cans of chicken broth *
1 t. chicken stock base (I didn’t have any so I just made my broth stronger)
2 onions, chopped *
1 T. oil
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (7-oz.) can diced green chilies *
4 t. ground cumin
2 t. dried oregano leaves
2 t. cayenne pepper
4 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro, if desired (I added this)
1 cup fat-free (yeah right!) sour cream *
3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1.  Place the beans, broth, chicken stock base, onions, oil, garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook very slowly until the beans are done–test to see if they are done as they cook.  You don’t want them to be mushy, just tender.  Beans that are not soaked first take 2-3 hours to cook.  Make sure to add more broth or water if the liquid gets low so they won’t dry out.

2.  Remove beans from heat.  Stir in the cooked chicken and the cilantro.

3.  Top each serving with sour cream and shredded cheese.

* I have noted when I have used freeze-dried or other items from food storage products, just so you can get an idea of how to incorporate those items into your every day cooking.

SOURCE:   The Romney Family Table.

Pulled BBQ Chicken

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My neighbor told me this recipe over the phone. Super easy and satisfying.

Pulled BBQ Chicken in the Crockpot
Ingredients:
3-4 Frozen chicken breasts
1 onion
smoked paprika
garlic powder
a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce- I used Stubbs original

Directions:
Slice up the onion and place on the bottom of your crock pot. Lay the chicken breasts over the onions. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and garlic powder. Pour some of the BBQ sauce over the top of it all. Cover and cook on low until chicken is cooked through.
Shred the chicken with a fork and add more BBQ sauce as needed.

Serve on rolls with lettuce or wrapped in a tortilla with blue cheese cole slaw.

Tin Foil Dinner

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This is easy to make several of (I usually make enough for 5 zip lock bags), and cooks up really fast for when you are in a pinch!

All you need is:

Hamburger
Veggies of choice (I use Zucchini, Carrots, Onions, Potatoes, and Green Beans)
Ketchup
Mustard
Salt
Pepper

Precook the veggies until soft then mix them in with the raw hamburger and add ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper to your liking.  Once combined put it into your frying pan to shape it to fit, then slide into a 1 gallon zip lock bag and lay flat to freeze (as you can see in the picture above it is still frozen but fits nicely in my pan).  When you need it just take it out, pop it in the frying pan you measured it in. Cover and cook until the hamburger is cooked through.  The reason I have not given amounts is you can make it more meaty or veggie depending on your preference.  We usually serve it with a big salad.  Enjoy!

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

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This is a recipe you can make and freeze and cook at a later time.  These were yummy but I think I would cover them with foil when baking and/or add some sauce to make them juicier.

Ingredients:

12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. freshly grated parmesan or asiago cheese + 1/4 c. for topping
3 T. prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 c. shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package, cook pasta shells only until al dente.  The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked.  Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 c. of cheese for the topping.  Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 c. of cheese over filled shells.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

To make ahead/freezer meals:

1.  Prepare as directed but place filled shells in an oven and freezer proof baking dish.  Top with remaining 1/4 c. of cheese over filled shells.  Cover and freeze.

2.  When ready to prepare, defrost, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese is melted.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

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I know that there have been a few different versions of enchiladas posted on the Mormon Mavens blog, but this is my version and it is also one of my favorite freezer meals. I usually make 3 or 4 pans at a time and freeze a couple.
This recipe is a take on my mom’s enchiladas that I LOVED eating as a kid. I simplified the recipe to make it fit my lifestyle more. I do not cook the sauce and I do not combine the sauce and the chicken like my mom does.

Also note-almost everything in this recipe is APPROXIMATIONS. I know that is horrible for a food blog, but, I have never used a measuring cup or spoon when I make this. Just tweak it to your liking!

2 Chicken breasts cooked and chopped (I broil mine sprinkled with garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, lime juice and oil.)
2-3 Cups shredded cheese (mont jack, colby jack, mexican blend, whatever you prefer.)Flour tortillas-soft taco size

Sauce:
Saute  in a pan til soft, 1 onion-chopped and one garlic clove minced
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 to 2 C. sour cream
1/2 to 1 C. salsa
1 can diced green chilies
1/4 to 1/2 C. green salsa (I only add this if I have it on hand)

A couple or a few shakes of hot sauce
A few shakes of chili powder
A few shakes of cumin
Just mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a big bowl.
Lay out a 9x13in. pan, your tortillas, your chopped chicken, your sauce and your cheese . You can add the shredded cheese to the sauce (reserving a bit to sprinkle over the top) if you want to skip a step.
Put a blob of sauce in the bottom of your pan and spread around. Then get to filling and rolling your tortillas. NOTE: Make sure you do NOT use all your sauce on the inside of the tortillas, you want some left to spread over the top of all the rolled enchiladas.
Sprinkle a small handful of chicken in the middle of the tortilla, put a blob of sauce on there and a sprinkle of cheese, then roll up. Place in the pan, seam side down. Continue this step until your pan is full (I can normally get about 10 in there) I squeeze them in there.
Place the rest of the sauce on the top of the enchiladas and spread around, making sure to get all the tortillas covered. Then sprinkle a little more cheese on top. You can cover and freeze them like this or you can just bake them right away.

Cover with foil and bake for about 20-30 mins in a 350 degree oven. Remove the foil and bake another 10 mins or so, til the edges are bubbly.

If you freeze them, just cook them at about 350, covered, for a couple hours until the center is warm and the edges are bubbly.

Serve with Rice, beans, shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, chopped olives, and whatever else you like.

Sausage Potato Bake

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Ingredients:

1 pkg of smoked sausage, sliced into rounds
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
sweet paprika
dried thyme
a handful of grated strong cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large baking tray (wtih sides) with several sheets of foil, and spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.

2.  Put the sausage rounds, onion and potatoes into a large bowl.  Drizzle with a couple of T. of olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper, paprika and dried thyme.  Toss together with your hands until everything is evenly distributed.  Pour this out onto the baking tray, and spread it out as much as you can.

3.  Place into the heated oven and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender.  Turn off the oven.

4.  Scatter the cheese over top of the cooked meat and potatoes.  Pop back into the oven a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Source:  Unknown

Last Minute Tortilla Bake

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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 9×13 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.