Cheddar
Swiss
Monterey Jack
Bleu
Freeze by layering between pieces of wax paper.
When you cook them, be sure to cook them through thoroughly to melt
the cheese. Try not to poke them with a fork or flatten them with a
spatula, so the melted cheese will not come gushing out.
MEXICAN BURGER
Use chili powder for seasoning, a dash of onion and garlic, and
perhaps some chopped onions and pepper. To make your meat stretch
further, try adding a cup of black beans or kidney beans per half
pound of meat. Serve with shredded lettuce, cheese, guacamole and
sour cream on the side.
CHICKEN BURRITOS
3 boneless chicken breasts
16 ounces of homemade salsa
(see recipe above)
14 ounces of black beans, kidney beans, red beans or pink beans (or
a mix of these)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 dash chili powder
1 (8 oz) pkg shredded taco cheese
1 (8 count) pkg burrito-sized tortillas
Wax paper
Freezer bags
Place the chicken breasts in a large sauce pan.
Cover with the salsa.
Add just enough water to cover the chicken.
Place over medium high heat.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.
The chicken should be white all the way through when done.
Remove the chicken from the pot and cool until easily touched.
Shred the chicken with a knife and fork or pair of forks.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
Bring back to a boil to reduce the liquid of the mixture so that is
looks less watery.
When mixture becomes as thick as you like, remove it from the heat.
Mix the beans together and then mash at least part of them with the
olive oil.
Add the chili powder to the beans and mix well. Mix the mashed beans
with any whole beans.
Lay a tortilla flat on a piece of wax paper. Place 3 T of the bean
mixture down the middle of the tortilla, slightly to one side.
Place 4 T of the chicken mixture on top of the beans.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll from the end closest to
the filling until completely closed. Tuck in the ends of the
tortilla and any stray filling as you roll your way to the end of
the burrito.
Continue until you used all the tortillas.
Wrap each burrito in the wax paper.
Place the burritos in a freezer bag.
Freeze for up to three months.
To cook, unwrap the burritos.
Place in the microwave for about 3 minutes or just until the burrito
is beginning to thaw.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly spray a cookie sheet with a non-stick cooking spray.
Lay the burritos on the cookie sheet.
Bake 12 minutes or until the burrito begins to brown. Cook to
desired doneness. You can sprinkle a bit of shredded cheese on top
in the last 4 minutes of cooking as well and let it melt.
Serve with rice, wedge potatoes, salsa, black beans on the side,
sour cream, shredded lettuce, more shredded cheese, and any other
items you enjoy with your Mexican meal.
Remember, if you are cooking your own beans from a dried state, be
sure to follow the package instructions and cook them thoroughly to
avoid gastric upset.
MEATY MEALS
Many people enjoy meat as part of their meals, so here are some
meaty meal ideas for the family. If you are trying to eat lighter,
you can substitute ground turkey for the beef in all of the recipes
in this guide.
PEPPERONI PASTA BAKE
1 lb ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
8 ounces of mushrooms
32 ounces of tomato sauce (see recipe in the
pantry
section)
1 t Italian seasoning
1 lb spaghetti or linguine, broken into small pieces
3/4 C milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (5 oz) pkg sliced pepperoni
1 1/2 C shredded Cheddar cheese
2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Freezer Wrap
Place a large pot of water on the stove over high heat. Bring to a
rapid boil.
Boil the spaghetti as directed on the package.
Drain and rinse.
Place the ground chuck in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the onion, green pepper and mushrooms.
Cook until the meat is browned, being sure to crumble the meat so it
is not in chunks.
Drain the meat in the pan carefully, removing an excess oil.
Add the pasta sauce, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning.
Stir until well combined.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Place the eggs and milk in a large bowl and blend.
Place the spaghetti in the egg mixture and toss to cover.
Lightly spray a large baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray.
Place half of the spaghetti mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Place half of the meat sauce over the top of the spaghetti.
Repeat for another layer.
Put the pasta casserole in the refrigerator to cool.
Once cooled, wrap with the freezer wrap.
Freeze for up to two months.
To reheat, thaw the casserole overnight in the refrigerator in a pan
or glass dish that is oven-safe.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cover the casserole with aluminum foil.
Bake 45 minutes.
Uncover and top the casserole with the pepperoni and 2 cheeses.
Continue to bake another 15 minutes or until cheese has completely
melted on top of the casserole.
Serve with Italian bread and a side salad. We always wash our
pepperoni slices well to take off some of the salt. If pepperoni is
still too salty or too spicy, substitute Italian sausage meat or add
some chunks of extra firm tofu and a half teaspoon of dried fennel
seeds.
MIGHTY MEATBALL CASSEROLE
1/2 lb ground chuck
1/2 lb ground pork
1 C and 1/2 C shredded low sodium Swiss cheese, divided
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 small onion, chopped
1 t celery seed
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
3 C cooked rice, divided in 1 C and 2 C
1 C mushrooms, minced (Portabellos have a very meaty texture)
3/4 C milk
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
Aluminum foil
Freezer wrap
Place the ground chuck and ground pork into a large mixing bowl.
Add the egg, onion, celery salt, nutmeg and allspice.
Sprinkle in 1/2 C of the Swiss cheese and 1 C of the cooked rice.
Mix together well with your hands.
Form into meatballs.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the meatballs in a large baking dish.
Bake 25 minutes or until browned.
Place the meatballs in the refrigerator for fast cooling.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining Swiss cheese,
mushrooms and milk.
Add the garlic, Parmesan cheese and the remaining cooked rice.
Mix all together well.
Line a baking dish with aluminum foil.
Pour the Swiss cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Place the cooled meatballs into the mixture.
Cover with freezer wrap and freeze for up to three months.
To reheat, place the casserole in a pan or ovenproof dish to thaw in
the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake 45 minutes or until hot.
This will also work well with ground turkey, using the same
seasonings.
FAST AND TASTY MEATLOAF
2 eggs
1 C milk
1/2 C whole wheat bread crumbs from a day-old loaf
1 t celery seed
1 t pepper
2 lb ground chuck
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Aluminum foil
Large freezer bag
Beat the eggs and milk together in a large mixing bowl.
Add the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and blend together well.
Sprinkle in the celery seed and pepper.
Place the ground chuck in with the milk mixture and mix well.
Use your hands to mix all of the ingredients together, making sure
that they are all combined.
Place a piece of aluminum foil in a 9 X 9-inch pan.
Be sure the aluminum foil comes about 6 inches above and over the
edges of the pan.
Form meat mixture into the pan.
Pull the aluminum foil over the top and seal well.
Remove from the by tugging gently on the foil. Freeze in the freezer
until set. Then put in a freezer bag to preserve its freshness for
up to two months.
To heat again, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9 x9-inch baking pan slightly with a non-stick cooking
spray.
Take the meatloaf out of the freezer bag. Unwrap the meatloaf and
place in the pan.
Bake 1 hour 30 minutes or until set.
This will also work well with ground turkey or chicken. You might
want to add some seasonings, such as rosemary, thyme or marjoram,
for a really wonderful roasted taste.
CHICKEN DISHES
Chicken is a staple in many households, since it is versatile in
many cuisines and can be cooked in such a wide variety of ways.
In this section, we want to give you some family favorites everyone
will love, which can go from freezer to oven to table in minutes.
Again, some of these recipes are so yummy, you will probably want to
make two batches as long as you are taking the time and trouble to
cook. Have one fresh and one frozen that you can eat any time.
CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN
2 1/2 lbs fryer chicken, cut up
3/4 C sour cream
1 T lemon juice
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t celery seed
1/8 t pepper
1/2 t paprika
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 C whole wheat breadcrumbs, dry
Aluminum foil
Combine sour cream and lemon juice in a small bowl.
Stir in Worcestershire sauce until completely blended.
Add the celery seed, pepper, paprika and garlic and mix well.
Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl or on a plate.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a large baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
Dip the chicken pieces into the sour cream mixture.
Roll into the bread crumbs.
Place in a single layer in the baking pan.
Bake 50 minutes or until chicken is tender and brown.
Let chicken cool before removing it from the pan.
Once the chicken has cooled, wrap each piece in aluminum foil.
Freeze for up to two months.
Reheat by preheating the oven to 450 degrees.
Place each piece of chicken, still in the aluminum foil, on a cookie
sheet.
Bake 35 minutes.
Unwrap from aluminum foil and place back in the oven.
Continue baking 10 minutes or until crisp.
Serve with mashed potatoes and biscuits, and vegetables or a side
salad.
HOMEMADE CHICKEN POT PIES
1 whole chicken
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T parsley
1 bay leaf
2 t celery seed
8 C water
12 ounces baby carrots, cut into eight pieces each
12 ounces fresh green peas
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 C light cream
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t celery salt
1/8 t pepper
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 piecrust (see the recipe in the
Pantry section)
4 foil pans (5 x 1-inch) with paper or plastic lids
Place the water in a large pot over high heat.
Add the chicken, celery, onion, parsley, bay leaf and celery seed.
Bring to a rapid boil.
Reduce heat to low.
Cover the pot and simmer 2 hours.
Allow the chicken to cool in the broth.
Once chicken has cooled, remove from the broth.
Cut the meat off the chicken bones carefully.
Strain the broth and reserve 5 C.
Place 4 C of reserved broth into a saucepan.
Stir in the carrots, peas and mushrooms and bring to a boil.
Add the cream, nutmeg, celery salt and pepper and bring to another
boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the carrots are tender, about
10 minutes.
In another small mixing bowl, combine the last C of reserved broth
and the flour.
