Asian Chicken Wrap Ups

chickenwrapups


We’ve had a sudden warm streak here in N. CA so I thought I would share one of my very favorite No-Cook recipes.

Asian Chicken Wrap Ups

Prep 20 Minutes

2 cups chopped cooked skinless chicken breast (chop up strips from pre-packaged chicken breasts)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1-1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup crispy rice noodles

Seasoned salt and pepper

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup shredded broccoli slaw

Four to six butter lettuce leaves

1/3 cup Peanut sauce (store-bought)

1/3 cup Asian salad dressing for dipping sauce (store-bought)

 

 

Directions

In a medium glass bowl, combine chicken, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, , green onions, and almonds. Mix well. Season to taste with seasoned salt and pepper. Cover and let set in the refrigerator for an hour.

 

Add small containers each of peanut sauce and Asian dipping sauce to platter.

On platter, arrange lettuce leaves. Divide up the chicken mixture and place a mound of it on each leaf. Top with crispy noodles, carrots and cabbage. Roll up the leaf and dip in one of the sauces.

 

Serves 4 as appetizers, 2 adults as a main course

Q4U: Do you have any no cook tips to share? I love to find shortcuts in the kitchen – any secrets you would like to divulge?

Crocktoberfest and Finishing Up the Mini-Project

slowcooker

I has been a long week. I have had the flu and after feeling super-yucky for a while, I came home after a speaking engagement on Thursday and (if I were living in a Jane Austin novel,) took to my bed.

I will announce the winners of the Husband Mini-Project on Wednesday. (I will let my super-assistant Sunnie handle the details – otherwise I will start sending out books to people randomly.)

It the meanwhile, I would love to spend this week sharing and collecting great slow cooker recipes. This is so the time of year to be dragging out the Crockpot!  Plus, if you share a recipe that I love, it may be included in my upcoming book, The “What’s for Dinner?” Project.

So please, share your best slow cooker recipes with me and check back each day for something new and yummy.

Here is the first recipe from my agent Rachelle Gardner (if you are interested at all in writing, be sure to check out her award-winning blog.)

Salsa Tri-tip Sandwiches

1 bottle beer (can be non-alcoholic)
1 jar salsa (mild to hot, your choice)
2-3 lbs tri-tip roast
Sandwich rolls
Mayo

Put the tri-tip in a crock pot and cover with beer and salsa. Cook for about 6-7 hours on low. To serve, slice it thinly or shred with a fork, put on sandwich rolls with mayo. Use the extra sauce in the crock pot for dipping (as “au jus”). Easy and the whole family loves it!

If you don’t have a crock pot, you can put the meat, beer and salsa in a baking dish, cover and bake in 400 oven for about 3 hours.

Crocktoberfest Day #3 Chicken Cacciatore

this is one of my favorite go to recipes – super-easy and everyone in the family loves it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients:
•3 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
•14 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
•6 oz. can tomato paste
•1 cup chicken broth
•1 onion, sliced
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•1 cup sliced mushrooms
•1/2 cup dry red wine
•1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
•1/8 tsp. pepper
•1/2 tsp. salt
•2 Tbsp. cornstarch
•3 Tbsp. water
Preparation:
Put all ingredients except cornstarch and water in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender.
For a thicker sauce, combine cornstarch and water in small bowl and mix well with a fork to remove lumps. Stir into slowcooker; cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes until thickened. Serve with hot cooked pasta, if desired. 6 servings

Crocktoberfest Day 2 SLOW COOKER BEEF STROGANOFF

recipe card

I guess I am hunkering down for winter – here is my second recipe in a row that is for the crock and is all about the beef…

And who can blame me – I made the tri-tip on Monday and let it simmer all day in the slow cooker. It was the warmest, coziest day I’ve had in a long time. There is just something about the smell of dinner in the pot in the late afternoon that is a very good thing…

SLOW COOKER BEEF STROGANOFF

2 lbs. beef (round, sirloin or stew meat)
2 med. onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sm. can mushrooms
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. bouillon
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 c. sour cream mixed with 4 tbsp. flour
Brown beef; add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until onions are golden brown. Put in crock pot with the remaining ingredients. Stir thoroughly. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over pasta or rice.

Please share your favorite crock recipes here. Who knows – you may be included in my next book, The “What’s for Dinner?” Project.

If You Haven’t Figured Out How You’re Going to Cook Your Turkey Yet

Turkey in the Oven

Every year we have two kinds of turkey; boy turkey and girl turkey.

No, we don’t pay extra to have our birds sexed. The boy turkey is the one that Roger puts in the smoker and tends to all Thanksgiving day, and the girl turkey is the one that I get drunk the night before and throw in the oven late Thursday morning.

Roger’s turkey is has tender meat and a dark, smokey skin. So yummy.

My turkey is juicy and savory and falls off the bone.

Since we are all about saving time, I will not tell you the boy recipe – if your husband is crazy enough to want to buy all the stuff to do it, I will not contribute to the madness.

If you want a delicious, easy turkey that requires a large garbage bag to prepare, (really, it’s not as gross as it sounds…) check out this recipe of Emeril’s here.

Plus, I would love to have your recipe for the dish you just can’t do Thanksgiving without. You know I love a new recipe…

Leftovers On Purpose Meals and Free Leftover Chicken Cookbook

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Day #2

Leftovers On Purpose and Free Recipes: Chicken Leftovers into Dinner

“Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories. Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart” ~ Thomas Fuller

Download the Five Best Ways to Use Leftover Chicken (and my favorite – easy – Roasted Chicken recipe.)

My friend Gerry and I were having a deep meaningful talk about Thanksgivings past. No, we weren’t reflecting on all the things we were grateful for, we were remembering our food traditions. (My mouth starts watering just thinking about turkey gravy.)

She told me that one year she was just tired of putting on the whole show, so she decided they would eat in a restaurant. The food was yummy, and they had a great time relaxing and letting someone else cook and clean up. It wasn’t until the next day that Gerry saw the fatal flaw in her plan: No leftovers. How were they going to construct on Friday those turkey-and-cranberry sandwiches with dressing and gravy that were almost as much a tradition as anything that happened on Thursday?

An ode to the leftover!

What is a LOOP meal?

A LOOP meal is a great way to reinvent leftovers. You cook one day, have Left Overs On Purpose, and then use those leftovers to create a great second meal later in the week.

Share with me in the comments your favorite way to use Left Overs On Purpose.

We usually roast about one chicken a week and have about three or four meals from the leftovers. (I can hear you moms of six LOLing as you read this…) Our supermarket has whole chickens on sale about every other week, so this is a great deal for us.

In addition to the suggestions I’ve given you in the download, here are some quick and easy ways to use leftover chicken:

  • Top your salad with it
  • Make Chicken Salad
  • Add it to veggie soup
  • Use it to top a baked potato with broccoli
  • Use it on pita pizzas
  • Put it on Grown Up Grilled Cheese

Finally – we have some amazing bloggers who are taking the challenge in whole new directions – I would HIGHLY encourage you to go to their blogs for some inspiration:

Amy at Homemaker in Training offers you a Master Class in meal planning and getting your shopping list together. Trust me, you want to reach her black belt level of planning.

And if you’ve discovered you are well beyond the newlywed stage and you still haven’t figured out this cooking thing, you’re not alone. Go check out Julie D. great blog about Learning to Cook After 40 and you won’t feel so alone.

 

 

LOOP Meal: BBQ Steak turned into Steakhouse Chili

slowcooker

OK First – what is a LOOP Meal? Here is a description taken from my latest book, THE WHAT’S FOR DINNER? SOLUTION:

LOOP Meals

LOOP (Left Over On Purpose) is a great way to cook one and eat twice. We generally eat our biggest meal on Sundays when the whole family is over. For example, this weekend Roger barbequed steaks . I asked him to throw a couple more on the grill for us to slice up and put on into the chili reciepe below. Cook once, eats twice, Beautiful.

Keep this recipe on hand – it is the perfect meal to throw any left over meat into. Steak chili, turkey chili, chicken chili – anything. Yum.

2 cups          Leftover Steak, chopped
1 cup             Chopped onions
1 clove          Garlic, minced
1-16 oz can   Stewed tomatoes
1-16 oz can   Kidney beans, drained
1-16 oz can   Tomato sauce
3 tsp              Chili powder
1/2 tsp          Basil
1-6 oz can    Tomato paste

 

1. Prepare: In a large saucepan, saute onions, and garlic until the onions are translucent. Put all the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for six - eight hours.

What is your favorite way to use up leftovers?

Menu Monday (The Holiday Edition…) And a Chance to Win The “What’s for Dinner?” Solution

The What's for Dinner Solution Cover

I hope you’ve enjoyed your Labor Day holiday and ate something BBQ-y or something simply summery…

So if you’ve partied had this weekend, it’s time to think about what you are going to have the rest of the week. Don’t let Tuesday catch you by surprise.  Go into the week with a plan – even if it’s a back-of-the-envelope plan.

Tuesday – Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops (recipe can be found here at Epicurious ) with garlic spinach and new potatoes

Wednesday – Every Man for Yourself (or as some of you call it “YOYO” You’re On Your Own.)

Thursday – BBQd Chicken with Asparagus and rice

Friday – Speaking out of town and having dinner at the church (my favorite kind of meal – the kind that’s made by someone else…)

So tell me in the comments what you are eating this week, and you will be entered to win an advance copy of The “What’s for Dinner?” Solution.

 

Our winners from last week are:

Kate St. Amour  and Lynda Williams.

(Be sure to email Sunnie at kathilipp.com to let her know your mailing address!)

Menu Monday – Tell Me What You’re Having for Dinner this Week (and my favorite no cook meal ever…)

chickenwrapups

Last weeks Monday Menu was such a hit we are going to keep going every Monday  – and give away an advance copy of THE WHAT’S FOR DINNER SOLUTION every Monday until October 1st when the book comes out.

I have to say, I LOVED your menus last week. As one poster said “I want to go live at their houses…”  So this week, I’m going to give you two chances to win: 1. Your first chance to win is by posting your menu. 2. If you share one of your favorite recipes in the comments, I will enter you again.

Here in my menu for Monday – Friday

Monday: Eating out (after our weigh in – yep – that’s when we eat it up…)

Tuesday: Sushi (because Roger is at a meeting and he hates sushi…)

Wednesday: Chicken Marsala and Mashed New Potatoes, Asparagas

Thursday: Curry chicken and veggies, on Jasmine Rice

Friday: BBQ Chicken, BBQ Corn, Baked Potatoes

So since I’m asking you to share some of your favorite recipes, I’m re-sharing one of mine. I’m doing this one on Saturday night when we start our Sabbath.

When I shared this recipe before, two people commented that they didn’t have any of these ingredients in their homes and it would be a waste. I don’t want to be wasteful, but once you try this recipe you will want to have it every week. Don’t worry. These ingredients will be used up…

Don’t forget to enter to win!

Asian Chicken Wrap Ups

Prep 20 Minutes

2 cups chopped cooked skinless chicken breast (chop up strips from pre-packaged chicken breasts)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1-1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup crispy rice noodles

Seasoned salt and pepper

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup shredded broccoli slaw

Four to six butter lettuce leaves

1/3 cup Peanut sauce (store-bought)

1/3 cup Asian salad dressing for dipping sauce (store-bought)

 

 

Directions

In a medium glass bowl, combine chicken, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, , green onions, and almonds. Mix well. Season to taste with seasoned salt and pepper. Cover and let set in the refrigerator for an hour.

 

Add small containers each of peanut sauce and Asian dipping sauce to platter.

On platter, arrange lettuce leaves. Divide up the chicken mixture and place a mound of it on each leaf. Top with crispy noodles, carrots and cabbage. Roll up the leaf and dip in one of the sauces.

 

Serves 4 as appetizers, 2 adults as a main course

Menu Monday – What are You Having for Dinner this Week?

The What's for Dinner Solution

I’m Back….

It has been a wild month of travel, MOPS moms, trainings and T-shirts. I left my blog in a corner because I didn’t feel I could give it the attention it deserves.

The other thing that was getting neglected in my house was my meal planning.

With the travel and coming home late and getting up early in the morning, my meal plans took a back seat. Which meant a lot of last minute looking at each other and a lot of rotisserie chickens.

Now don’t get me wrong. I LOVE a rotisserie chicken (especially if it’s a COSTCO rotisserie chicken. To. Die. For.

But when the question becomes not “Should we have rotisserie chicken tonight?” to “What kind of rotisserie chicken should we have?” That’s a problem.

The biggest time, money and energy saver for me is to figure out what I am eating for the week, write it down and put it on the fridge for the world to see. A plan, even if it’s a back-of-an-envelope plan, is a life saver for me.

So, I’ll show you my plan if you show me yours.

I’m doing super accountability here. My plan is that every Monday, I will show you my week’s plan. If you tell me yours by Tuesday night, I will enter you in a drawing for an advance copy of my latest book, THE WHAT’S FOR DINNER SOLUTION.

Just tell me in the comments what you are eating Monday thru Friday. (You can put in the weekend if you are really ambitions.) Some of my best ideas come from hearing what other are eating and copying… I mean, letting that inspire me…

Here is my menu for the week:

Monday- Every Man for Himself (we have a ton of leftovers)

Tuesday – Pepper Corn Steak and Baked Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus

Wednesday – BBQ Pork Loin with Cajun Rice and Salad

Thursday – Going to my mom’s house

Friday – Out of town (eating out)

I know – it looks like I’m cheating. I’m actually only cooking twice this week because of leftovers and going out of town. But isn’t that kinda how life is? If you count in the times that you have to eat on the road because of soccer practice, and then the number of times you could eat leftovers if you planned ahead, or the times that you are eating at a friend’s house, or at your small group, suddenly cooking for a week doesn’t seem so daunting.

So share your menu, and I will randomly pick one winner to receive the book the week before release. But the real prize? Having your meals planned out!