Easy Chinese Stirfry

-Heidi P.

Tried this one a few days ago and really enjoyed it.  The flavors are good, it's easy to put together, and I actually had most of the ingredients on hand.  The recipe calls for pork, but I only had chicken, so that's what I used.  I also added some yellow bell pepper for a little more color.

Ingredients:
1 tsp. oil
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices
3 carrots, sliced
1/3 cup KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup brown rice

Directions:
Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat and carrots; cook and stir 5 min.

Meanwhile, begin cooking the rice according to package directions.

Stir in dressing and hoisin sauce; stir-fry 7 min. or until carrots are crisp-tender, stirring frequently.

Add onions; cook 1 min.

Calzones

Calzones
-Heidi P.

This recipe is a favorite in our house because it's versatile and easy.  You can mix it up and use whatever ingredients you have on hand and whatever flavor combination you want  Plus, if John is in the mood for ham and cheese and I'm in the mood for feta and spinach, we can each have what we want!

1 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
16 slices  Deli Honey Ham
1 cup Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese
1/4 cup Ranch Dressing
1 tomato, cut into 8 thin slices

Other great combinations taste-tested include:
Pepperoni and Cheese
Spinach and Feta
Bacon and Onion

Heat oven to 400°F. Unroll pizza dough on lightly floured surface. Pat out dough to form 16x12-inch rectangle. Cut into quarters.

Top dough with ham to within 1/2 inch of sides. Mix cheese and dressing; spread on ham. Top with tomatoes. Fold each rectangle in half; seal edges with fork. Put on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 16 to 18 min. or until golden brown.

Serve with a side salad and some pasta/pizza sauce for dipping.  Delicious!

Linguine with Peppery Beef Strips

-Christine B.

I like to make this dish from leftover sirloin steak I'd grilled earlier in the week.

Tip: this recipe calls for 1 c. beef broth. If you use canned broth, and need to store your leftover broth for the long term, place remaining broth in a Ziploc sandwich bag and store in your freezer. This also works well for when a recipe calls for only the whites or yolks of the egg, simply freeze the unused portion.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean beef steak
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper (or if you only have regular pepper on hand, use 1 1/2 tsp)
3 tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onion
1 tbs. cornstarch
1 c. beef broth
8 oz linguine
1 c. julienned carrots (to save time, buy the "matchstick" carrots in your grocer's produce case)
optional: 1 c. green pepper, seeded and sliced thin; 8 oz sliced mushrooms

Directions:
Slice steak into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Mix oregano, basil, pepper, olive oil, garlic and green onions in a shallow dish. Add steak; toss to coat. Heat water for pasta.

Dissolve cornstarch in broth. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak; stir fry for about 3 minutes.

Remove steak. Stir broth mixture into skillet. Boil, stirring continually, for about 1 minute. Return steak to skillet. Add carrots and optional items, if desired; cook for 5 minutes.

Drain pasta and add to skillet; toss with steak and vegetables. Serve immediately.

Chad liked this dish with some red pepper flakes. I personally think the black pepper added enough heat on its own. Joe (my 7-year-old) likes to add Parmesan cheese to his.

Zucchini Grinders/Subs

Zucchini Grinders/Subs - Or a Twist on Zucchini Parmesan

1 tablespoon butter or a spoonful of olive oil
3 medium zucchini, cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1 pinch red pepper flakes - or just throw a ton in there like I do.
1 cup marinara/pasta sauce
1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 (6 inch) sub rolls, split

The sub rolls are optional.  If you want a quicker meal without all the bread, just skip placing the mixture in the sub rolls and simply put into bowls and enjoy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Melt butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion to the skillet and cook until translucent and tender. Fry the zucchini in butter/oil until browned and slightly tender. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and stir in the marinara/pasta sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is heated.

Spoon a generous amount of the zucchini/onion mixture into each sandwich roll. Top with a handful of shredded mozzarella.  Wrap each roll individually in aluminum foil.  I usually tape them shut mostly because I'm not good at eyeballing the amount of foil necessary even after years of making these.

Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until bread is heated through, and cheese is melted.

English Muffin Pizzas

English Muffin Pizzas
-Heidi P.

Yes, it may sound ridiculous or juvenile, but nothing is quicker and easier, and has more ability to personalize the meal than individual pizzas. 

Whole Grain English Muffins
Pizza or Pasta Sauce
Cheese (any kind, really)
Seasonings - Garlic, Basil, Oregano, Crushed Red Pepper, etc.
Toppings - Spinach, Mushrooms, Pepperoni, Ham, Pineapple, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Sausage, Onion, Feta, Cheddar - the sky is the limit!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Layer sauce, seasonings, toppings, & cheese onto english muffin.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese has melted (longer if you want the muffin to be crunchy).

Herbed Corn on the Cob

Chicken fajitas, steak and grilled chicken are just a few main dishes this side compliments so well. Remove the corn from the leftover cooked cobs. Freeze; keep on hand to make muffins, pancakes or corn bread.

I found baking the corn in the foil made the corn very juicy and tender, much more so than simply boiling it and will bake my corn from now on--herbs or no herbs.


Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4. tsp. pepper
1 tbs. chopped fresh parsley (dried: 1 tsp.)
1 tbs. chopped fresh rosemary (dried: 1 tsp.)
6 ears frozen or fresh, shucked corn on the cob

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (I used 400 degrees for frozen cobs). Combine butter, salt, pepper, parsley and rosemary in a small bowl; mix well.

Cut six 12-inch pieces of heavy duty foil. Spread about 1 tbs. butter mixture onto each ear of corn, reserving remaining butter mixture.

Place 1 ear of corn diagonally on each piece of foil. Roll up tightly; twist ends to seal. Place on a baking sheet.

Bake corn for 30 minutes. Carefully untwist the ends of the foil; unroll. If desired, fold the edges of foil up around each ear of corn to form a "boat." Top corn with a small dollop of remaining butter mixture.

Variation: The butter mixture will be zestier if 1 tbs each Dijon mustard and horseradish are used instead for the herbs.

Bacon-Tomato Fusilli Pasta

I found this dish on the back of a pasta package and gave it a try. It was good, however, for our tastes it was a tad bit bland--but good enough to keep and tweak to our liking.

I'm going to list the ingredients as is for those that prefer a more subtle flavor to their meals. I found adding more back pepper and sprinkling some red pepper flakes gave it a kick it was lacking.

Ingredients:

16 oz package fusilli pasta
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2-1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. In large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Blend in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in cheese, parsley, bacon, tomato and pasta, toss to coat. Heat through. Serve immediately.