BBQ Burgers & Veggies

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb ground chuck
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 1/4 c barbecue sauce, divided
1 1/2 c sliced zucchini
1 1/2 c sliced yellow squash
1 1/2 c sliced carrots (or baby carrots)
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 c Italian dressing
3 ears corn, halved

Directions
In bowl, mix beef, soup mix & 3/4 cup barbecue sauce. Shape into 6 patties. In a separate bowl, toss the next 5 ingredients. Coat 6 sheets of heavy duty foil (I use 3 layers of regular foil) with cooking spray. Add patties, top with remaining barbecue sauce. Add corn & veggies. Fold foil to enclose, double sealing seams. Grill 15-20 minutes, or until patties are done. Let sit 2-3 minutes. Carefully open & serve. I served ours right out of the tin foil pack. Easy clean-up!

 

 

 

Recipe courtesy First For Women 

Italian Crock Pot Chicken

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It was absolutely delicious. I recommend everyone try this one. You won't be disappointed. My husband & kids also loved it.

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
16 oz bottle of Italian dressing
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
4-6 potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, quartered
1/2 - 1 bag baby carrots

Directions
Spray crock with cooking spray. Squirt a small amount of Italian dressing on the bottom of crock. Place 2 chicken breasts on bottom of crock.  Add some Italian dressing & half of the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Add next 2 chicken breasts (don't place them directly on top the other chicken breasts). Add some Italian dressing & rest of Parmesan cheese. Add carrots. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Place potatoes on top. Pour remaining Italian dressing on potatoes & sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Recipe courtesy: Pinterest

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I love Pot Roast especially after church on Sunday, but I HATE to peel and chop vegetables.  Most of my families' meals are freezer meals. I very rarely "cook" for dinner.  I finally found one that can be prepped and then put in the freezer.  When you are ready to cook, just thaw, and place in the crock pot to cook all day!

Ingredients:
1 package onion soup mix
2 cups hot water
2 pounds beef chuck roast
2 pounds potato, peeled and quartered
2 pounds baby carrots
1 medium onion, quartered

Directions:
Remember, you are NOT cooking this before putting in your freezer.
Start adding vegetables to a gallon freezer bag beginning with the potatoes; this will make sure that the potatoes will be covered up by the onion soup and water that you will add later.  (No brown, icky potatoes!!!!)  Add carrots and onions. 
Mix onion soup mix and hot water together.  Pour over the vegetables in the freezer bag.  If the liquid doesn't cover the potatoes, add enough to cover them.
Place the roast on the top of the veggies.

To serve:
Thaw in refrigerator.  Place all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve.

I have 2 friends that I freezer cook with regularly, and this is one recipe that all of husbands went WOW over!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
2-3 cups raw chicken, cut into pieces
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 8 oz can tomato sauce 
2- 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 cups carrots, chopped
1/2 bag frozen corn
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tbsp chili powder
Handful of cilantro handful, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 c cooked rice
Shredded cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips

Directions
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker (except garnishes). Cook on high 5-6 hours or on low for 8. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese & tortilla chips.


Recipe courtesy: Chrissy K of Ohio

Vegetable Fettuccine

What a wonderful way to use all of those summer garden veggies & who doesn't love pasta. You will find this recipe so easy to prepare. And in about 30 minutes your meal will be on the table. Add a salad & dinner is done!

Ingredients
8 oz uncooked fettuccine (I use whole wheat)
2 medium zucchini, chopped
10-12 baby carrots, sliced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 c white wine
1/2 c Parmesan cheese


Directions
Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Saute the zucchini, carrot, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper in oil in a large skillet until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add tomatoes & garlic; cook 1 minutes longer. Add broth & wine. Bring to boil & cook until liquid is reduced by about half. Add the drained fettuccine & cheese to the skillet. Toss to coat.

Roast Beef Pot Pie

This pot pie was AMAZING! It was super easy to assemble. From start to the table, it was just under an hour. The flavor was delicious. It was a HUGE hit with the entire family (including my picky eater).


Ingredients
10 baby carrots, chopped
6 small red potatoes, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 17 oz package refrigerated beef roast au jus (or leftover roast), coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 c all purpose flour
2 1/4 c beef broth
1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry
1 egg, beaten

Directions
Saute carrots, potatoes & onion in oil until crisp tender in a large skillet. Add the beef roast, salt & pepper. Combine the flour & broth until smooth; gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil. Cook & stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Transfer to a 9-inch deep dish pie plate (it must be this size or it will run over). Place pie pastry over filling. Trim, seal & flute or crimp edges. Cut slits in pastry. Brush with egg. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-30 minutes or until golden brown.


Recipe adapted from Simple & Delicious

Roasted Root Vegetable Medley

Ingredients

8 to 12 slender carrots, peeled and trimmed

8 to 12 baby turnips, peeled

6 to 8 fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise in halves

1 or 2 large parsnips, peeled, trimmed, and cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices

1 or 2 medium onions, trimmed, peeled and halved, each 1/2 cut into quarters

1 or 2 large beets, peeled and cut into thick wedges

1 or 2 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and cut into thick wedges

1 celery root, trimmed and halved, halves cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices

1 whole head garlic, separated into cloves, unpeeled

2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, sage, or thyme

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put all the vegetables and the herb sprigs in a large baking dish. Season well with salt and black pepper, drizzle generously with olive oil, and toss them with your hands to coat them evenly. Put the baking dish in the preheated oven and cook, stirring the vegetables occasionally, until they are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Serve the vegetables from their baking dish or transfer them to a platter to accompany a roasted main course.

Note from Lisa - I did not use celery root, parsnips or kohlrabi in mine, because I could not find them. You can make this recipe with any root veggies you like.

Recipe courtesy - Lisa B of Tennessee

Tuscan Soup

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped

3 small carrots, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

32 oz chicken broth

1 c water

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

15 oz can white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2/3 c spiral pasta

3 c thinly sliced spinach

Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute onion, carrots and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Add the broth, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in beans and pasta. Return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Serve with a few sprinkles of Parmesan cheese.

Lentil and Potato Stew

This stew was so hearty and full of flavor. The lentils were perfectly cooked. If you have never tried lentils, this is a very good recipe to try.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 carton (32 ounces) vegetable broth
3/4 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 large can crushed tomatoes
3-1/2 c frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions
In a Dutch oven, saute onion and carrots in oil until tender. Add the chili powder, garlic, and oregano; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in broth and lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 18-22 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in the tomatoes, potatoes, beans, salt and pepper. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.

Roasted Chicken and Veggies

I just love how my version of roasted chicken turned out. It was tasty and moist. The vegetables were also very good roasted. They all tasted good but we really loved the asparagus and carrots.

Ingredients
1 roasting chicken - can be whole or cut-up
3 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3-4 potatoes
5-6 carrots, cut into chunks
3-4 celery stalks, cut into chunks
1 bunch of asparagus
1 onion, quartered
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice

Directions
Remove chicken from packaging. On the day I made this, I used a whole chicken that was already cut-up because it was on sale. You can use also use a whole chicken. Pat chicken dry. Place chicken on a rack in a foil-lined, shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle lemon juice all over chicken. Rub garlic all over chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Baste occasionally with pan juices. In a large bowl, toss all vegetables with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place vegetables around and on top of chicken. Bake for an additional hour. Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest about 10 minutes before serving.

Shepherd's Pie

This recipe comes courtesy of my mom's local television station. She and my dad love Shepherd's Pie. It is absolutely delicious. Look below the recipe to see step by step pictures.

Ingredients
2 lbs cooked chopped roast lamb or ground beef
1 medium finely chopped onion
2 c brown gravy
Salt and pepper
4 c mashed potato, prepared with milk and seasonings as desired
1/8 tsp paprika
1 tbsp butter
16 oz frozen peas and carrots

Directions
Combine cooked meat, gravy, and chopped onion; season with salt and pepper to taste. Line the bottom of a buttered baking dish with a layer of peas and carrots then half of the seasoned mashed potatoes. Add meat mixture then cover with remaining mashed potatoes. Dot mashed potato topping with butter, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika, then bake for about 30 minutes at 400°, or until potato topping is browned and the Shepherd's pie is thoroughly heated. This shepherd's pie recipe serves 6.

Hamburger Soup

This soup looks so delicious. My friend Michelle sent this to me today. They are currently covered in snow and ice. I love a crock pot full of hot soup on cold days.

Update - I made this soup for the first time in June 2011. It was so good. The family loved it. And keep in mind that you can put in whatever you want to - the soup cannot be messed up.

Ingredients1 lb extra lean ground beef or turkey, browned
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 c hot water
8-oz can tomato sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 c carrots, diced
1 c celery, sliced
1 c macaroni, cooked
Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients except macaroni & Parmesan cheese in crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Turn to high. Add macaroni and Parmesan cheese. Cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Freezer Directions
Make as directed, except for the pasta. Freeze in meal sizes or individual portions. To serve, thaw and reheat in microwave or in the crockpot.  Add cooked pasta when ready to serve.

Recipe courtesy: Michelle R of Ohio

Crockpot Creamy Chicken

My cousin Pam sent this to me. She has made it several times & she said kids even love it. I made it & must say that this was really, really good. I served it with wide, whole wheat egg noodles.

Ingredients
4 to 6 boneless chicken breast halves, skin removed
1/4 c melted butter
salt and pepper, to taste
dried leaf thyme, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (10 1/2 oz) cream of chicken soup
8 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes, can use reduced fat
1/2 c chicken broth
1 c chopped onions
1/2 c chopped celery
Can also add chopped carrots (I added carrots)

Directions
Place chicken breasts in crock pot. Brush the chicken with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add herbs and remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Serve with egg noodles or your favorite pasta. Even good over rice! My tips: Right before serving, I removed the chicken & used a whisk to mix/ smooth all the liquid. It thickened up real nice. Then I added the chicken back into the crock pot & used two forks to shred the chicken. I spooned the chicken, vegetables & gravy over the egg noodles. It was delicious.

Recipe courtesy: Pam B of Arizona

Squash & Veggie Couscous

Another winner! We loved this side dish! You could add all kinds of different veggies.

Ingredients
1 c chicken broth
3/4 c uncooked couscous
2 yellow squash, chopped
3/4 c carrot, chopped
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
1/4 c sweet onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

Directions
In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover & let stand for 5-10 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the squash, carrot, green pepper & onion in butter until tender. Stir in seasonings. Fluff couscous with a fork; toss with vegetable mixture.

Garden Vegetable & Chicken Skillett

Don't you just love those meals that are quick, easy & all in one pan? I do too! You will enjoy this one-skillet dinner.

Ingredients
1 1/2# boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 tbsp butter
3 c fresh baby spinach
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c uncooked instant brown rice
1 1/4 c water
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions
In a large skillet, saute the chicken, squash, onion & carrot in butter for 5-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Drain. Add spinach, garlic, salt, thyme & pepper. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in rice & water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover & simmer for 10-15 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in lemon juice.

Lasagna Stoup

Another hit at my Bistro! This hearty dish is great for a family meal or even for a get together of friends. Add a salad & some garlic bread to complete the meal. I recommend you try this soon!

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1# ground chuck
Salt & pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled & grated
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
One 28-ounce can Italian crushed tomatoes
1 pound lasagna noodles, broken into jagged pieces
1 c basil leaves, torn
1 c whole-milk ricotta
Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, to pass around the table

Directions
In a soup pot, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the beef, season with salt & pepper & cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the onion, carrots & garlic and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water, the chicken broth & tomatoes; cover and bring to a boil. Add the pasta & cook until al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil & season with salt & pepper. Serve the stoup in bowls & dollop with the ricotta. Pass the parmigiano-reggiano at the table.

Recipe courtesy: Rachael Ray magazine

Kielbasa & Bean Soup

Ingredients
1# red potatoes, cut each potato into 8 pieces
2 c carrots, sliced
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/2 c celery, sliced
2 15 oz cans navy or cannellini beans
3 1/2 c chicken broth
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1# kielbasa or smoke sausage, cut into bite size pieces (I like to use turkey kielbasa)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions
Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients, except kielbasa & parsley, inside crock pot. Cover & cook on low setting for 8 hours. Stir in kielbasa & parsley. Cover & cook on low for 30 minutes.

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

I saw a similar recipe in a magazine but I made some changes to it. I cooked it for dinner yesterday & it was like a variation of a chicken pot pie.

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
14 oz chicken broth
1 can chicken gravy
1 can green beans
1 can sliced carrots
1/3 c cold water
2 tbsp corn starch
1 small can french fried onions

Directions
Place chicken, broth, gravy, green beans & carrots in crock pot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Mix cold water & corn starch. Stir into crock pot. Sprinkle with french fried onions. Cook on high for 15 minutes until sauce thickens. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Asian Beef & Noodle Bowl

The kids enjoyed this dinner. It was super quick. I recommend you have everything ready before you even start boiling the water. I added some fresh Italian garlic bread to complete this one dish meal.

Ingredients
4 c water
2 - 3 oz packages Ramen Noodles (any flavor)
2 tsp chili oil or 2 tsp cooking oil plus 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
12 oz beef flank steak or top round steak, cut into thin bite-size strips
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c beef broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 c baby spinach leaves
1 c shredded carrots
1/4 c snipped cilantro (I did not use the cilantro as I am not a big fan of it)

Directions
In a large saucepan, bring the water to boiling. If desired, break up noodles. Drop noodles into boiling water (discard the flavor packets or save for another use). Return to boiling. Boil for 2-3 minutes or until noodles are tender but still firm. Drain noodles. Set aside.
Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef, ginger & garlic. Cook & stir for 2-3 minutes until beef is desired doneness. Stir in beef broth & soy sauce. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat.
Add spinach, carrots & cooked noodles to skillet. Stir to combine. Heat through. Stir in cilantro, if using, just before serving.

Hamburger Casserole

Ingredients
1# ground chuck
2-3 Potatoes, diced
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
6-12 baby carrots, sliced
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3 slices of buttered bread, cubed


Directions
Cook vegetables al dente (almost done, but slightly crisp). Brown ground chuck. Drain. Place meat, vegetables & soup into a 9x13 baking dish. Place cubed (buttered) bread on top of casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.