Monday Meals: Chicken Rice Bake

INGREDIENTS:

*2 - 4 large chicken breasts (depending on how many you are preparing for), boneless and skinless

*1 1/2 cups uncooked rice

*1 can 18 oz Progresso creamy mushroom soup (yup, it's GF!)

*1 cup water

*paprika, poultry seasoning, garlic salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Mix soup and water in a glass 9 x 13 in. baking dish. Add rice evenly to dish. Place chicken breasts on top of liquid-covered rice. Sprinkle chicken breasts with seasoning. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for 45 - 50 minutes or until rice is fully cooked.

*Delicious with fresh, steamed green vegetables.
**I sprinkle my chicken with lemon-pepper seasoning before serving for extra flavor.

Monday Meals: Macaroni & Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

*8 oz velveta cheese

*1/2 cup of milk (more or less)

*1 cup shredded cheese

*salt and pepper to taste

*1 bag Trader Joe's brown rice elbow pasta

DIRECTIONS:

Begin melting velveta over medium heat. Add milk. Once velveta is fully melted, add shredded cheese. Combine with cooked elbow pasta. Season to taste.

*To jazz this simple dish up, try adding tomatoes or salsa!

Monday Meals: Spanish Rice

INGREDIENTS:
*1 cup cooked rice
*1 pound ground turkey
*1 can 8 oz tomato sauce
*2-3 green chilies, diced
*salsa
*cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS:
Brown turkey. Add tomato sauce and diced chilies. Add salsa until sauce begins to thin. Combine with rice. Top with shredded cheese. Serve with lightly fried corn tortillas.

*I add sour cream to any dish that is considered "south of the border". Delicious.

Monday Meals: Orange Chicken Marinade

Ingredients:

*2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

*2-3 Tablespoons orange juice

*1 Tablespoon brown sugar

*1 teaspoon lemon juice

*1 teaspoon orange zest

*1/2 teaspoon rosemary

*dash mint

*gallon size ziplock bag

*2 Tablespoons oil

Directions:

Combine orange juice, brown sugar, lemon juice, orange zest, and herbs in a small bowl. Mix until brown sugar dissolves. Put chicken breasts into ziplock bag. Pour in marinade. Let sit for 2-4 hours. When ready to cook, place oil in large skillet. Add chicken. Cover and brown for 10 minutes on medium-low heat. Flip chicken breasts. Cover and let other side brown for 8-9 minutes. Serve.

*Serve with garlic rosemary fried potatoes and fresh vegetables.

Monday Meals: Cheesy Broccoli Baked Potato

Ingredients:

*4 medium potatoes

*2 heads broccoli

*2+ cups shredded cheese

*butter

*dollop sour cream

*salt, pepper, and seasonings to taste (I use Mrs. Dash's salt free seasonings)

Directions:

Steam broccoli over stove or in rice cooker. Bake potatoes in microwave or wrapped in foil in oven. Shred cheese. Cover potato in butter. Top with broccoli, shredded cheese, sour cream, and seasonings. Enjoy.

*Cooking GF can be simple, as seen by these last two posts (which is laziness on my part)!

Monday Meals: BLT Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

*1 package GF bacon (most varieties ARE GF, but an occasional variety is not)

*1 large tomato

*1 head lettuce

* mayonnaise or Miracle-Whip (not a fan of the "zip" personally)

Directions:

Fry bacon in skillet OR cook in microwave. Slice tomato. Remove leaves of lettuce gently so they do not rip. Place mayo or Miracle-Whip on a piece of lettuce. Add tomatoes slices and bacon. Wrap and devour. Nice and simple.

*If you prefer the more "normal" way to eat a BLT, toast a couple slices of your favorite GF bread. I enjoy my BLTs sans bread, but if you have a GF bread you love, use it!

Monday Meals: Ham Fried Rice

Ingredients:
*3 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
*1 1/2 cup ham, diced
*2 Tablsepoons vegetable oil
*4 eggs
*1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots, thawed
*3-4 Tablespoon La Choy teriyaki sauce (one of the ONLY GF teriyaki sauces I've seen)

Directions:
Fry ham in oil in large skillet. Once ham begins to brown, add eggs to skillet. Scramble. Once eggs have reached desired consistency, add peas and carrots. Cook until thoroughly warm. Add cooked rice and teriyake sauce. Mix until rice is well coated. Serve.

Monday Meals: Corned Beef & Cabbage

Ingredients:

*3-4 lbs point tip or flat tip beef brisket

*1 can chicken broth (or chicken bouillon equivalent)

*1/2 lb peeled baby carrots

*6-8 medium red potatoes, quartered (or smaller)

*1 small head of cabbage, quartered

Directions:

Place meat in crock-pot. Add chicken broth (or bouillon) until it comes half way up the sides of the meat. Place seasoning on top of the meat (generally provided with the meat. If not, lightly sprinkle with coriander, mustard seeds, oregano, black pepper corns, and garlic salt). Set crock-pot to low. Leave alone for 4 hours. Flip. Leave alone for another 4 hours. During last hour in crock-pot, begin vegetables. Place red potatoes in pot. Add water until potatoes are covered. Cover with lid and broil until tender. Put carrots and cabbage in another pot with a couple cups of water. Cover with lid and steam until tender. Once vegetables are done, add to crock-pot with meat. Turn crock-pot to warm for 30 minutes to an hour. Cut meat and serve.

I did not have any photos of the end-product. My apologies.
*Delicious with a large slice of Irish soda bread.
**Now that St. Paddy's Day is through, my "Irish" cuisine is now over. Thanks for having patience with me.

Monday Meals: Sausage, Fried Potatoes, & Green Beans

Ingredients:
*4 sausage links (I LOVE Aidells. SO many delicious flavors. See note below)

*2 Tablespoons oil (whatever works best for you)

*12 medium red potatoes (3 potatoes per person), quartered (or smaller)

*2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

*2 teaspoons garlic, minced

*1 teaspoon dried rosemary

*salt and pepper to taste

*1/2 lbs fresh green beans, ends snapped off

*4 Tablespoons butter

*dash of lemon juice

*salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute sausage in skillet. Place potatoes in microwave-safe bowl with a Tablespoon of water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for approximately 5 minutes (potatoes should be tender, not fully cooked). Put tender potatoes in skillet with vegetable oil. Add garlic and rosemary. Fry for approximately 2 minutes. Stir. Fry another 2 minutes. Stir once more. Fry for a final 2 minutes, until potatoes are soft and fully cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. In large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Blanch green beans for 2-3 minutes, until crisp. Using clean skillet, brown butter. Once brown, add green beans and dash of lemon juice and saute for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

*Aidells provides nutritional/allergen information in their FAQs section. I have copied the portion regarding gluten free for your convenience:Gluten, Soy and dairy are ingredients which we use in some of our sausages, meatballs and other items. Aidells products with gluten are Spicy Mango & Jalapeno Sausage, Teriyaki Meatballs, Spicy Bacon & Bleu Cheese Char-Broilers and Bacon & Cheddar Char-Broilers.*There are a couple dozen remaining flavors that ARE gluten free. Try them out. They are delicious.

Monday Meals: Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

*1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped and cooked

*1 can 20 oz enchilada sauce (we use Rosarita's)

*1 can 12 oz evaporated milk

*12-16 small corn tortillas

*2-3 cups shredded cheese (I prefer a LOT of cheese)

*1/4 cup black olives, diced (optional)

*green onions, diced (optional)

Directions:

Cover 9 x 13 glass pan with thin layer of enchilada sauce. Begin layering pan with tortillas, cheese, chicken, and black olives. Tortillas can be torn and added along with cheese, chicken, and olives (casserole method) OR cheese, chicken, and olives can be rolled in tortillas (standard method). If using casserole method, add portion of enchilada sauce and evaporated milk between layers. If using standard method, pour all enchilada sauce and evaporated milk evenly over tortillas. Top with green onions. Bake uncovered for in oven preheated to 350 for 35 minutes.

*There are SO many ways to prepare enchiladas; this recipe is similar to the mr.'s mother's recipe. Green chili sauce, pork, beef... the possibilities are endless.

**Great with refried beans or corn.

Pictured without green onions.

Monday Meals: Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients:
*8 oz polish sausage, thinly sliced
*1/2 small onion, diced
*2 cans 15 oz kidney beans (light, dark, or both)
*1 can 15 oz tomato sauce
*salt, pepper, garlic salt, and cajun spice (to taste)
*dash of white wine vinegar (or similar vinegar)
*2-3 cups white rice, cooked

Directions:
Saute onion and sausage until unions are transparent. Add tomato sauce, seasonings, and vinegar. Bring sauce to boil and add beans. Cook for ten minutes, until sauce thickens. Serve over rice. Garnish with finely chopped scallions or parsley.

*This meal is great served with GF corn bread. Perfect for a cold day.

Pictured with cubed meat in addition to sausage.

Monday Meals: Chicken Tomato Alfredo

Ingredients:

*1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into 1in pieces

*1 stick butter, softened

*1 pack 8 oz cream cheese, softened

*3/4 cup milk

*1-2 medium tomatoes (I prefer a lot), finely chopped

*Herbs and spices for seasoning

*1 pack Trader Joe's GF Brown Rice Pasta Fusilli

Directions:

In a larger skillet, cook chicken pieces. Once chicken is fully cooked, drain. Return skillet to heat and add softened butter cream cheese. When butter and cream cheese are melted, add milk, tomatoes, and seasonings of choice (basil, garlic salt, and black pepper are a good match). Stir, cover, and keep over low heat. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add pasta fusilli noodles. STIR CONTINUOUSLY.GF noodles WILL stick and glue together if not constantly moving. Cook time on package does not necessarily reflect real cook time (I find that noodles are perfect if cooked one to two minutes AFTER water has turned cloudy white AND a film appears along the sides of the pot above the water line). Taste test to know if right for you. Strain WELL; do not rinse (rinsing the noodles causes sauce not to adhere to noodles). Add to skillet and use pasta spoon to stir into sauce.

Serves: 4 - 6

*Season a couple pieces of your favorite GF bread with butter, garlic salt, and basil. Place in oven at 325 for 3-4 minutes for delicious garlic bread.

Pictured with broccoli in place of tomato, equally as scrumptious!