Nacho Ordinary Taco Salad with Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing (Meal Planning 101)

Beef:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup salsa
Salt & pepper

Salad:
1 head of romaine lettuce, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 diced red or green pepper
1 cup light old cheddar, shredded (surprisingly, you can't even tell it's lower in fat/calories. The cheese flavor is really bold)
4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
2 whole wheat tortillas, cut into strips

Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing:
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 lime, zested
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add your ground beef, onions, jalapeno and garlic and saute until cooked through. Stir in chili powder and cumin and allow to cook for about a minute. Add the grape tomatoes, salsa and salt and pepper and cook for two minutes until the flavors have combined and the tomatoes soften. Remove from the heat and set aside.

While the beef is cooking, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut two tortillas into strips (I like to use kitchen scissors) and throw onto a baking sheet. Toss them with a little bit of oil or spray with cooking spray and place in oven until crispy and brown. This will only take a couple minutes. Set aside to cool.

To make the dressing, blend all ingredients together in a blender. Pour into a resealable glass jar.

To assemble the salad, arrange the lettuce on the bottom of a serving platter (or individual plates). Top with beef, corn, beans, red pepper, cheese, green onions and avocado slices. Pour on the dressing and top with a few crispy tortilla chips.

Menu Plan 9/19/11 - 10/1/11

Dinner:

9/19 - Tomato Basil Soup http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/09/tomato-basil-soup-everyday-occasions.html and Pesto, Havarti grilled cheese.

9/20 - Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/09/crock-pot-hawaiian-bbq-chicken-six.html/rice/broccoli and cauliflower

9/21 - White Chicken Chili http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/02/white-chicken-chili-allisons.html/cornbread

9/22 - Rachel Ray's Tilapia http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/09/parmesan-crusted-tilapia-rachel-ray.html/green beans/rice pilaf

9/23 - Tyler Florence's Meatloaf  http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/09/tyler-florences-meatloaf.html/mashed potatoes/corn

9/24 - Aimee's Mexican Pot Pie http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/04/mexican-pot-pie-aimee.html/salad

9/25 - Spinach Tortellini Bake http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/05/tortellini-spinach-bake-in-creamy-lemon.html/peas/garlic bread

9/26 - Southwest Stuffed Peppers http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/09/southwest-stuffed-bell-peppers-our-best.html

9/27- Spaghetti and meatballs/salad/bread

9/28 - Chile Cheese Bake http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/09/chili-cheese-bake-whats-on-your-plate.html/salad/rice

9/29 - Double Crunch Pork Chops http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/09/double-crunch-honey-garlic-pork-chops.html/asparagus/biscuits

9/30 - Hudson's Tilapia http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/03/hudsons-baked-tilapia.html/baked potato/broccoli

10/1 - Nacho Salad

Chili Cheese Bake (What's On Your Plate)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 12 ounces bottled salsa verde (I like Herdez)
• 10 to 12 corn tortillas, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
• 3 roasted poblano chiles, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °.
2. Grease a large baking dish.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sour cream and salsa verde.
4. Add the tortillas, cheese, and chiles.
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish.
6. Sprinkle the paprika and parsley over the top.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
8. Serve hot.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 45 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops (Rock Recipes)

6 center loin pork chops, well trimmed

Sift together:
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground sage
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Make an egg wash by whisking together:
2 eggs
4 tbsp water

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then dip the chops in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the chop into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the chop to get good contact.
Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chops do not brown too quickly on the outside before they are fully cooked on the inside. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.
Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked chops into the Honey Garlic Sauce. Serve with noodles or rice.

Honey Garlic Sauce
In a medium saucepan add
2 tbsp olive oil
3 – 4 cloves minced garlic

Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown. Add:
1 cup honey
¼ cup soya sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper

Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.

Tyler Florence's Meatloaf

 

Ingredients

• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and finely diced
• 2 tomatoes, halved, seeded and finely diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• kosher salst and freshly ground black pepper
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 3 eggs
• leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 3 slices white bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic and bay leaves for a few minutes to a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 10 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.

In a large mixing bowl soak the bread pieces in the whole milk. Set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with the ground pork and mix well. Squeeze out the milk from the bread and add the bread to mixing bowl. Add the eggs, 1 cup of the tomato relish, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Mix well with hands. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.

Take a small baking tray and line with parchment paper. Form the meat into a loaf shape on the tray and top with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish.

Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the juices run clear and meat is tender -- it should spring back lightly when pressed. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side.