May 2010 Dinner Plans

Note: Until I make the meal I'm going to link to the site where I got the recipe/idea from. I'll post my version and/or comments after I've made the meal.


Crockpot Mustard Chicken
Indian Lentil Stuffed Eggplant
Shrimp Primavera
Crockpot Cherry Chicken
Crockpot Indian Lamb Curry
Lime and Cumin Shrimp or Fish

Meatballs- Endo Diet Friendly Version

Here's the Endo Diet Friendly version of my meatball recipe.

1 1/2 lb turkey

3/4 cup oatmeal (gluten free)

3/8 cup alternative milk

Worcestershire sauce alternative:

  1 tsp tamarind paste

  1 tbsp gluten-free tamari

  1 tsp cloves

  1/8 onion

  3 drops lemon juice

  1/4 tsp molasses 

1 small onion

1 tbsp flax seed

3 tbsp water

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Mix Worcestershire sauce alternative ingredients in small food processor until finely ground.  Mix flax seed with water in a cup or small bowl and let stand for 2 minutes.   Combine all ingredients and shape into meatballs. Place in 9x13 pan, making sure to leave room between the meatballs. Cook 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

Makes about 12 meatballs.

Enchiladas in Green Sauce

I used the tomatillo salsa from Simply Recipes (minus the peppers) as the green sauce.  It was good and different than a tomato-based sauce.

1 lb chicken breasts, ground beef, ground turkey or 2 cups cooked beans (or any combination of these)
7 tomatillos
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
juice of 1 lime
1/4 tsp agave nectar
shredded cheese (optional- not Endo Diet friendly, but I put it in the ones for my husband)
at least 8 small tortillas (corn are Endo Diet friendly most of the time)

To make green sauce, remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse.   Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet.  Broil for 5-7 minutes or until lightly blackened.  Place in food processor with onion, cilantro, lime and agave nectar.

For ground meat, cook onions and garlic for about 5 minutes over medium heat, then add in and brown ground meat.  Then mix in half the enchilada sauce.

For chicken, put chicken breasts in a small sauce pan with half the enchilada sauce.  Simmer for 1 1/2 hours and then shred chicken.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After filling is cooked, light grease the bottom of large casserole or baking dish with olive oil and then coat with half the remaining enchilada sauce.  Fill with filling and cheese (if using) and roll enchilada, placing seam side in dish.  After all enchiladas are rolled, spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese (optional).  Bake for 20 minutes or until light browned.

Serves 4-6.

Crockpot Easter Lamb

This is a crockpot version using the rub that my mother-in-law uses.  It turned out really well and was very moist.  Lamb in the oven tends to dry out.

Lamb (I used a small shank (1 1/2 lbs), but for a larger group you can use a whole leg)
2 tsp dill
1 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 salt
1/2 cup wine

Rub lamb with spices.  Place lamb in crockpot and pour in wine (without washing spice rub off lamb).  Cook on low for 4 hours for a small lamb shank; a large leg will take about 8 hours on low.

Meatloaf- Endo Diet Friendly Version

I modified my meatloaf recipe to make it Endo Diet Friendly.


1 1/2 lb ground turkey 

2/3 cup alternative milk (almond, etc.)

Worcestershire sauce alternative:

  1 tsp tamarind paste

  1 tbsp gluten-free tamari

  1 tsp cloves

  1/8 onion

  3 drops lemon juice

  1/4 tsp molasses 

1 tsp fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 cup gluten-free oatmeal

Flaxseed egg alternative:

  2 tbsp flax seed

  6 tbsp water

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp Dijon mustard

pepper

Sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 tbsp agave nectar

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp sage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix Worcestershire sauce alternative ingredients in small food processor until finely ground.  Mix flax seed with water in a cup or small bowl and let stand for 2 minutes.  

Mix loaf ingredients and place in loaf pan. Mix sauce ingredients in small bowl and pour half over top of loaf. Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 F.

Pour remaining sauce over meatloaf before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings

April 2010 Dinner Plans

Note: Until I make the meal I'm going to link to the site where I got the recipe/idea from. I'll post my version and/or comments after I've made the meal.

Fish in a Packet
Chicken and Dumplings (for my husband's birthday...not Endo diet friendly...I'm having leftover fish)

Easter Dinner:
 Crockpot Easter Lamb
 Mashed Potatoes (with olive oil instead of butter and almond milk instead of regular milk)
 Broccoli in Coconut Milk (with almonds for me and cheese for my husband)

Crockpot Pesto Chicken and Sweet Potatoes-Endo Diet Friendly version
Meatloaf and Meatloaf- Endo Diet Friendly Version (I'm making a regular one for my husband and an Endo diet friendly one for me)
Pina Colada Shrimp
Chicken in Almond Butter Satay Sauce
Crockpot Acorn Squash Stuffed with Turkey, Apple, Cranberries and Pecans
Enchiladas in Green Sauce
Spaghetti and Meatballs (beef for my husband and turkey Endo Diet friendly for me)

Crockpot Pesto Chicken and Sweet Potatoes- Endo Diet Friendly Version

I made this recipe a couple of months ago before starting the Endo diet.  It's originally from A Year of Slow Cooking.  Luckily it's really easy to make Endo diet friendly, you just don't have the cheese (well, I won't but I'll put in on my husband's portion).

Pesto:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (I like it with limes)
4 garlic cloves
2 cups fresh basil
2 tablespoons pinenuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pecans (etc)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

4 chicken breast halves
sliced mozzarella cheese (optional)
aluminum foil or parchment paper
4 small sweet potatoes or a mix of sweet potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes, washed well, skin on

In a food processor or blender, combine the ingredients for your pesto. When liquidy, taste. If you need to add more citrus or salt or pepper, do so now.

In the bottom of a large slow cooker, arrange your chicken pieces. Pour pesto evenly on top. Cover with a layer of foil or parchment paper. Scrub sweet potatoes well, prick with a fork, and lay them on top of the paper or foil. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. If your chicken is frozen it will take a bit longer. 

Carefully remove the potatoes with tongs, and remove foil or parchment. 

For any portions that are having cheese, you can put the cheese on top of the chicken and place under the broiler until the cheese melts.

Crockpot Jamaican Pumpkin Soup

I wasn't impressed.  It wasn't pumpkiny enough.  Here's the link to the original recipe at A Year of Slow Cooking.

Shrimp Primavera

I made this as Lenten Friday meal.  Both my husband and I liked it a lot, and it's pretty easy to make.  I based this off of Mom's Pasta Primavera from Simply Recipes, but I used olive oil instead of tomato sauce because we've had a lot of tomato sauce lately.

3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 zucchini, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
4-5 cloves, garlic
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more to taste
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 lb pasta (gluten free for endo diet)
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lb boiled shrimp

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil.  Add vegetables and Italian seasoning, and cook for about 15 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  After draining pasta, toss with a bit of olive oil and Italian seasoning.

After vegetables have cooked for 15 minutes, add tomatoes and cook for 1-2 additional minutes or until tomatoes have soften.  Mix vegetables, pasta, and shrimp in serving bowls.  Leave shrimp separate for any servings that will be leftovers and add after reheating.

Serves 4.

Grecian Chicken with Pasta

This recipe is from Gluten-Free Cooking for Dummies.  It was pretty good but the original doesn't have enough sauce, so I'm going to double the sauce ingredients.

3 tbsp olive oil
4-6 chicken breasts
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups tomato sauce
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb gluten-free pasta

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute the chicken and onions in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the chicken is browned on both sides.  Transfer to a roasting pan.

Stir in the tomato sauce, chicken broth, white wine, cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Bake for 1 hour, until the chicken is very tender, covering with foil if necessary to prevent excess browning.

Boil the pasta until just barely tender, and drain.  Stir spaghetti into the chicken and sauce and return to the oven for 15 minutes, stirring the spaghetti every 5 minutes, adding water if necessary.

Serves 4-6.

Vegetable Ratatatouille

I found this recipe in The Gluten-Free Vegan book.  I've removed the peppers and mushrooms that were in the original recipe since I don't really like them.  I also didn't use the sweet potatoes or garbanzo beans this time since I didn't feel like having them.  I made my husband some steak and I ate it with lentils and pinto beans.  I thought it turned out well (despite forgetting to add the garlic), but I'm definitely in need of a break from tomatoes.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion

3 large carrots, chopped

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into cubes

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 small zucchinis, sliced

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1 tbsp basil

1 tsp Italian seasoning 

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp coarse kosher salt

Pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onions.  Saute until it begins to soften, then add the carrots, eggplant, and garlic.  Continue to saute for 5 minutes.  Add the zucchini, tomatoes, vegetable stock, and seasonings, and continue to cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender but not mushy.  Season with salt and pepper, and adjust herbs if desired.

Serves 4.

Crockpot Chicken "Makhani"- the Endo Diet modified version

Here's the original recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking that I mostly followed last time.  I'm modifying it to make it Endo Diet friendly.  Using 3-4 breasts leaves enough sauce to eat separately with some rice. Yummy.

4-6 chicken breasts
1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil (unrefined, unbleached)
1 tsp cardamom
2 tsp mild curry
2 tsp garam masala (I found this in the Asian section at my local store label Chicken Masala...there are other slight variations)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 can coconut milk
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
juice of 1/2 large lemon or 1 small
1 cup almond paste  (this is NOT the baking almond paste)


Almond Paste
1 3/4 cup almonds, soaked overnight
Water


Blanch almonds by putting in boiling water for exactly 7 seconds.  Place immediately in a large bowl of ice water and pop off skins.  Grind in food processor, adding water as needed to make a paste.


Put chicken in crockpot and add garlic, onion, and all the spices.  Add the coconut oil and tomato paste, and then the lemon juice and coconut milk.  Cook on 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.  Add almond paste about 15 minutes before serving and stir in.


Serves 4-6.

Shepherd's Pie

I based this off of the Simply Recipes's Easy Shepherd's Pie.  I used half ground turkey (for me...to make it Endo Diet-friendly) and half ground beef (to make it husband friendly) and put cheese only on his half.  It was good but the meat could have used a bit of sage, thyme and/or rosemary since I didn't use Worchestershire sauce (I was pretty much out and I looked at the ingredients...and decided not to buy it).  I definitely add some of those next time.  You can add additional or different vegetables depending on what you like and have around.

1 1/2 lbs ground meat (lamb, beef, turkey or any combination)
3-4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 head of broccoli, chopped
2-3 shallots, chopped
2 lbs. potatoes (I used red), scrubbed and quarted, but not peeled
4-6 tbsp olive oil
1 cup almond milk (or other alternative milk)
Shredded cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Put potatoes in a large pot of cold water, bring to a boil and continue to boil for 20 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking, saute carrots, broccoli, and shallot in about 2-3 tbsp olive oil for 5-7 minutes, then add meat and brown meat.  Remove from heat, add spices and mix throughly.

Place meat and vegetable mix in a baking dish or large casserole.  Drain potatoes and place them back in the hot pot they were cooked in. Mash potatoes, adding remaining olive oil and alternative milk.  Spread mashed potatoes on top of the meat and vegetable mix.  Add cheese if desired.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6.

Enchiladas

This recipe is based off a recipe in the Sneaky Chef book.  I used pinto beans and chicken (both are Endo Diet-friendly), but you could use ground beef or turkey like the recipe in the book.  My husband and I liked it but I should have add just a tad more cumin.

1 lb chicken breasts, ground beef, ground turkey or 2 cups cooked beans (or any combination of these)
2 cloves garlic, chopped or about 1 1/2 tbsp of garlic powder
1 onion, chopped
1 10 oz can tomato puree
1/4 cup Orange Puree
1/4 cup White Puree
1/4 cup White Bean Puree
1/2 cup Green Puree
at least 1/2 tbsp cumin
at least 1 tsp oregano
at least 1/2 tbsp pepper
at least 1 tsp coriander
shredded cheese (optional- not Endo Diet friendly, but I put it in the ones for my husband)
at least 8 small tortillas (corn are Endo Diet friendly most of the time)

Mix spices, tomato puree and other purees in a medium bowl to make the enchilada sauce.

For ground meat, cook onions and garlic for about 5 minutes over medium heat, then add in and brown ground meat.  Then mix in half the enchilada sauce.

For chicken, put chicken breasts in a small sauce pan with half the enchilada sauce.  Simmer for 1 1/2 hours and then shred chicken.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After filling is cooked, light grease the bottom of large casserole or baking dish with olive oil and then coat with half the remaining enchilada sauce.  Fill with filling and cheese (if using) and roll enchilada, placing seam side in dish.  After all enchiladas are rolled, spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese (optional).  Bake for 20 minutes or until light browned.

Serves 4-6.

March 2010 Dinner Plans

Note: Until I make the meal I'm going to link to the site where I got the recipe/idea from. I'll post my version and/or comments after I've made the meal.


Crockpot Chicken "Makhini"- the Endo Diet Modified Version
Crockpot Jamaican Pumpkin Soup (with an Coconut Milk to make it Endo Diet friendly)
Spaghetti Squash with Ground Turkey
Shrimp Primavera
Grecian Chicken with Pasta
Vegetable Ratatouille with Beans (and Beef for my husband)

Steelhead Trout with Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic

We had this meal for Ash Wednesday.  It was ok, but not fabulous.  It's from Recipezaar.

1 lb steelhead trout fillet
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 1/2 tbsp chopped rosemary
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Line a baking dish with foil and rub with olive oil.  Preheat broiler.

Grind garlic, rosemary and lemon in food processor.  Rub spice paste over fillet.  Place fish skin-down in baking dish.

Broil on second rack from heat for 5 minutes, watching to make sure that herbs don't burn.  Turn oven to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through.

Serves 3-4

Crockpot Thai Chicken

Another flop.  I tried to modify a Thai curry taking out the curry paste, but the result was too bland.  Go to A Year of Slow Cooking and make the real recipe, it's not worth me posting the recipe I used.

Crockpot Lasagna

I started doing the Endo Diet, so I used gluten-free noodles for this.  This isn't completely Endo Diet compatible since it has cheese, but I was working my way in.  This recipe is from A Year of Slow Cooking.  I wasn't very impressed with how this turned out.  I don't know if it was just the crockpot cooking or the rice noodles (Crockpot Lady used the same though).

I'm just going to link to her recipe.  Hopefully it works better for others.  I'll make lasagna again in the oven with rice noodles using my regular lasagna recipe.

Crockpot Azorean Beef Stew

This is another A Year of Slow Cooking recipe.  It was pretty good and the only change I made was using half the cinnamon and no red pepper flakes.  This stew was good and had a different taste than just plain beef stew.

1 lb beef chuck stew meat
5-6 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
2 potatoes, chopped in 1 inch chunks
3 green onions, chopped
3 cups beef stock
1 cup baby tomatoes, cut in quarters, or 2 large chopped tomatoes
1 cup baby carrots, or 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 T kosher salt 
1 tsp all spice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin
1 cinnamon stick


Put the meat in the crockpot.  Add the broth.  Chop the vegetables and add to crockpot.  Stir in the salt, all spice and cumin.  Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6.  As the Crockpot Lady says, stew tastes better when you cook it longer and slow (at a lower temperature).


Serves 6-8.

February 2010 Dinners

Note: Until I make the meal I'm going to link to the site where I got the recipe/idea from. I'll post my version and/or comments after I've made the meal.


Azorean Beef Stew
Lasagna with Ground Turkey
Thai Chicken 
Steelhead Trout with Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic
Red Beans and Rice
Enchiladas
Shepherd's Pie

Boiled Shrimp

The precooked shrimp that you can get at the grocery store usually tend to be a bit tough to me.  Boiled shrimp is quick and easy.

Uncooked shrimp, devained but not peeled (you can add whatever amount as long as you have enough water and room in the pot).
Spices needed:
pepper
oregano
sage
marjoram
thyme
Herbes de Provence (optional)
coriander

Place spices to taste (add at least 1/2 tbsp of each when doing 1 lb shrimp) in a pot of water.  Once water is boiling, add shrimp (they can be frozen).  Remove shrimp, using a slotted spoon, as they float to the surface and are pink, which should take less than 5 minutes.

Can be adjusted for what

Fettucine Alfredo

I love Fettucine Alfredo.  It's a very simple dish, but is so tasty.  It's great for a night when you don't have much time to cook.

1 lb fettuccine
1/3 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigano-Reggino
Grated nutmeg and black pepper to taste

Cook pasta al dente and drain.  While pasta cooks, heat large skillet over medium-low heat.  Melt butter then add cream.
Two options for adding the cheese:

1. Stirring constantly, add cheese and cook sauce for 1 minute.  Season with nutmeg and pepper. Pour sauce over noodles.
2. According to Pioneer Woman, you can just put half the grated cheese in a large serving bowl/casserole dish, pour the butter & cream mixture over the cheese without stirring.  Then you put the noodles on top immediately after draining.  Toss to combine, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.  (I'm going to try this next time I make it).

Crockpot Mustard Beef (or Chicken)

This was a very yummy and simply beef recipe, and not surprisingly it's from A Year of Slow Cooking.  Beef is so good in the crockpot since it stays tender.  The only thing I might change is using more molasses and mustard for the sauce (1/2 cup of each instead of 1/3 cup).  You can also use 4-6 chicken breasts instead of the beef and make it endo diet friendly.

3 lbs beef roast (use a cut labeled for pot roast)
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

This is another one where it's great to toss in a plastic bag in the fridge overnight.  Dump everything in the plastic bag or crockpot.  Flip the beef over a couple times in crockpot to make sure both side are evenly coated.  Cook for 7 hours on low.

Serves 4-6

Crockpot Lamb with Mint

Lamb with mint is a classic combination so I thought I'd try it in the crockpot.  I made a mistake on this by add the mint at the beginning of the cooking time.  It tasted fine, but it wasn't minty at all.  Lamb in the crockpot is so much better since it's easy to keep it from drying out.  I used a Sneaky Chef puree in this.  I'll definitely try this again adding the mint at the end.

1 1/2-2 lbs lamb shank
1/4 cup Green Puree
1/2 cup white wine
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups fresh mint leaves, chopped in food processor

Place lamb in the crockpot.  Add Green Puree and garlic.  Pour in white wine.  Cook on low for 7-9 hours.  Add mint 15 minutes before serving.

Crockpot Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

This is another A Year of Slow Cooking recipe.  This is very tasty and not spicy hot (since I didn't use the cayenne pepper), but very flavorful.  She uses cardamom pods, but my store only had ground cardamom which worked fine.  I used 4 chicken breasts and had the leftover sauce with some brown rice which was very good.

4-6 chicken breasts
1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp cardamom
2 tsp mild curry
2 tsp garam masala (I found this in the Asian section at my local store label Chicken Masala...there are other slight variations)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 can coconut milk
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
juice of 1/2 large lemon or 1 small
1 cup plain yogurt (to add at the end)


Put chicken in crockpot and add garlic, onion, and all the spices.  Add the butter and tomato paste, and then the lemon juice and coconut milk.  Cook on 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.  Add plain yogurt about 15 minutes before serving and stir in.


Serves 4-6.

Crockpot Cuban Pork

This is a combination of Cuban Pork recipes, including this All Recipes one, modified for the crockpot.  The citrus is a really tasty accompaniment to the pork.  My husband like it on tortillas.

2-3 lb pork loin
at least 2 tsp cumin
at least 1 tsp oregano
4 cloves garlic, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
juice of 1 orange
Ground pepper to taste

This is great if you put in all in a plastic bag overnight before putting in the crockpot.  In the morning, cook for 8-10 hours.  Serve with black beans with oregano and brown rice.

Serves 6-8

January 2010 Dinner

Note: Until I make the meal I'm going to link to the site where I got the recipe/idea from. I'll post my version and/or comments after I've made the meal.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Crockpot Cuban Pork
Crockpot Chicken Makhani
Macaroni and Cheese
Crab with Butter and Shrimp with Guacamole
Crockpot Lamb with Mint
Crockpot Mustard Beef
Crockpot Moroccan Lentil Soup
Beef Stroganoff
Crockpot Chicken Paprikash
Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp