Breakfast for a Week ~ by Sarah

My co-worker, Mary Ruth, made this breakfast up and when I saw her eating it I had to have the recipe.  It smelled amazing!  She makes a big batch of it on the weekend, stores it in the fridge, and then eats it every morning.  I made my first batch today and it is delicious!  I can't wait to have a quick, healthy, and delicious breakfast each morning when I'm in a rush!

Ingredients:
1 lb. breakfast sausage (not maple--hot or mild regular)
1 bunch kale
1 bag spinach
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 package mushrooms
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
any other veggies you think would be good--she puts jalapeño peppers in hers, but that's too spicy for me!
12 eggs, beaten

Directions:
Cook sausage in large skillet until completely browned.  Take out and drain on a paper towel.  Using a food processor, shred kale and spinach.  Cook in skillet over medium-high heat until tender.  Add sausage back along with the peppers, onion, and mushrooms.  Saute until everything is tender.  Add in beaten eggs and stir pretty constantly until egg is completely cooked.  Season well while cooking.  It will smell amazing!  Cool for awhile and then store in a large airtight container.  Take what you want in the morning and heat it in the microwave.

Tortilla Soup ~ by Sarah

I found this recipe on Pinterest after wanting to find a good soup to take to Mom's for Christmas Eve.  It was definitely delicious!  I did all the prep work that morning, so putting it together was really easy.  It smelled wonderful while it was cooking and tasted even better!

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
¼ cup diced green bell pepper
¼ cup red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (10 oz. can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
32 ounces, fluid low sodium chicken stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups hot water
2 cans (15 oz. can) black beans, drained
3 tablespoons cornmeal or masa
5 whole corn tortillas, cut into uniform strips around 2 to 3 inches

Garnishes:
sour cream
diced avocado
diced red onion
salsa or pico de gallo
grated Monterey Jack cheese
fresh cilantro

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir. Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered. Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed---add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips. Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese. (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)

(Not my picture...)

Company Casserole ~ by Kelsey

This is from my "A Taste of Oregon" cookbook.  I am going to post the recipe as it is written in the book, but I will note the changes I made when I prepared it.  This was SO good.  Even Grace ate it, and she NEVER eats what I cook for dinner.  I completely left out the butter this recipe calls for, and it was still very rich!

Ingredients:
4 cups uncooked egg noodles
2 pounds ground beef ( I used 1.5 lbs since that's how ours is packaged)
1 tablespoon butter (again, I left out the butter)
4 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped scallion or onion
1 tablespoon chopped green pepper (Now this confused me.  One tablespoon?  Seemed like a typo.  I used one whole green pepper)
2 tablespoons butter, melted (again, omitted by me)

Cook and drain noodles.  Saute beef in large skillet, using one tablespoon butter, until brown.  Stir in tomato sauce and remove from heat.  Set aside.  Combine in a bowl the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, scallion, and green pepper.  Using a 3-quart casserole, spread half the noodles, then cover with the cheese mixture.  Add the rest of the noodles. (I found it hard to spread the cheese on the noodles, so I ended up just mixing the cheese with the noodles.)  Pour two tablespoons of melted butter over top of noodles.  Cover with meat mixture.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 375.

Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette~by Kelsey

I found this recipe on onceuponachef.com via Pinterest.  It is really good, fairly easy, and fairly healthy.  I chose to use canned corn, even though it calls for fresh.  I will also cut back on the oil a little next time I make it.  Also, the avocados don't keep very well once you put them in the salad, so make sure you add them just before serving.

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

2 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 ears fresh corn, cooked, cooled and kernels cut off the cob
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced shallots (you'll need one medium shallot)
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I like Colavita)
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
½ cup chopped cilantro, plus more to garnish
2 Hass avocados, diced

Directions

Combine all ingredients except avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a few springs of freshly chopped cilantro if desired.  Serve at room temperature.

Spicy Chicken-Corn Chowder ~ by Sarah

I got this recipe from Aunt D'Lynn.  (I think she got it from Better Homes and Gardens.)  It is good, but yowzers it's spicy!  And I even was very conservative with the spicy stuff.  So if you like spicy, you'll love it.  If you're like me and spicy things make you run for a glass of milk, you might want to just barely spice it up.  Because it would be delicious even without the heat!  I think next time I make it I will eliminate all things spicy and maybe add some smoked paprika.

Ingredients:
8 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb. (about 4 boneless, skinless breasts) bite-sized raw chicken pieces
1 1/2 c. chopped red sweet pepper
1 c. chopped sweet onion
1-2 chopped jalapeno peppers (I used half of one and it was spicy enough for me!)
4 minced garlic cloves
1/3 c. flour
6 c. reduced sodium chicken broth
2 large Yukon potatoes, chopped
2 c. frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 c. whipping cream
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (I used 1/4 t. and it was plenty for me!)
2 bay leaves

Directions:
(I used my Dutch oven to make this in--worked perfectly!)  Cook bacon.  Remove.  Reserve 1 T. drippings.  Add chicken.  Season.  Remove.  Add pepper and onion.  Cook till tender.  Add jalapeno and garlic.  Cook 3 minutes.  Stir in flour.  Cook 1 minute.  Add broth and potatoes.  Boil, then reduce heat.  Cook, uncovered, 10 minutes.  Stir in bacon, chicken, corn, cream, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves.  Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove bay leaves and serve.

I stole this picture from Better Homes and Gardens.  I forgot to take my own and Wes loved this (he loves spice so much he even added Frank's Hot Sauce!) so it didn't last long!

Corn Salad ~ by Sarah

My aunt makes a corn salad that I love, so searched the Internet until I found a recipe that seemed pretty close. It's such a great summer dish!

Ingredients:
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 purple onion, diced
1 green onion, diced (or half green and half red)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
chili cheese Frito corn chips

Directions:
Combine everything put the chips in a bowl and mix well.  I also added some pepper, salt, and Salad Elegance.  Just before serving crush the corn chips into big chunks and add to the salad (to your desire).  You want to add these right before serving or they get soggy.

Grilled Tuna with Mango Salad ~Molly

This is yet another recipe I stole from Epicurious.com, although it was originally in Bon Appétit Magazine. It's super easy and an awesome summer meal.

1 Mango, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3/4 cup Red Onion, chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

3 T Cilantro (or basil for all you cilantro haters!)

2 T Fresh Lime Juice

2 T Olive Oil

4 Tuna Steaks, 1 inch thick

Mix first five ingredients. Set aside.

Preheat grill or broiler. Brush tuna with olive oil and grill until opaque on both sides. Top with mango salad and serve.

Chicken Fajita Marinade ~ by Sarah

I got this from allrecipes.com and added chili powder to give it a little kick.  Delicious!

Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup beer
* 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (it took about 5 limes to get this amount)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* salt to taste
* 1/2-1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:
1. To prepare the marinade, stir together beer, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, and salt; mix well.
2. To use marinade, pour into a resealable plastic bag, add up to 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast, and mix until chicken is well coated. Marinate for 1 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Saute vegetables, remove from pan, cook meat, then add veggies back to meat mixture to blend flavors.  Serve as desired!

Cheers!

Anderson Shish Kabobs ~ by Sarah

You've tried Hanning Shish Kabobs, now you should try shish kabobs ala Anderson!  Wes is famous for these--they are to die for!

Ingredients:
1 family-sized package petite sirloin steaks
2 zucchini
1 package whole fresh musrooms
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 sweet onion
1 heaping regular-sized spoonful of pre-minced, jarred garlic
2 bottles teriyaki sauce marinade
1 package shish kabob skewers

Directions:
Cut the vegetables into uniform pieces about 1 inch by 1 inch.  Put in a large bowl and  pour one bottle of marinade over them.  Stir well to coat.  Cover and put in refrigerator.

Trim the meat well and cut into 1 inch by 1 inch pieces.  Place in Ziplock bag.  Add garlic.  Pour in the other bottle of marinade.  Seal bag and mix well to cover the meat.  Put in refrigerator.

Allow veggies and meat to marinate in the refrigerator for at least t 6 hours.

When ready to start cooking, soak the wooden shish kabob skewers in water for about 15 minutes.  Add meat and veggies to the skewers in whatever order suits your fancy.  Save the leftover veggie marinade, but discard the meat marinade.

Barbecue over medium-high heat about 10 minutes or until meat is cooked to your desired wellness.  (Medium-rare, baby!)  While cooking, brush leftover marinade from the veggies on the shish kabobs.

Serve with white or brown rice.  I could eat these daily.  And they're great leftover--even cold from the fridge!

Corn Salad ~ by Sarah

I had this at Ainslee's birthday party last Sunday and it was so good.  Very refreshing!  It calls for a full red onion.  When I made it, the red onion was hot, so I would have preferred a little less since it kind of overwhelmed it.

Ingredients:
4 cups frozen corn
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper
1 T. chopped parsley
6 strips bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1 tomato, chopped
1 green onion, chopped

Dressing:
2 T. vinegar
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup beef broth

Directions:
Combine the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.  Mix the dressing in a separate bowl and then add to the corn mixture.  Stir well.  

Spaghetti Salad ~ by Sarah

This recipe came from Wes's mom, and it's always a favorite.  Take it to a barbecue this summer and I guarantee you'll have someone ask you for the recipe! 

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked spaghetti
2 packages Italian seasoning mix
tomatoes
cucumbers
sliced olives
Salad Supreme or Salad Elegance seasoning
red wine vinegar

*I didn't put specific amounts of some ingredients because it's all a personal preference.  I always use two cucumbers, two medium-sized cans of sliced olives, and a whole package of grape tomatoes or three regular-sized tomatoes.  With the salad seasoning and vinegar, add until it tastes right to you.  (Usually about 1/2 a bottle of salad seasoning and a few generous dashes of vinegar.)

Directions:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Rinse with cold water and place in large bowl or Tupperware container.  Mix the Italian seasoning according to package directions, but mix it as if you were only adding one package of seasoning even though you're adding two.  Pour over spaghetti.  Chop tomatoes and cucumbers and add to bowl.  Add olives, salad seasoning, and red wine vinegar.  Toss well.  Toss well again before serving and use a spoon to scoop the "good stuff" back on top of the noodles because it tends to sink to the bottom.

Variation:
Since Kelsey doesn't like tomatoes, she varies this recipe a bit.  Instead, she adds strips of yellow, red, and orange bell peppers and chunks of feta cheese.  A delicious way to change it up!

Chicken Cacciatore ~ by Sarah

I got this recipe out of the newspaper a few years ago.  It is delicious and my family loves it!  Easy, too!

Ingredients:
2 t. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 bell pepper cut into strips (I used half a green and half a red.)
1 regular-sized package sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. dry red wine
1 1/2 c. marinara sauce
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken.  Season meat.  Cook 4 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to a plate--set aside.  Combine bell pepper and mushrooms in skillet over medium heat.  Sprinkle with salt.  Cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add wine and cook 2 minutes.  Stir in sauce; heat.  Return chicken to skillet; reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Flip the chicken at least once.

Top with fresh Italian parsley.  (But, if you're like me and accidentally buy cilantro instead of parsley, using dry parsley flakes is fine.)

I serve it with noodles.  (Usually I cook penne, but halfway through cooking them tonight I realized there were weevils, so I had to use regular spaghetti.)

The sauce is the best part, but it doesn't make a whole lot of it, so if you're feeding more than just a couple people, you might want to double the sauce. 

Spicy Confetti Joes ~ by Sarah

This is an Oregon Beef Council award-winning recipe that Kelsey and I acquired from them a number of years ago.  I modified it a little because it was too rich.  (It originally called for 3 cups of ketchup!)  It's super easy and delicious!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 med. yellow onion, diced
1/2 each red, orange, yellow, and green bell peppers, diced (Or any combination of bell peppers--sometimes not all colors are available.)
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. (approx.) ketchup
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 t. Tabasco sauce (More if you want more kick!)
8 hamburger buns (Try whole wheat--you won't even notice!  Less fat and calories, more fiber!)

Ingredients:
Brown ground beef.  Add onions and peppers.  Saute until vegetables are tender--about 5 minutes.

(It looks so colorful and pretty!)

In a 3+ cup measuring cup, pour in the tomato sauce.  (This should be almost two cups.)  Add ketchup until the measuring cup is full to the 3-cup mark.  Pour sauce, Tabasco, and brown sugar into the meat mixture and mix well.  Simmer for at least 10 minutes.  Serve on toasted hamburger buns. 

Hanning Shish Kabobs ~ by Kelsey

We like to Bar-B-Que.  A lot.  I especially like the part where there is one less pan to wash.  So, here is a recipe we use often.

Sir loin steaks, cubed
Mushrooms (My favorite part!)
Bell Peppers
Zucchini
Sweet Onions
Whatever else you like, such as potatoes, yellow squash, etc
Your favorite marinade

Cut up the meat and put it in the bowl with marinade.  Let it sit in the fridge a couple of hours.  Cut up the veggies, put them in a different bowl with marinade.  They don't have to sit as long.  When you are ready, spear the ingredients with the skewer and place on the bbq.  I make some pretty ones with a pattern, but mostly I make them all single-ingredient.  For instance, the potatoes and zucchini can take longer to cook than the onions, so if you put them on different skewers you can cook them longer.  Brush the skewers with the left over veggie marinade while they are cooking.  I suppose you could use the meat's marinade, but I worry that the marinade that had raw meat in it won't get heated enough if you brush it on top of the skewers while they cook, so we use only the left over veggie marinade just to be on the safe side.

Fiesta Turkey Soup ~ by Molly

I based this recipe on one I found on Self.com (the website for the health magazine SELF). It was super easy to make, delicious and healthy. I also liked that it had really simple ingredients--things that are usually already in the pantry/I can find in Germany. Sorry, Kels, it has turkey, but I'm sure pork would work well, too. The website called it chili, but it wasn't very thick, so it seemed more like a soup to me.

3-4 Servings
Prep time: 20 minutes

1 can tomato soup (I used Tuscan for added flavor)
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 bell pepper
1/2 pound turkey*
Garlic powder, Tabasco sauce, Onion powder to taste

Grill the turkey until cooked completely and the pepper until softened. Heat the soup, then add the remaining ingredients. Season to taste. Serve with sour cream or shredded cheese for added calories and flavor. Enjoy!

*The recipe on the website called for ground turkey. This is something that is impossible to find in the average German supermarket. I used a fillet instead and cubed it into bite-sized pieces. Like I said before, I think pork fillets would be a good substitute.

Spicy Bean Soup ~ by Molly

This is a delicious recipe--but some of the ingredients are a little hard to find in The Dalles. I've used other kinds of beans when I couldn't find cannellini, and used other colors of lentils and it worked just fine.
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (Food Network)

Prep Time:
20 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
45 min
Level:
Intermediate
Serves:
10 servings
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper, optional
• 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 (11 1/2-ounce) can tomato juice
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup dried green lentils
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 2 zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 2 yellow crookneck squash, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Heat the oil in a heavy large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic, and saute until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, tomato juice, tomato paste, cheese rind, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the broth, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, and lentils. Stir in the broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender and the mixture thickens slightly, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Season the stew to taste with more salt, if desired.

Ladle the stew into bowls. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and basil, and serve.