Thai Pepper Lettuce Wraps

This low carb recipe is delicious with any leftover cooked chicken, or ground beef or pork and amazing with crab!

Serves 4

2  C Shredded cooked chicken, ground meat / poultry or crab
1  Shallot or small red onion, diced
1/4 C Cilantro, chopped
2 Tsp Sesame oil
1 Thai chili, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Head of Boston or bibb lettuce - outer leaves

Toss together shredded cooked chicken, cooked ground meat or crab with the shallot, cilantro, sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap up the filling in lettuce leaves for a fast and easy dish (or appetizer)!

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Veggie Taco Slaw with Smoked Chorizo

This is a delicious blend of vegetables, corn, beans with some diced chorizo for a for a delicious smokey flavor. This no cook recipe is on the table as fast as you can chop some veggies, whirl up a good dressing and top with crunchy corn chips. Perfect for a hot summer night.

Serves 4

1 Head Cabbage - shredded
1 Can Black beans - 15 oz, rinsed and drained
2 Tomatoes, chopped or 1 can diced tomatoes
1 Red onion, chopped
1 Bell peppers - red, chopped
1 Avocado, chopped
4 Oz Smoked Chorizo (cooked), chopped
4 Oz  Queso Fresco or feta, crumbled
1 C Corn chips, crushed
1 Bunch Cilantro, stemmed
1/4 C Lime juice
1/4 C Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 C Crema or sour cream, to serve

In a large bowl toss all ingredients together up to the corn chips. Top with corn chips. In a food processor whirl together oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, cilantro and some red pepper flakes if you like. Add dressing to chopped veggies and serve with crema to drizzle on top.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Sweet Memories

As a child on a visit to my great grandparent’s house, I was introduced to the magical combination of coffee and chocolate. We had dropped in on Grandma and Grandpa, not an unusual occurrence for them since they were parents to ten and grandparents to many more. I was about five years old and remember feeling special when I saw the bean and noodle owl collage that I had given them hanging in the kitchen. And I remember how Grandma whipped up a moist chocolate cake with incredible frosting WITHOUT MEASURING! But most amazing was that while combining the butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder, she just poured in a couple tablespoons of freshly brewed coffee. I was just a kid and I was going to get to have coffee! To this day I don’t think you can beat mocha frosting…or mocha anything!

During these visits the kids would wander around the yard or sit on the floor at the feet of the older generations while they talked about the “good ol’ days.” My great grandparents had some sayings that still hold true. My great grandpa was a farmer driven from Nebraska because of the Dust Bowl. He was always looking for help in the field. The boys had a tendency to goof off so he used to say, “If you have a boy, you have a boy. If you have two boys, you have half a boy. If you have three boys, you don’t have any help at all.” Apparently the energy of our visits overwhelmed Grandpa sometimes. We never knew until much later that when Grandpa got tired of the rambunctiousness of the kids, he would dial down the hearing aid that he carried in his front pocket and just watch the fray.

There are many reasons we spend less and less time in multi-generational family groups today, but don’t let this stop the memories. Try mailing a round robin letter, start a blog, or try to convince the older generation to use a webcam to stay in touch. Try hosting a virtual tea party. This can be tricky if you are across several time zones but it can be done. Buy a special mug for each participant. When you ship it to the special person, include some tea cakes or tea time recipes. Then arrange a time to drink tea “together.” My sister did this for me, my girls, my mom, and grandma…despite being separated by three time zones, four generations connect over a cup of tea! Sometimes we talk on the phone, other times not. But we still feel connected, once more sharing or creating memories.

Mocha Frosting

5 tablespoons baking cocoa

6 tablespoons butter

¼ cup hot coffee

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoons vanilla

2-4 cups powdered sugar

Using mixer, combine ingredients in order adding as much powdered sugar as needed to reach desired consistency. Really dresses up an ordinary cake mix cake!

Petit Fours

1 pound cake, bakery or frozen and thawed

16 oz Ready to Serve frosting, vanilla or lemon flavored

Cut pound cake into 1 inch squares. Heat frosting in microwavable bowl for 1 minute or until pourable. Dip each cube into frosting, allowing excess to drain. Place on wire rack until frosting sets up. Decorate if desired and serve.

Apple Pear Scones

5 cup flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup butter

1 cup apples, peel on, chopped into tiny chunks

1 cup pears, peel on, chopped into tiny chunks

1 1/3c buttermilk

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. Cut in butter. Stir in fruit then buttermilk. Shape into two 9″ rounds. Cut into 8 wedges. Sprinkle with sugar. Place on sheet. Bake at 350 degrees, 22-28 minutes until golden brown.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Goat Cheese Strata with Tomato and Basil

This is a delicious quick dinner or excellent for a brunch. On the table in about 20 minutes and is inexpensive too!

Goat Cheese Strata with Tomato and Basil

2 Tb butter

1 onion, chopped

1 C Basil, shredded

1 Tomato, chopped or half of a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes

6 eggs, beaten

1 Tb Milk

Salt and pepper to taste

3 slices of bread cubed

3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and saute the onion until softened. Remove the pan from the stove and add the basil, tomato, eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Top with bread cubes and crumbled goat cheese. Bake 20 minutes. If desired, broil for another minute or two to further brown the top.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Grilled Chicken Salad - Light and Delicious!

Okay, so those of us that are food focus, occasionally need to watch their weight, or at least I do. This salad is one of my favorite go-to meals when I am counting calories and carbs. The great thing is, my family loves it too.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Cool and Cream Cottage Cheese

4 C Salad greens, washed and spun dry

1 Cucumber, sliced

4 Mushrooms, sliced

2 Tomatoes, minced

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1 C Cottage cheese, fat free

2 Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless - 8 oz each

1 tsp oil (I use MCT oil)

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Seasoning salt

Italian salad dressing, fat free and low carb (no added sugar - I use Cysco)

Pound the chicken to an even thickness, about 1/3 inch. (I use a rolling pin.) Season with seasining sal, drizzle with oil, lemon and zest. Let stand which the grill preheats. Grill the chicken on both sides until cooked through, about 8 minutes. (I turn it every 2 minutes to get crosshatched grill marks.)Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest.

Meanwhile in a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumbers and mushrooms, and toss to combine. Dress with salad dressing. Top with cottage cheese and spread it a bit to cover the top of the salad. Finely chop the chicken into small pieces and scatter warm chicken over the salad. Serve.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Crockpot / Slow Cooker Cooking Keeps the Kitchen Cool

When thinking of crock pot cooking, cozy fall and winter evenings with hearty soups and stews likely come to mind.  Don’t relegate the crock pot to two seasons only.  Keep it on the counter and use it in the spring and summer as well.  It is a great way to have a hot nutritious meal without turning on the oven and heating up the house. It is a fantastic way to braise a pork should or Boston butt into meltingly tender pulled pork sandwiches. Think about having a pulled pork slider bar at your 4th of July party. A main dish that cooks itself cannot be beat!

Crock pots come in all shapes and sizes.  Some have digital settings and others simple dials.  The most important feature is a removable crock.  Since the heat unit cannot be submersed, a removable crock is facilitates clean up. It is also important to have variable heat settings.

For best results, keep the crock half to two thirds full of food with at least 2 inch gap between lid and food. It is best to start cooking on “high” to bring the ingredients quickly to a safe cooking temperature (140 degrees), and then reduce to low setting for slow cooking. Frozen ingredients are to be avoided because they take so long to heat leaving the food in the danger zone longer than is ideal.  The heating element is on the bottom.  If layering ingredients, place ingredients that will take the longest to cook on the bottom. Consider adding seasonings just before serving for maximum flavor.

On most crock pots, “high” cooks at about 300 degrees and “low” equals about 200 degrees.  It takes about twice as long to cook a meal on “low” as it does on “high.” Be sure to keep lid on; it takes a long time to build up lost heat. To avoid frequent lid lifting, use a remote meat thermometer. Because the crock pot is a moist cooking environment, the actual cooking time in generally flexible.

Many of your favorite recipes can be adapted to be cooked in a crock pot.  Be sure to brown meats before putting them in the crock and use half the amount of liquid called for in the recipe.   If layering ingredients, place the ingredients that have the shortest cooking time or have been previously cooked on the top to avoid over cooking.  Another technique is to add these ingredients the last 30 minutes of cooking time.  Dairy and other delicate items should be added just before serving.  As a general rule a recipe that would simmer on the stove top or cook in the oven for 35-45 minutes will cook in 3-4 hours on the “high” setting or 6-10 hours on “low.”

These simple rules will allow you to get the most out of your crock pot.  You might even find out that you use your crock pot for the main dish and a side dish and need more than one!

General Rules:

• Fill crock half to two-thirds full
• Start on high to bring temperature up quickly
• Avoid frozen food
• Place longest cooking ingredients on bottom
• Keep lid on

Adapting Recipes:

• Brown meats first
• Use half of the liquid
• 35-45 stove top/oven minutes equals 3-4 hours on “high” or 6-10 hours on “low”

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Creamy Crab and Avocado Soup

This is an amazing summer soup than is an excellent starter, or a great light supper. Pair it with a nice chardonnay.

Creamy Crab and Avocado Soup

2 Avocados, peeled and chopped

2 C Chicken stock

8 oz Sour cream

2 Tb Lemon juice

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 lb Crab meat

1/2 C Diced tomatos

Cilantro leaves for garnish - optional

Combine first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. In a small bowl mix tomato and crab. Ladle soup into bowls and divide the crab mixture among the servings. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Seared Chicken with Rosemary Fig Sauce

This recipe is delicious. It cooks in about 15 minutes, has few ingredients, but is packed with flavor. It is a great dish to serve to company. I served it on the deck last night to rave reviews and was then rewarded with a lovely sunset.

Seared Chicken with Rosemary Fig Sauce

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts - 6 oz ea

1/2 tsp each salt, pepper and garlic powder

Butter flavored cooking spray

2/3 C Fig all fruit spread

1 Tb Rosemary - fresh, minced

1/4 C port or other sweet wine

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Combine the 3 spices and season chicken on both sides and coat the chicken with cooking spray. Brown chicken on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. In a small bowl whisk together remaining ingredients and pour into the pan with the chicken. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Uncover and cook for another minute to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce drizzled over.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Grilled Halibut with Lemon Pesto

This is a perfect summertime dinner. It is on the table in 10 minutes! It is light and fresh and delicious.

Grilled Halibut with Lemon Pesto

4 Halibut (or tilapia or other white fish) fillets, about 6 oz each

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper

2/3 C Basil leaves, firmly packed

1/4 C Parmesan cheese, grated

2 Tb Olive oil

2 tsp Garlic

1 Tb Lemon zest, grated

1 Tb Lemon juice

Preheat the gill and spray it with cooking spray. Season the halibut on both sides with salt and pepper. Combine remaining ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth and thick. Grill halibut about 4 minutes per side, or until done. Serve the halibut drizzled with pesto.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Butternut Squash Risotto

This microwave version of risotto is lightning fast and every bit as good and the long slow stirred version.

Butternut Squash Risotto

1 1/4 C Arborio rice

2 Tsp Olive oil

2 1/2 C Chicken stock

1 C water

1 package Frozen Butternut squash puree (12 oz)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

6 Tb Parmesan cheese

Mix rice and olive oil in a 1 1/2 quart microwavable dish. Microwave 3 minutes on high. Stir in broth and water and microwave 9 minutes. Stir well. Microwave for 6 more minutes. Remove and let stand to let the liquid be absorbed. Meanwhile, heat the squash in the microwave until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add squash and cheese to rice, then salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner