Israeli Couscous and Shrimp

Thank you Laura for making this the other night at Dinner Party, it was so yummy --- I had to make it at home.

This is a 10 minute meal that I served with steamed zucchini. So simple to make, but tastes very complex.

1/2 package of Israeli Couscous (I got the Israeli couscous blend in a bag from Trader Joes)
1/2 package of frozen cooked, cleaned and tail off medium shrimp (also Trader Joes)
1 can chicken stock
1 tbl butter

Make couscous according to package and thaw shrimp. With 4 minutes left on the couscous, heat the shrimp in a skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add shrimp to cooked couscous and serve with a vegetable.

Grilled Chicken Taco Pizza

Derived from recipe courtesy of Aaron Mccargo, Jr. for Food Network Magazine

Yum with a capital Y!

Approx 4-5 tbl of packaged Taco Seasoning (I bought the big container from Costco because we love tacos)

For the Pizzas:
1/4 cup canola oil, plus more for brushing
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 16-ounce tube pizza dough (I got mine from Trader Joes)
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (Trader Joes)

Salsa
Sour Cream
1 Avocado diced
1 lime juiced
Cilantro

Directions

Mix 2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning and the canola oil in a shallow bowl. Pound the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4 inch thick. Add the chicken to the bowl, turning to coat, and marinate 30 minutes.

Preheat a grill to medium high. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Let cool, then cut into bite-size pieces.

Divide the dough into 3 pieces. Roll out each on a floured surface into an 8-inch round. (I just used my hands to flatten out the dough) Brush with canola oil, sprinkle with taco seasoning and grill until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes per side; remove from the grill.

Sprinkle the cheese on the crusts and top with the chicken. Return the pizzas to the grill,and cook until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the avocado, lime juice. Top the pizzas with the avocado mixture, salsa, sour cream and cilantro.

BBQ Cajun Chicken

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Cajun Seasoning
2 Slices of Pepper Jack Cheese


Cut a slit in the side of the chicken and stuff with cheese. Sprinkle Cajun seasoning (you can find in the spice aisle) and bbq.

We ate it with rice and steamed spinach.

Turkey Meatloaf with Red Pepper Sauce

Derived from Dave Liberman's Bubby's Turkey Meatloaf from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
Meatloaf:
2 pounds ground turkey
2 eggs
3 ounces tomato paste (1/2 of 1 small can, reserving rest for the sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
a couple squirts of Worcestershire sauce

Red Pepper Sauce:
3 ounces tomato paste (from reserved 1/2 can)
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 small red pepper, seeded, cored, and roughly chopped
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt (maybe a little more depending on your taste)
15 grinds black pepper

Directions
Meatloaf:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the meatloaf and work together completely by hand until all ingredients are evenly distributed and the mixture is uniform. Place meat mixture into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and shape into a loaf about 11 inches long and 4 inches wide. It is important to form it like this so that it cooks evenly throughout. The loaf should be in the middle of the pan with room on both sides for the sauce to pool.


Red Pepper Sauce:

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Cover the meatloaf with the sauce and allow excess sauce to pool around the meatloaf. Cover pan with aluminum foil but avoid contact with meat loaf by leaving at least a couple inches of space between the top of the meatloaf and the foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake 45 minutes longer. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Mustard Parm Chicken - updated

I made an oldie but goodie last night. I think this is listed under 2009, but this time I kicked it up a bit adding more flavor and spice to the dry ingredients.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 stick of butter
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 Tbl dry mustard
A few shakes of worchestire sauce
1 tbl paprika * (new)
1 pinch cayenne pepper * (new)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt butter in frying pan and add garlic, dry mustard and worchestire sauce. Bring to a simmer.

In a bowl combine bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese, paprika and cayenne.

Coat the chicken in the butter sauce and roll in the dry mixture. Place in baking pan and pour any remaining butter over the chicken. Bake for 30-40 minutes in a covered dish - check chicken.

Serve with steamed broccoli and rice pilaf (trader joes). Start rice when you put the chicken in the oven.