Creamy Taco Mac

Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

1¼ lbs. ground turkey
8 oz. dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 tbsp. taco seasoning (See note below)
3 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Stir in cheddar cheese just until melted. Remove from the heat and top with extra shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

Note: I used homemade taco seasoning, found here. I’m sure store-bought taco seasoning would be fine, but I recommend trying the version on Annie’s Eats!

Honey Pepper Pork, Mandy

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (.75 ounce) package dry brown gravy mix
1 cup water
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Over medium heat in large skillet, saute pork in oil until browned on all sides (15 mins). Add gravy mix, water, honey, soy sauce, ginger, vinegar and garlic. Stir well. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmering for 15 minutes (sauce will thicken). Lastly, add onion and peppers. Cool and transfer to ziploc freezer bag or container.

On cooking day, empty into covered saucepan, heating until veggies are tender and is heated through

Chicken with Peanut Sauce

1C crunchy peanut butter

1/4 C soy sauce

1/4 C sesame oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 T sugar

1/4 C cider vinegar

4 1/2 t oriental hot pepper oil

1 C sour cream

3-4 T milk (as needed)

3 lbs. chicken tenderloins, boneless & skinless (or turkey)

Peanut Sauce: Combine all ingredients except milk & chicken and mix well. Thin sauce with a little milk if necessary to make the consistency of softly whipped cream. Set aside.

Place chicken in freezer bag and pour half the peanut sauce over poultry. Refrigerate for several hours, if serving that day.

If freezing, place reserved peanut sauce in a separate freezer bag and clearly label. Keep bag together in freezer.

Cooking Day:

Thaw chicken and discard marinating peanut sauce. Also thaw bag of reserved peanut sauce. Prepare outdoor grill or indoor broiler. Grill tenderloins over a moderately hot fire for 15 minutes per side or until slicing into middle reveals opaque meat. If broiling, place chicken 6 inches from broiler.

Serve with reserved peanut sauce, brought to room temperature and whisked to a smooth consistency. To serve the sauce hot, heat on low or place in microwave for 1-2 minutes; do not boil.

Note: For a sweeter peanut sauce, more sugar may be added at this point. Or for a spicier sauce, add 1/8-1/4 t. ground cayenne pepper.

Noodles: Bring a pot of water to boiling; remove from heat. Place noodles in water, stir, and let sit 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain.

I tossed the noodles with some peanut sauce and served w/chicken tenderloins on top. Hope you guys like it!

Shepherds Pie

lb. ground turkey

1 white onion, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 lg can corn

1 cup mushrooms, sliced/chopped

3-4 large potatoes

1 cup dark beer

2 T flour

1 tsp ground thyme

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 T Montreal Steak Seasoning

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 T beef bouillon

1 stick butter

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 C cheddar, shredded
Cream (optional)

Additional beef broth as necessary.

1. Peel and quarter potatoes.

2. Cover potatoes & garlic cloves with water; Bring to boil for about 15 minutes in salted water.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.

4. Sauté onions, celery, and carrots in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins).

5. Add beer, beef bouillon, Worcestershire, flour, thyme, nutmeg, and Montreal Steak Seasoning. Add salt & pepper to taste. (I like to mix all these ingredients together ahead of time to make sure it all combines)

6. Add turkey and sauté until no longer pink. Add additional beef broth as necessary to keep moist.

7. Stir in mushrooms & corn. Simmer approximately 5 minutes.

8. Mash potatoes & garlic in bowl with remainder of butter and a touch of cream. (Potatoes will be much thicker than if making simply to eat). Stir in shredded cheese.

9. Place turkey mixture in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. **I froze at this point**

10. Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Serves four.

Notes:

If using ground beef instead of turkey, decrease amount of beef bouillon.

This also works with 1 cup beef broth in place of beer, if desired.

Also - I don't really measure, so feel free to change up the amounts so it tastes great to you