Main Dish Recipes

Jambalaya:
1 Tb. oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, bite sized
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. kielbasa, sliced
1 tsp. thyme
2 Tbs. parsley
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 c. rice
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 c. chicken broth
Brown chicken in 2 tsp. oil. Remove and set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and saute the onion, pepper and garlic 5 min. Add kielbasa, herbs and rice and stir for 1 min. Return chicken to the pan, add tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 20-25 min, when rice is done.
Most recipes I tried had chicken, smoked sausage, and shrimp, so if you want to add frozen, cooked shrimp at the end, that tastes good, too. Also, I was under the impression that the "holy trinity" of soul food includes onions, peppers and celery, so I threw in a 1/2 cup of the latter.
Very Yummy!

Crockpot chicken & gravy, mixed veggies: I get a roasting chicken (whole, 4-5 lbs.) and using kitchen shears remove the skin except on the wings. This is fairly easy to do and takes about 5 minutes. I place it in a crock pot, breast side up and sprinkle with 1 or 2 Tbs. lemon pepper or herb mix and pour about 1/2 cup water around the bottom. Turn it on high 4 hours, low 6. I do high because it is perfect for church. When it is done (pop-up timers are helpful, or 180* inside the thigh), I suck out all juices with a baster, strain & measure. I use 2 Tb. white bean flour (yes, I put white beans into my wheat grinder--very lovely flavor for gravies--but regular white flour works fine) per cup liquid. Add a little salt and boil a minute. Steam some frozen mixed veggies. If you add some biscuits, you have chicken pot pie minus the pie part. When dinner is over, pick extra meat off the bones. You can freeze this to add to soups, enchiladas, you name it. Or you can throw it into asian salad below.

Tilapia, candied carrots & asian salad: I buy the frozen portion pieces of tilapia (or salmon), place on a foil lined cookie sheet (foil is important) and rub with olive oil. Then cover with blackened or Alaskan salmon seasoning. Follow the directions, mine say 375* 15 min. I like them DRY so I give it an extra 3 min. Make up a packet of italian dressing in a jar, add 2 Tb. soy sauce, 1/4 c. splenda/sugar. Pour half on a bag of coleslaw (the other half will last til next time or makes a nice dressing for green salad), add 6 to 8 sliced green onions and 1/4 c. each shelled sunflower seeds and sliced almonds. Toss well. Steam the carrots and add 1 Tb. each butter & brown sugar, dash salt.

I took this next one from Rachael Ray and modified it to fit our non-alcoholic, cheap dinner lifestyle. I realize that most alcohol cooks out, I just don't want to go there. When it comes to beef steaks, there are few that I find worthy of eating and cheap enough to pay for. I buy top loin/sirloin boneless steaks, but never for full price. I watch the ads. As far as I can tell (here in my particular state) $2.99/lb. is about the cheapest it comes.
Steak and mushrooms:
3-4 beef steaks, 1 1/2" thick
2 Tb. oil (again with the olive oil and the smoking...)
pepper, cracked if you've got it
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
salt
Remember to let your steaks sit at room temp. for 30 min. Pepper them and heat your oil on md. high. Give them a few minutes on each side (5-6) until they are as done as you like them. If you bought good meat, they won't get too tough, so don't worry if you want them done all the way through, like me. Remove to a plate, cover loosely with foil.In same pan, sautee mushrooms about 5 min. You may have to add more oil. Lots more. Mushrooms soak the stuff up. If you sprinkle with salt, though, they will let out a little moisture and make it more likely not to burn to the pan. Add juices from beef plate and stir. Serve mushrooms on steaks with Spinach Salad.

This one is adapted from South Beach Diet online.
Peanut Butter Satay Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, flattened to 1/4" (or cut them in half horizontally with shears)
3 T. Peanut Butter (we use no sugar)
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. water
dash cayenne pepper
Brown or grill your chicken, I use my George Forman grill, and sprinkle the chicken with a little soy sauce to give it a glaze. Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and microwave 30 seconds. Stir. At first it will look a little clumpy and separated. Keep stirring. It all of a sudden turns creamy. Cut chicken into strips and serve with sauce. Yum. Italian Green Beans is a good side.

Curry Chicken:
Chicken, cooked & diced
Green onions
Some curry paste
1/2 can coconut milk (freeze the other half in a ziploc)
Grated ginger root
lemon zest
Combine all. Heat through. Serve on rice or steamed cauliflower. This is a toss together recipe. I just use what's on hand. Some good ideas, though: whenever I use a citrus fruit, I zest it first and freeze the zest in a ziploc. Also, I peel a ginger root, grate it and drop by tablespoons onto wax paper. Freeze, then ziploc it. Same with that can of tomato paste that you only used half of. Yes, I am a freezer fanatic.

Lasagna Roll-ups:
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
½ c. sour cream
¼ c. bread crumbs
1 T. Italian seasoning
1 t. garlic powder
12 lasagna noodles
15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 ½ c. salsa
½ c. shredded mozzarella
Cook lasagna noodles according to package and lay on cookie sheet to dry a bit. Combine 1st seven ingredients to make filling. Spread 1/3 cupful down each noodle, leaving a little tab at the end to make it stick. Roll up and place in a 9x13 dish. Original recipe says to let it sit overnight covered, but if your noodles are dry enough, they will stick to themselves and you won’t need to. Combine tomatoes & salsa, and spread over rollups. Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Immediately sprinkle with ½ c. mozzarella and serve. The filling is freezable as well as the sauce, but I recommend you do not freeze the rollups themselves. As soon as you close the freezer door, they attack each other and end up shredded to pieces. Serves 12 adults or 6 teenage boys.

Chicken Divine:
2 c. chicken, cooked & cubed
16 oz. frozen broccoli, thawed
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 Tbs. milk
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. curry powder
yellow cheese, french fried onions
Saute onion if you like, then stir it up with the chicken and broccoli. Mix together the soup, milk, lemon juice, curry powder and salt and pepper to taste (1/2 tsp. or so). Pour over chicken/broccoli. Top with cheese and bake at 350* for 30 min. or until bubbly. Top with french fried onions and return to oven for 5 min.