zucchini sticks with garlic chipotle aioli... 35 minutes

the goods:

2 zucchinis, cut into 8 sticks

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten

1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs

garlic chipotle aioli:

2 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

2 garlic cloves, pressed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick cooking spray and place on top of a baking sheet.

Working one at a time, dredge zucchini in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in breadcrumbs, pressing to coat. Place onto prepared rack and bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.

To make the aioli, combine chipotle peppers with mayonnaise, sour cream, and garlic in a small bowl. Serve zucchini sticks with aioli.

slow-cooker beef and broccoli... 6 hours and 40 minutes

the goods:

1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips

1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets

cooked white rice for serving

In your crockpot, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic. Gently place slices of beef in liquid and toss to coat. Cover and turn crockpot on low and cook for 6 hours.

When done, in a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 4 tablespoons of cooking liquid together to form a slurry. Pour into crockpot and stir well to combine. Add broccoli and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes more. Serve over white rice.

chicken fajita stuffed peppers... 45 minutes (plus marinating)

the goods:

marinade:

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 garlic cloves, grated

salt to taste

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2-3 bell peppers (depending on the size)

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1 tomato, chopped

1 box (5 ounces) of Spanish rice

1 teaspoon fresh minced cilantro

1/3 cup shredded cheese (a blend of monetery jack, pepper jack, and cheddar)

Combine ingredients for the marinade in a zip-top bag and add chicken. Let marinate for 15 minutes (at least). Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and the marinade to the skillet and cook until chicken if fully done, flipping it halfway through. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Spanish rice according to package instructions and set aside. Place chicken breasts on a cutting board, and once it is cool enough to handle, dice it. Saute chopped onions and tomatoes  in the skillet you just took the chicken out of, until onion is soft and translucent.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large clean bowl, combine rice, chicken, onions and tomato (including leftover marinade in skillet), and cilantro. Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise and clean them out, removing all seeds and ribs. Lay the bell peppers in the skillet (or a baking pan) and fill them with the rice and chicken mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

smothered chile colorado burritos... 30 minutes

the goods:

2 pounds flank steak, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cans (10 ounces each) mild or medium red enchilada sauce

2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers)

1 anaheim pepper, diced

1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 and 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons cornstarch plus 1 tablespoon cold water

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed

4 burrito-sized flour tortillas

1 cup shredded cheese (a blend of monterey jack, pepper jack, and cheddar)

toppings: sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, and lime wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Saute beef in a large saucepan over medium heat until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add enchilada sauce, adobo sauce, anaheim pepper, green chiles, garlic, onion powder, salt, and cumin. Whisk together cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add to the pan and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Add black beans and a generous amount of the beef mixture to the middle of each tortilla. Wrap up tightly and place seam-side-down in a greased baking dish. Top with additional sauce from the beef mixture and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly, then serve with desired toppings.

3-cheese ranch chicken... 30 minutes

the goods:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 sleeve Ritz crackers

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons garlic salt

pepper to taste

Dry Ranch dressing/seasoning packet

2 tablespoons ranch dressing (I use homemade)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place crackers in a zip-top bag and crush by hand (let your kids go nuts). Then take a rolling pin to the bag to finish them off. Nice and crumbly now? Good. Add the cheese, seasonings and dry ranch mix to the crackers. (Keep in bag if you want to toss the chicken or move to a shallow dish if you want to coat them that way.) Coat chicken in a thin layer of ranch dressing, then coat in the cracker/cheese mixture. Place chicken in a glass baking dish, and cook for 20 minutes (maybe more if you have thicker breasts).

cheesy bacon ranch potatoes... 1 hour

the goods:

6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into bits

2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed, diced into 3/4-inch pieces

2 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

ranch dressing (I use homemade)

2-3 scallions, green parts only, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. On your sheet pan, toss potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and toss (spatula works great). Return to oven and roast for 20 minutes more. Remove and toss, Return to the oven a third time for 15 minutes more. Remove potatoes from the oven and gather them together towards the center of the pan, Sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese and return to oven to melt the cheese for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven (you can turn your oven off now), and drizzle with ranch dressing, sprinkle with bacon and scallions and serve!

sriracha-lime chicken chopped salad... 20 minutes (plus marinating)

the goods:

marinade:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 tablespoons sriracha

1 lime, juiced

1/4 teaspoon sea salt and freshly ground pepper

salad:

4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped

8 fresh pineapple slices (cored)

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, cubed

dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 limes, juiced

2 teaspoons honey (local is best)

dash of sea salt

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a zip-top bag combine sriracha and lime juice; add chicken and let marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, or longer. Heat grill. Grill chicken and pineapple slices and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. In a medium bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together dressing ingredients until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use. Once chicken and pineapple are grilled, chop into bite-sized pieces. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl, toss with dressing to taste, and serve!

herb crusted pork chops... 15 minutes

You'll have to forgive my photos, natural light at dinner time is hard to come by before daylight savings!

the goods:

4 boneless pork chops

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub mustard evenly over pork chops. Combine panko, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and dredge pork chops, one at a time, in panko mixture.

In a large ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add pork chops and saute for 2 minutes until golden brown. Turn pork over and place skillet on oven for 8 minutes. Enjoy!

honey glazed salmon... 30 minutes

the goods:

4 skinless salmon filets

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

zest of 1 lime

browned butter lime sauce:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tablespoon honey

juice of 1 lime

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. To make the browned butter lime sauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the foam subsides and the butter begins to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, honey, and lime juice; salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Dredge each salmon fillet with 1 tablespoon flour and drizzle with 1 tablespoon honey. Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add salmon to skillet and sear both sides until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Place all filets in skillet and transfer to oven to cook through completely. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Serve immediately with browned butter lime sauce.

beef noodle stir-fry... 30 minutes

the goods:

14 ounces udon noodles, prepared according to package instructions

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces beef top sirloin filet, thinly sliced across the grain

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets

2 carrots, diced

sauce:

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add beef and cook, flipping once, until browned, about 3-4 minutes; set aside.

Add in mushrooms, broccoli and carrots to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in udon noodles, beef and soy sauce mixture until well combined, about 2-3 minutes.