Pollo Polo Pasta Salad

The sunshine made me feel a little creative,so I came up with this salad. With the arrival of warmer weather and grilling in the near future, I thought that pasta salad would be a good choice. The pasta salad dressing is from a recipe I love called Marco Polo Pasta Salad, combined with Italian marinated chicken (my twist), hence the name Pollo Polo. I hope that you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb pasta (I provided Radiatore)

1/4 lb Swiss cheese (or Jarlsberg)

1/8-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 multi-colored peppers, sliced julienne

3/4 lb chicken breasts, marinated over night in Italian dressing (cooked in slow cooker on low for several hours)

1/2 T garlic powder

1/2 T garlic salt

1/2 T basil

1/2 T oregano

1/4 tsp course ground black pepper

1/4 tsp parsley

On Serving Day:

Boil the pasta until al dente. Rinse under cool water and allow to cool completely.

Mix contents of seasoning packet with 3/8 cup (or a little less than 1/2 cup) olive oil and 1/8 cup vinegar.

Combine cooled pasta with peppers & cheese (You could also add black olives, cherry tomatoes, or any other pasta salad favorites at this point) then mix well with sauce. Add chicken and toss gently. Serve chilled.

Marinated Flank Steak-Repeat

Celebrating Summer's impending return with this Marinated Flank Steak repeat from last year. Enjoy--and bring on the summer!
Thaw completely and remove from bag. Rub the salt and pepper seasoning packet contents on both sides of the steak. Put on grill. See previous directions for cooking time and cutting directions.

Alison's Island Chicken Marinade

* This recipe will marinate up to 3 lbs of chicken.

1/2 cup soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup water

2 T minced onion

2 T sesame seeds

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp red pepper

Blend all ingredients. Pour over whatever cuts of chicken you prefer. Marinate for 1-2 hours. Grill.

Ham Fried Rice

Sorry I've been lazy about posting my recipes. Here is April's Ham Fried Rice. I've never frozen rice before. I hope it works out ok! I took the recipe from Freezerfriendz. Here is the link:

http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2010/02/fried-rice-with-ham.html

Ingredients:
1/4 c. oil
6 c. cooked short grain rice (sticky or sushi rice)
1/3 + c. soy sauce
4 eggs, slightly scrambled
salt & pepper mixed into eggs, to taste
1 1/2 c. diced ham
12 oz. frozen diced vegetables

Directions:
Heat oil over med. high heat in a large skillet or wok. Add in rice, breaking up any clumps. Once warmed, drizzle soy sauce over and mix in. Scrape bottom of pan frequently to rice from sticking. Make a hole in rice and pour eggs in center, allowing them to set before mixing into rice. Add in ham and vegetables and allow them to heat. Eat immediately or spread on a cookie sheet to allow to cool some before spooning into freezer bag.

Reheating Directions:
This is completely cooked, so it may simply be defrosted in the microwave in the freezer bag to keep it from drying out. Cook until defrosted, breaking the rice up some after every few minutes. You may eat it straight from the microwave or toss it in a hot skillet for a few minutes after microwaving. When I (freezer friendz person) tested it out, I preferred it stir-fried 3-4 minutes in the skillet.

Chicken Tacos

This recipe is from Once A Month Mom. The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced or diced
• 1.25 ounces taco seasoning mix
• 3 Tablespoons lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 12 small round, tortillas
• 2 cups Mexican blend cheese

Directions:

Mix taco seasoning mix, lime juice, and vegetable oil and pour over sliced chicken. Cook chicken in a skillet for about 10-15 minutes or until done through. Serve chicken in warmed tortillas with cheese and fresh toppings of your choice.

From Frozen:

Thaw. The prepare as above. Add lettuce, tomatoes, and anything else you like on your tacos. Enjoy!

Beef Enchilada Casserole

Pg. 81 ~ 29 Minutes to Dinner The Pampered Chef®

1 lb lean ground beef
1 tbsp Southwestern Seasoning Mix
¼ tsp salt
1 can enchilada sauce
¼ cup water
½ cup medium thick and chucky salsa
12 yellow corn tortillas
¼ cup snipped fresh cilantro divided
1 cup shredded Colby & Monterey Jack cheese blended, divided

Preparation Directions: 

1.Combine beef, seasoning mix and salt in skillet. Cook over medium – high heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles. Add enchilada sauce, water and salsa to skillet. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
2.As beef mixture cooks, place tortillas in a stack and cut into 1 inch pieces using Pizza Cutter. Snip cilantro using Kitchen Shears
3.Arrange half of the tortillas evenly over bottom of Deep Dish Baker; top with half of the beef mixture and half of the cheese. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of the cilantro over cheese. Top with remaining tortillas, beef mixture and cheese.


Cooking Day: Thaw casserole the night before. Bake in 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until hot completely through. Ole'!

April Swap Details

This month's swap will be held at The Gathering Place. We'll swap at 10:00 a.m. Any questions, please let us know!

Category Assignments:
Beef: Melanie
Beef with Pasta: Elisha
Soup/Grill:Josie 
Chicken: Elizabeth
Chicken with Pasta: Casey
Breakfast: Chastity
Other: Suzanne
Grill: Marti