Chicken Pot Pie

Makes 2 whole pies
3 chicken breasts browned or boiled (you can use turkey, deer, or beef)
6 red potatoes peeled and diced
1 8oz. bag of fresh baby carrots
1 8oz bag of frozen peas
3 cups chicken broth (or beef broth)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpse flour
1 teaspoon of salt (can omit)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (can omit)
1 or 2 chicken or beef bullion cube (for potatoes)
2  9inch round cake pans (use butter flavored shortening to grease)
2 pie crusts that have both top and bottom layer. Thaw or fresh. (If you use our Easy Basic Pie Crust recipe make sure you do it twice to have enough to make two complete pies)
1 egg white (to baste crust)

Directions:
Start by preparing. Take your peas out of the freezer and set aside to thaw. Boil diced potatoes add a bullion cube to the water for extra flavor. Cook your meat using a little bit of garlic if you'd like. Be careful adding too much salt. Cook your carrots. Grease your cake pans with butter flavored shortening. Put your bottom layer pie crust in your pan and baste with egg whites (can omit). Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large pot melt your butter. Once melted, add flour, slat and pepper. Slowly wisk in broth. It will be kind of thin. Add drained cooked potatoes, carrots, peas and meat. Stir together. Add filling to waiting pie crust pan. There will be enough filling for TWO pies.

Add your top crust and pinch the layers together around the edge.

If you don't weave the top be sure to make slits in the top for vents. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.



Mexican Salad 2

•  lettuce, any kind
• ground turkey or beef
• cumin
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• fat free refried beans
• shredded reduced fat cheese
• spicy ranch dressing (if you don't have spicy ranch, use regular plus some taco sauce)

Brown meat, seasoning liberally with spiced.  Whn meat is browned, add 1/4 -1/2 cup water and stir, add more seasoning if desired.  (Taco meat- without all the crud and sodium.)

Warm beans in oven or microwave.  Top lettuce with meat, beans, cheese and dressing!

Stuffed Shells

• 1 pkg frozen spinach, defrosted
• 3/4 cup ground beef
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• Jumbo shell noodles, cooked and cooled
• spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups shredded Italian cheese

Defrost spinach and wring out.  Brown beef.  Put beef in a large bowl,  add spinach and cream cheese.
Saute onion and garlic in beef drippings until translucent.  Add to mixture.  Add parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste.  Let cool.  Once cooled, add the egg and mix well.  Stuff cooled noodles and smother with sauce in a baking dish.
 Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Top with shredded cheese in last 5 minutes of baking.

Meatball Subs

• 1lb lean ground sirloin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp lite salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 3 tbsp onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1 cup lite tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 4 lite sub rolls or pitas
• 4 oz reduced fat mozzeralla
• nonfat cooking spray

Combine 1st six ingredients- only 1/2 of the garlic.  Form small meatballs.  Spray medium saute pan, gently add meatballs.  Saute until browned, remove from pan.
Add remaining garlic to pan, saute 15 seconds.  Add tomato sauce, water and tomato.  Return meatballs to pan.  Continue to simmer until meatballs are cooked through and sauce reduces.
Put meatballs on rolls, top with sauce and cheese.

From the LA Lite Cookbook

Chili

This recipe is allowed on all phases of the South Beach Diet

• 1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
• cumin, chili powder and garlic powder
• 1 can (28oz) tomato sauce
• 1 jar (16oz) salsa
• 1 can black beans

Brown ground meat in a large pot.  Drain if needed.  Season liberally with cumin, chili powder and garlic powder.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20 minutes.  Serve and top with sour cream and shredded cheese.

Barbacoa Meat

Barbacoa from Chipotle Mexican Grill

• 4 guijillo chilies 
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 10 allspice berries 
• 1/3 cup Mexican oregano 
• 12 sprigs fresh thyme 
• 6 garlic cloves 
• 1 Spanish onion, roughly chopped 
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar 
• 1 (6 to 8-pound) beef roast 
• Salt and pepper 
• 1 (2-pound) package dried avocado leaves 
• Large tortilla for wrap, beans, rice and vegetables of your choice.

Toast chilies, cover with boiling water in a deep bowl and set aside for 20 minutes. Grind cumin, cloves, allspice, and oregano in coffee grinder. Drain soaked chilies, puree in blender the chilies, ground spices, thyme, garlic, onion, vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water. Process until smooth. Push mixture through a sieve, season beef with salt and pepper. Rub paste all over the meat. Arrange in a bowl and allow to marinate for 4 hours, refrigerated. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a deep roaster pan, scatter half of the avocado leaves on the bottom, place meat on top of the avocado leaves and scatter the remaining leaves over the meat. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Cook the beef 6 to 7 hours until meat is falling off the bone. If using lamb shoulder cook for 4 hours. Note: Fresh avocado leaves are toxic – they must be dried to be used for cooking.

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Ancho Marinade

Recipe for the ancho chile marinade used at the Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurant. Source: Chef Staci Raymond – Chipotle Mexican Grill, Phoenix, Arizona.  This is the perfect marinade for chicken or steak, everyone will wonder where you got the recipe.

• 2 ounces. dried ancho chilies 
• 1 teaspoons black pepper 
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder 
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano 
• 6 cloves garlic 
• 1/2 red onion, quartered 
• 1/4 C. vegetable oil 
• 4 chicken breasts or meat of choice

Soak dried chilies in water overnight or until soft; remove seeds. Place ingredients, except meat, in a food processor; process until smooth. Spread mixture over the chicken; refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. 
Heat grill to 400 degrees, or if cooking inside, heat a small amount of oil in a skillet or grill pan over high heat. Season chicken with salt. Grill chicken breasts until cooked through.

Crescent Roll Chimis

• 1lb ground beef
• taco seasoning 
• 2 (8oz) pkg crescent roll dough
• 2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles
• shredded cheese
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• sour cream
• green onions, chopped
• tomatoes, chopped

Preheat oven to 375.  Heat skillet on high.  Add beef, diced onion and taco seasoning.  Cook and drain. Roll out dough.  Seperate each roll into 4 squares (pinch two triangles together). Top with beef and cheese. Top with another square of dough and pinch seems together.  Bake 13 minutes.  Top with sour cream, green onions and tomatoes.