Raquel’s Smoky Bacon Pork Chops

Raquel Majeski rmajeski@lacademy.edu

Ingredients

• 3oz pepper jack cheese, shredded

• ¼ cup pre sliced green onions

• 4 (¾ inch thick) bone-in pork chops (about 2lbs)

• 2 teaspoons mesquite seasoning

• ¼ cup cooked bacon pieces (use real bacon)

• ¼ cup light mayonnaise

• 1 teaspoon chipotle peeper sauce

• ½ cup of shredded cabbage

• Nonstick aluminum foil

PREP

- Preheat oven to 425F. Line baking sheet with foil

- Shred cheese

Instructions

1. Season pork chops with mesquite seasoning; place on a baking sheet (wash hands) Combine cheese, onions, bacon, mayonnaise, pepper sauce, and shredded cabbage. Spread cheese mixture evenly over pork chops.

2. Place on the middle rack of the oven; bake for 8-9 minutes.

3. Increase oven heat to broil for 2-3 more minutes or until pork is browned and served at 145F.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Gluten-Free: You can use regular flour for a non-gluten-free version…

Annie Schneider

aschneider@lacademy.edu

Timing

Beginner: roughly 40 minutes, not including sides.

Advanced: roughly 20 minutes, not including sides.

Ingredients

• 3 boneless chicken breasts (you can substitute chicken tenderloins or something similar)

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 cup Gluten free all-purpose flour blend (flour with xanthin gum not needed but ideal or just any normal flour for a non-gluten free breading)

• 5 teaspoons Italian seasoning

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• Olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan in a thin layer)

Instructions

1. Butterfly the chicken breasts, then use a meat mallet to pound them into thin pieces. Suggestion: If using thinner chicken, such as tenderloins, you do not need to butterfly them but still thin them more with the meat mallet.

2. Combine flour, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a bag or large bowl (you must dip the chicken in it).

3. Use 2 or 3 eggs to create an egg wash. Salt and pepper to taste. Suggestion: Use a plate with high rims to lay each piece on its side to coat it in the egg wash.

4. Heat the oil in a saute pan on medium heat. (If cooking a large amount of chicken, you may need to add oil as you go since some will be absorbed into the chicken).

5. Bread the chicken:

- For heavy breading: dip each piece of chicken in the egg wash, then flour mixture, egg wash again, and then flour mixture again. Set aside (avoid stacking coated chicken on itself).

- For medium breading: dip the chicken in the flour mixture, then egg wash, and then the flour mixture again. Set aside (avoid stacking coated chicken on itself).

- For light breading: dip the chicken in the egg wash, then into the flour mixture. Set aside (avoid stacking coated chicken on itself).

6. Carefully place coated chicken in the sauté pan (do not overlap chicken). Cook the chicken for a few minutes on each side (the thinner the chicken takes less time to cook). The breading should turn a light golden brown when finished. *You will need to cook it in batches.

Suggestions: Use a baking sheet to place the cooked chicken on and keep it in the oven on warm at about 175 degrees. Suggested sides: Veggie - broccoli (especially with a Parmesan topping), brussel sprouts, green beans. Other - mashed potatoes, cauliflower mashed, Tuscan rice, corn.

Tuscan Chicken Stew

Gluten-Free: Instapot version but can be adjusted for crock pot/Dutch oven/pot…

Annie Schneider

aschneider@lacademy.edu

Timing

Prep time: 10-20 minutes depending on chopping speed

Active cooking time: 30 minutes (roughly 15 to saute vegetables and combine ingredients in the pot, and roughly 15 minutes to remove chicken from the bone and shred after cooking)

Inactive cook time: varies depending on cooking instruments (40 minutes in InstaPot for cook and natural release and roughly 2 hours without a pressure cooker).

Ingredients

• Olive Oil (about 2 tablespoons, I suggest using extra-virgin olive oil)

• 1 onion, chopped (I suggest a sweet yellow onion)

• 3 or 4 celery stalks, chopped

• 3 or 4 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 5 or 6 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 pound of small red or white potatoes, quartered or halved

• 1 14 or 16 ounce can of crushed red tomatoes with juice (I suggest using all-in-one crushed tomatoes)

• 1 (about 15 ounce) can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 cup of chicken broth (you can use 2 cups or more to make it more of a soup than a stew)

• 6 bone-in, skin -on chicken thighs (you can substitute drumsticks or even boneless chicken breasts so easier shredding after cooking)

• 1.5 teaspoon dried oregano

• Red pepper flakes to taste (I suggest a large pinch or quick shake). *Omit for young children

• Salt and pepper to taste (roughly 2-4 teaspoons each)

• 1.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• Optional: chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat the InstaPot be selecting sauté, then add the oil

2. *For other companies and cooking methods heat oil on medium heat

3. Add the carrots, celery, and onions to the oil and saute until the onion is translucent (5-10 minutes, longer if you prefer your vegetables to melt into the stew as opposed to many chunks of vegetables in the stew) (I prefer sauteing the vegetables for over 10 minutes).

4. Add garlic and saute the vegetables for another few minutes until the garlic scent is fragrant

5. Add the potatoes, crushed tomatoes, beans, broth, oregano,and chicken. Also add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (you can add more salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes after cooking so be sure not to over salt, especially if you are using salted chicken broth). *For children I suggest omitting the red pepper flakes. *Make sure the liquid reached the bottom of your IntaPot/pot so that he food does not burn. Add more chicken broth if needed.

6. For InstaPot: select Manual or Pressure Cook and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes

7. For crockpot/dutch over/pot: Cook for roughly an hour and a half to two hours. Test chicken to make sure it has cooked through completely.

8. If using InstaPot: once cooking is complete, use a natural release. This may take over 30 minutes. After 30 minutes you may release the rest of the steam. I suggest covering with a towel to prevent steam burns.

9. Remove the chicken and pull the meat off the bones, shred the chicken, and then return to the pot. *Watch out for cartilage pieces! You can shred using two forks if you do not have a meat shredder.

10. Add the vinegar and parsley to the pot and stir well. Add salt or pepper to taste of needed.