52. Gourmet Chicken Salad

A nice roasted chicken for Sunday supper is an American classic. Unless you've planned the meal perfectly, however, leftover chicken is certainly going to be on your menu later in the week. I like to make a nice chicken salad with the leftover white meat, and use the bones and dark meat for stock and/or soup.

This chicken salad recipe is fresh and easy and and can be served over a plain salad for a light lunch, stuffed in pita bread, made into a chicken salad wrap or served on any bread or roll.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced cooked white meat chicken or turkey
1 cup diced green peppers
2 plum tomatoes,diced
1 small onion, diced
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup nonfat mayonnaise
1/4 cup lowfat yogurt

Make Ahead Prep:
In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients except the mayonnaise and yogurt. Add the mayonnaise and yogurt and mix well. Place into an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days.

Note: Do not freeze this recipe as mayonnaise tends to separate when frozen.

Get more make-ahead sandwich recipes.

43. Make Ahead Breakfast Burritos

Who said you can't have a hot breakfast even on school/workdays? Make up a batch of these breakfast burritos ahead of time and you'll be eating a healthy breakfast in just ten minutes!

Ingredients:

12 eggs
2 cups cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup chopped veggie trio (red, peppers, green peppers, onions)
1/2 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste
24 medium flour tortillas OR 12 large flour tortillas
salsa

Make-Ahead Preparation:

In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the milk and salt and pepper.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring constantly, being careful not to brown the eggs, until cooked through.

While the eggs are cooking, place your tortillas on a microwave-safe dish and cover with plastic wrap. Heat for 30 to 45 seconds or until tortillas are just slightly warm. (Warming the tortillas makes them more pliable. If your tortillas are already soft enough to roll, you can omit this step.)

When the eggs are cooked through, stir veggies.

Place ½ cup egg mixture into each tortilla (more if using larger tortillas); sprinkle with cheese and top with some salsa. Roll them up burrito-style.

Wrap each tortilla in tin foil, place on a large baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen through, transfer the burritos in batches to ziploc bags. Freeze for up to one month.

Last Minute Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove burritos from ziploc bags and heat in the tin foil for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.

34. Spicy Tomato and Pepper Soup

Hearty enough for a winter lunch and light enough for a summer meal, Spicy Tomato and Pepper Soup is an all-season meal. It pairs perfectly with a grilled cheese sandwich and/or baby mixed green salad with a light dressing.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, minced
2 cups finely chopped sweet red or yellow peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 cups lowfat chicken stock
2 cups diced tomatoes

Make-Ahead Preparation:

In a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, saute the onions, peppers and garlic in the olive oil for about five minutes or until the onions are translucent and the peppers are softened. Stir in the chili powder, oregano and peppers. Saute for one minute.

Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Working in batches, put the soup into a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Repeat with remaining soup.

Allow soup to cool completely. Pour into storage container(s) and freeze for up to 3 months.

Last Minute Preparation:

Thaw soup overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in saucepan over medium heat until heated through.

Pour into serving bowls. Top with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche and some crumbled bacon.

32. Turkey Burgers a la Greece

Low on fat but big on flavor, these Greek-inspired freeze-ahead turkey burgers will please even the pickest of palates.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 cup finely minced onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, finely minced
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Make-Ahead Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly, being careful not to overwork.

Separate into four equal parts and shape into patties. Stack patties in twos, separating each patty with a sheet of waxed paper. Put into ziploc bag removing all extra air and freeze for up to 3 months.

Last-Minute Preparation:

Remove turkey burgers from freezer and place in refrigerator to defrost, generally 24hours but not more than two days ahead.

Oil grates of grill with a little olive oil and preheat. Grill turkey burgers until cooked through, approx. 4 minutes per side.

Serve on buns, rolls or pita bread with sliced tomato, some fresh Romaine lettuce and a drizzle of Greek dressing.


Greek Salad Dressing

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients except the oil. Drizzle in the oil while whisking vigorously, or add the add, cover container tightly and shake well until combined. Store covered at room temperature.

Tastes good with:

• Marinated Green Bean Salad
• Make-Ahead Cole Slaw

22. Make Ahead Stacked Salads

Try this trick for creating individually stacked salads that will please your family or guests and will to keep your last minute preparations to a minimum.

Using rocks glasses, those short, wide-mouthed glasses used for mixed drinks, put your dressing in the bottom of the glass. Stack your desired ingredients on top, uniform bits of chopped vegetables, cheese and a protein such as grilled chicken, shrimp or crab – and refrigerate the whole thing overnight.

At meal time, carefully turn out each salad onto a plate. The dressing filters down through the layers, giving each guest a salad that's beautiful but not at all soggy.

Traditional

9. Shredded organic beets

8. Chopped mushrooms

7. Radish micro-greens

6. Dried cranberries

5. Crumbled blue cheese

4. Crumbled bacon

3. Shredded carrots

2. Chopped tomatoes

1. Balsamic vinaigrette

Caesar Salad

9. Chopped romaine lettuce

8. Chopped mushrooms

7. Diced prosciutto

6 Chiffonade of basil

5. Confetti of chopped peppers

4. Shaved parmesan

3. Sprouts

2. Tomato wheel

1. Caesar vinaigrette


Pasta Salad

9. Crab meat

8. Chopped pepper medley

7. Diced zucchini

6. Diced squash

5. Shredded parmesan

4. Micro-greens

3. Chiffonade of basil

2. Cooked pasta mixed with cubed tomatoes

1. Zesty Italian dressing


Asian Salad


8. Spring mix greens

7. Natural shredded coconut

6. Dried nuts and fruits

5. Chopped grilled shrimp

4. Diced mango

3. Diced cucumbers

2. Chopped Roma tomatoes

1. Ginger vinaigrette

Tex-Mex Salad

9. Spring greens mix

8. Confetti of colored peppers

7. Chopped cilantro

6. Chopped pumpkin seeds

5. Pico de gallo

4. Grilled chopped chicken

3. Shredded Colby jack cheese

2. Chopped tomatoes

1. Southwest vinaigrette

http://www.makeaheadmeals.blogspot.com

17. Maryland Crab Cakes

Anyone who has lived on the East Coast has learned to love Maryland Crab Cakes. These make a delicious lunch or dinner dish. You can also make smaller cakes and serve them as appetizers that your guests are sure to enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 pound backfin Blue crab meat or other lump crab meat
8 saltine crackers
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Make Ahead Preparation:

Carefully check the crab meat for any cartilage. Put meat in a bowl and set it aside.

Crush the saltine crackers very finely by putting them into a ziploc bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin or by putting them into a food processor. Mix them with all the other ingredients. Gently fold in the crab being careful to only mix enough to combine ingredients. You don't want to break up the crab into fine shreds.

Shape into 6 large crab cakes, or cut in half and make 12 smaller cakes for appetizers. If serving immediately, refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To freeze the crab cakes, wrap each one individually in waxed paper or freezer paper. Place into ziploc bags and freeze for up to two weeks.

Last Minute Assembly:

Allow crab cakes to thaw.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan.

Sauté until golden brown on each side. This will only take about 3 minutes per side. Garnish with tartar sauce, remoulade, or simply with a squeeze of lemon.

Alternate Serving Suggestions:

• Grill up a buttered sandwich roll. Place crab cake on the roll and serve with a side of Make Ahead Cole Slaw, french fries and plenty of remoulade sauce and lemon wedges.


• For a nice light lunch, toss some field greens with a simple vinaigrette. Top with some roasted corn salsa and then top all of that with two crab bakes.


• For a delicious brunch dish, try making Crab Cakes Benedict. Set one-half of a grilled English Muffin on a plate. Top with a crab cake, poached egg and hollandaise sauce.

7. Chicken Taco Salad

Not only can all of the components of this dish be prepped a few days ahead of time, but it's good for you as well. This is a favorite in my house as a summertime meal.

Ingredients:

1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 package taco seasoning

2 small, vine-ripened tomatoes

1 small can sliced black olives

1 small can chopped green chilies

Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

French or Catalina salad dressing

Fritos or edible taco salad shells

Sour cream for garnish (optional)

Make Ahead Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat the chicken breasts with taco seasoning and place on rimmed baking sheets. Cook for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

Allow chicken to cool and place in ziploc storage bags. Freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.

Last Minute Preparation:

If chicken has been frozen, remove from freezer and defrost. Chicken can be used cold or heated in a 375 oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice each chicken breasts on the diagonal in 1/2" slices.

In a large bowl, toss the salad, tomatoes, chilies, and olives with dressing to taste.

If using taco shells, pile lettuce mixture in the shells. Top with sliced chicken and cheese and a dollop of sour cream if desired.

If not using taco shells, pile some of the lettuce mixture on a plate. Surround with Fritos. Top with sliced chicken, cheese and a dollop of sour cream (if desired).

5. American-Style Chicken and Rice

This dish is fabulous in its simplicity and is sure to please even the fussiest eater.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cans or jars of pre-made chicken gravy (or 4 cups homemade chicken gravy)
1 box frozen peas
2 to 3 bags boil-in-bag white rice
salt & pepper

Make Ahead Preparation:

In a large pot of boiling water, add the chicken breasts with some salt and pepper and boil for 10 minutes or until cooked through.

In a small strainer, run cold water over the peas until they are almost defrosted. Drain off excess water. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into bite-sized chunks.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, add chicken gravy, peas, chicken and salt & pepper to taste and cook, stirring frequently, until heated through.

At this stage, you can cool the chicken/gravy mixture and refrigerate for several days or freeze for up to 3 weeks.

Last Minute Assembly:

In large pot, add bagged rice and cook according to package directions. Drain and empty rice into serving dish. Heat chicken and gravy mixture in the microwave or stovetop until heated through. Top the rice with chicken gravy mixture and serve with some biscuits and a side salad.

3. Make-Ahead Sloppy Joes

We all remember sloppy joes from our summer camp days. Who knew that you could make these delightful sandwiches ahead of time and save them for up to three months in your freezer!
Ingredients:

1 pound bulk pork sausage
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
14 to 16 sandwich buns, split
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Make Ahead Preparation:

In a skillet, brown sausage, beef and onion. Remove from the heat; drain.

Remove the centers from the tops and bottoms of each bun. Tear removed bread into small pieces; add to skillet. Set bun shells aside.

Stir remaining ingredients into sausage mixture. Spoon about 1/3 cupful onto the bottom of each bun; replace tops. Wrap individually in heavy-duty foil.

These individual sandwiches can be heated and eaten as is or frozen for up to 3 months.

Last Minute Assembly:

Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until heated through.

To use frozen sandwiches: Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 14-16