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1 lb. lean ground beef (can substitute ground turkey)
2/3 cup of barley, rinsed
2 cans Veg-All
3 cups V-8 or tomato juice
1 medium potato, peeled and cut in to ½-inch cubes
3 cups water
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
½ teaspoon pepper
Other seasonings to taste, such as salt, garlic, parsley
Directions
1. Brown ground beef in small stock pot. Drain grease. Add other ingredients and simmer until barley is cooked, about 45 minutes.
FYI: Veg-All, basically just a combination of a bunch of vegetables, can be found in the canned veggie section; you can also find them frozen. This recipe is easy to put together but does take time to simmer, making it ideal for something to throw together on a Sunday, with enough for leftovers later in the week.
Greek Chicken Stew
Submitted by Wona Miniati, co-author of "Cooking with Trader Joe's: Dinner's Done" ( all ingredients available at Trader Joe's)
Ingredients
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 breasts)
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 cups mirepoix (1 chopped onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 1 cup thinly sliced carrots)
1 tsp garlic (or 1 frozen cube garlic)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomato (regular or fire-roasted)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 (12 oz) jar pitted kalamata olives, drained
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and oregano. Coat the chicken pieces with this mixture.
3. Heat a pan with 1 Tbsp oil. Brown the chicken breasts on both sides, and then transfer the chicken breasts to a deep baking dish or casserole (I used a 9x13-inch pan), drizzled with 1 Tbsp oil. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture over the chicken breasts.
4. Add 1 Tbsp oil to the same pan and sauté the onions, celery, and carrots. Stir often and cook until the onion is soft, adding the garlic during the last few minutes.
5. Add the diced tomatoes (including juices), tomato paste, broth, wine, and olives. Stir well, and bring to a simmer for a few minutes. Pour this mixture over the chicken.
6. Cover tightly with a lid or with foil, and bake for up to two hours. The chicken will be cooked after the first 40 minutes, but the longer baking time will meld the sauce and give it that rich, long-cooked quality.
7. Serve over quinoa, basmati rice, or noodles.
Brisket
Submitted by Shari Von Holten, mom of two, Wantagh
Ingredients
2-3 lb brisket
3 cans of tomato soup
Lipton Onion Soup Mix
potatoes
Directions
1. Put 1 can of tomato soup on the bottom of the pot.
2. Place the brisket on top of the soup.
3. Sprinkle onion soup mix on top of brisket.
4. Layer another can of tomato soup on top (make sure brisket is covered with liquid at all times; if not, add another can of tomato soup).
5. Cook on stovetop on high for four hours
6. About an hour before you want to eat, peel and cut your potatoes. Place them in the pot. You know the meal is done when the brisket is soft.
