Tasty Table ~ Meaty Mains

By Tasty Table Blogger Jenny Stauffer

Here are some delicious, easy protein-packed dinner ideas. All of them have minimal prep time and are super flavorful. Enjoy!

Pork Loin Milanese

I just recently got Melissa d’Arabian’s new cookbook. She is the host of “Ten Dollar Dinners” on the Food Network. This recipe was amazing! My kids loved this and it was super easy to make. It is definitely in our meal rotation now. She serves it with an arugula salad. I’ve said it before, but sometimes the most simple ingredients make the best dish.

Ingredients: 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
1 pkg of thin-cut pork loin chops
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly minced or pressed through a garlic press
½ tsp Kosher salt
1 large egg
½ cup vegetable oil

Place 2 T olive oil into a gallon-sized resealable bag. Add garlic and ½ tsp salt, then seal and shake to combine. Add the pork, seal the bag and massage to coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Set up an assembly line: whisk egg in one bowl, breadcrumbs in another. Take the pork, dip it in the egg, then press into breadcrumbs on each side.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add pork and brown on each side, about 6 minutes each side. Transfer to a towel-lined plate.

Pioneer Woman’s Tequila Lime Chicken

Source: Ree Drummond, www.foodnetwork.com

I really tried to wait to share this recipe. It’s a perfect recipe for Cinco de Mayo. But I can’t wait any longer. This was so moist and tasty. It was so easy. And the melted cheese on top sealed the deal! And when isn’t it a good time for Mexican? Now, when you make this marinade, you will take one whiff and it will knock you out. But I promise that tequila is tenderizing the chicken and you will not taste it at all once it’s cooked! We had this will saffron rice and a corn, tomato, and avocado salad.

**Note the quantity! For our family, I just halved everything, as best as I could.

Ingredients

4 limes
1 cup tequila
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
5 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno, sliced (I did not use)
1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups grated Monterey Jack (we used a slice of pepper jack for adults)

Options for servings:
Corn tortillas
Flour tortillas
Grated Monterey Jack
Pico de gallo
Jalapeno slices
Lime wedges
Avocado slices
Sour cream

Slice open the limes and squeeze the juice into a food processor or blender. Add the tequila, olive oil, salt, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro. Blend the mixture until totally combined. Add the chicken to a large plastic bag and pour in the lime-tequila mixture. Seal the bag and marinate in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Remove the chicken from the bag and grill it over medium-high heat. Rotate the chicken 45-degrees on both sides to create nice grill marks, and continue grilling until the chicken is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Melt the Monterey Jack over the top of the sliced chicken breasts.

Slice the chicken and serve it on a plate topped with the sides.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Adapted from Rachael Ray
Source: www.tasteofhomecooking.com

These are so delicious! We gobbled them up!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 softball-sized onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 cup beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper
4 dinner rolls
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 cup provolone, shredded

In large skillet over medium-high heat add the oil and then brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and green pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes.

Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture. Toast the rolls and set aside.

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the cheese.

To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

French Chicken

My best friend’s mom made this when I was growing up. It is slightly sweet and we all love this. It is easy, and if I forget to marinate it, it still tastes great!

Ingredients:
1 package of chicken
1 envelope onion soup mix
½ bottle French dressing (I use light)

In a large resealable bag, add the dressing and the soup mix. Use your hands outside of the bag and mix ingredients. Add chicken. Marinate several hours or overnight. Heat oven to 350. Bake, covered with foil, for an hour.