Delicious Retreat Recipes

I’m sharing some my favorite recipes for feeding for a large crew. They’re easy to prep in advance so they’re quick to serve, and they help accommodate common dietary restrictions and allergies like gluten, dairy, and pork.

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

Pick a protein (3 lbs):
Ground turkey, or ground beef, or crumbled tofu

Onions, raw, 3 cups, chopped
Olive Oil, 6 tbsp
Carrots, raw, 4 cups, grated 
Mushrooms, a pack or two
Garlic
Tomato Sauce, 3 cups
Cider Vinegar, 6 tbsp
Ketchup, 6 tbsp
Molasses, 3 tbsp
Worcestershire Sauce, 3 tsp
Chili powder, 4 tsp
Paprika, 3 tbsp 

Add salt and pepper to taste

Don’t forget:
Buns and/or tortillas (I use corn tortillas)
Shredded Cheddar cheese or slices of Muenster
Feta (some of us non-dairy eaters can have sheep and goat milk cheese)

Instructions

Cook the protein on medium-high with some of the seasonings (garlic, paprika, pepper). Once you’re sure the meat is fully cooked, add the onions and cook for a few minutes so the onions soften. Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir frequently until it gets to a low boil. Taste and add more salt, pepper, chili power, etc. til it’s just right for you and your crew. Set to simmer and let it sit for a few minutes or a few hours. (I like to use my crockpot for this one.)

Serve with toasted buns and/or tortillas, cheese.

Photo by Mila on Unsplash

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients

Chicken breasts
Onions
Bell Peppers
Seasoning (I like Kinder’s Seasoning, The Taco Blend)
Tortillas
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Lettuce
Black beans
Cilantro
Avocado or guacamole

Instructions

Cook the chicken, onions, and bell peppers in a pan together. Use your favorite seasoning.

Set out all the other ingredients buffet style and let people build their own burritos/tacos/salads.

Sausage & Veggies

Ingredients

Sweet Italian or Spicy Jalapeño Chicken Sausage (or whatever you like in the refrigerated section of the grocery store that is a dinner sausage and not a breakfast sausage)

Green cabbage (chopped)
Broccoli or broccolini (cut into bite-size pieces)
Rice
Feta

Instructions

Start a pot of rice.

Follow the instructions on the sausage packaging to cook the links in a saucepan. When the links are about half cooked, slice the sausages into bite-size pieces, add back into the pan, and cook some more. Add the veggies and a little water so they steam, cover with a lid and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the sausage & veggies on top of the rice. Provide feta to sprinkle on top. I also like a little Cholula on mine.