Chicken Meatballs

1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 c. wheat germ
1/4 c. feta cheese

1 cup bread crumbs mixed with 1 tsp italian seasoning

Mix first ingredients, roll into balls, coat with bread crumbs, fry in olive oil.

Mean Beef Stew

I had some stew meat leftover from another recent project and decided to make into beef stew, which is not usually a dish that I care for.  But this one turned out awesomely!  It is a combination of my mother's recipe and one of Paula Deen's. :)

Ingredients 

1-1.5 lbs beef stew meat
2 tbsp canola oil
15 oz can tomato sauce
2 cup water (or so)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 tsp allspice
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large carrots, sliced
4 (red or yellow) potatoes, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
15 oz can diced or stew tomatoes

Directions

Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chili powder salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 hour.  Add carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. Add tomatoes toward end of cooking.  Simmer on low until ready to eat.

I used about 1.5 cups of tomatoes from my garden that I had in the freezer. :)  Next time I will maybe double the recipe and have some for the freezer.  Delicious!

Apple Pie Sopapilla Cheesecake

Once upon a time, my cousin Allison gave me this amazing, simple, and scrumptious recipe for Sopapilla Cheesecake, listed below.  It has always been a huge hit wherever I've taken it, and its pretty quick and easy to do.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans crescent rolls

2 8-oz boxes cream cheese

2 C granulated sugar

1 stick of butter

1 tsp cinnamon

In a 9x13 pan, spray with Pam, line bottom of pan with one can of crescent rolls, pinching together & spreading to cover the bottom completely.  Mix cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar.  Spread mixture over layer of rolls.  Spread second can of rolls on top, pinching together to cover completely.  Melt butter, add 1 cup of sugar & the cinnamon, mix well.  Pour over top of dessert.  Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes until set & light golden brown.  Cool completely before cutting.

Last night I modified the recipe a bit to accommodate a can of apple pie filling that I wanted to use.

Apple Pie Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans crescent rolls

2 8-oz boxes cream cheese

3/4 C granulated sugar

3/4 C brown sugar

1 can apple pie filling

1 stick of butter

1 tsp cinnamon

In a 9x13 pan, spray with Pam, line bottom of pan with one can of crescent rolls, pinching together & spreading to cover the bottom completely.  Mix cream cheese with 3/4 cup of granulated sugar.  Spread mixture over layer of rolls.  Spread apple pie filling on top of cream cheese layer.  Spread second can of rolls on top, pinching together to cover completely.  Melt butter, add 3/4 cup of brown sugar & the cinnamon, mix well.  Pour over top of dessert.  Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes until set & light golden brown.  Cool completely before cutting.

Either way, you can't go wrong!  This Apple Pie Sopapilla Cheesecake had nothin' on 7 ladies at my moms group's Moms Night Out last night!

Homemade Garden Spaghetti Sauce

This is adapted from a recipe I found on Pinterest (and no longer remember where) and directions given by my friend Chris. :)  AMAZING!

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large or 2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
• 4 lbs. tomatoes (original recipe called for Roma, I used Heirlooms and Better Boys from my garden! Homegrown is the way to go!)
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil, minced or 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1-2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley chopped, or 1/4 cup dried parsley

First you cut an X in the bottom of each tomato.   Add tomatoes to large pot of boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. Then use some kind of slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes from the water, one at a time.  You can then peel them easily.  Next, you will want to cut out the stem end.  At this point, you'll want to either very finely chop (if you like a chunky sauce) or puree the tomatoes.  (The original post instructed you to squeeze the guts out of the tomatoes but I just pureed the whole thing.  You'll need the juice.)

Heat olive oil in a large deep pot. Add finely chopped onions and cook, covered, over low heat until tender and lightly colored, about 5 minutes.  Now you are ready to add your onions to the pot. Heat your oil and add your onions, cooking for about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper, garlic and parsley.  (Original recipe says to add garlic and parsley in last 5 minutes of simmering; I didn't.)  


I also added about 12 oz water using my tomato paste can because it was too thick for me.  You should simmer this for something like 2 hours at a minimum. As it cooks, the juices will come out even more and the flavors start to mix together.


This is obviously not a quick weeknight meal.  Not terribly time-consuming, but I can understand why I've only had jarred spaghetti sauce to this point in my life. :)  I have to say the taste was well worth the effort.  And the maple syrup was my own addition (got the idea from my favorite pizza sauce recipe).  Leave it out if you hate sweet sauces!  Next time I might added some bell pepper and such.

Avocado Enchiladas

3 Large Ripe, but firm California Avocados
1 Scant Tablespoon Cumin
2 Large Cloves of Garlic, minced
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
1/3 Cup Honey
1 Heaping Tablespoon Cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 Cup Green Enchilada Sauce
1 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
Tillamook Pepperjack Cheese, grated
Corn Tortillas (or flour is fine)

Using a knife, slice all the way around the avocado from top to bottom. Separate the two halves and remove the pit (I do this by holding the avocado in one hand, and carefully hitting the pit with my knife blade. The blade sticks and I give a little twist to remove the pit). Using a paring knife, slice the meat of the avocado from top to bottom and side to side to create chunks of avocado. Use a spoon to remove all of the avocado.

In a bowl, whisk together the cilantro, garlic, cumin, honey, and lime juice. Add the avocado and toss gently.

Place the tortillas (it will depend on how full you make each tortilla how many you can get out of this recipe. I don't like mine bulging, so I skimp a bit) in a piece of saran wrap and fold it over the top of the tortillas, keeping the end open slightly. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time or until soft and pliable.

Meanwhile, whisk together the green enchilada sauce and heavy cream. Spread a little on the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish.

Scoop a little of the avocado mixture into a tortilla, top with a small sprinkling of cheese, and roll shut. Place in the baking dish, seam side down and repeat with remaining tortillas. Spoon a little enchilada sauce over all of the enchiladas and top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 min or until bubbly and beginning to brown slightly.

Taken from the Sweet Basil blog. Fantastic Pinterest find!

I added black beans the first time I made these and shredded chicken the second time.  Delicious!!

Stovetop Lasagna

- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 pound lean ground turkey breast
- 3/4 Green Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe #3)
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1/4 cup oat bran
- 1/2 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
- 9-ounce box uncooked lasagna noodles, roughly broken into strips
- 1 jar (24-26ounces) marinara sauce
- 1 cup part skim shredded mozzarella

Heat the oil over medium heat in a deep skillet or earthenware pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook until they are slightly translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the turkey or beef, stirring to break it up, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the meat is no longer red.

In a medium bowl, combine the Green Puree and tomato paste until mixture turns brownish in color.

Add to skillet, and stir in the oat bran, basil, and oregano. Add broken noodles on top of meat mixture, then top with tomato sauce.

Fill empty tomato sauce jar three-quarters full of water (about 2 1/2 cups) and add to skillet. Stir to combine. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add cheese on top, do not stir again; cover for 3 to 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve hot. 

So I stole this from the Sneaky Chef blog.  I added a half-cup of low-fat ricotta to the mix and used less mozzarella on top.  Also replaced oat bran with wheat germ, since that was what I had, and made some slight substitutions on the green puree.  It's like a healthy hamburger helper!

Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken Tacos

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found on Pinterest that was pretty good...but this version I came up with was better!!  Just made it for the second time tonight and everyone loved it.  This amount fed 4 adults and 1 child, plus we have some leftovers.  So good!

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can petite diced chipotle tomatoes (or Rotel)
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 oz. onion and chive cream cheese
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker (I put them in frozen). Cover with onion, corn, and beans.  In a bowl, mix together undrained tomatoes, cream cheese, garlic powder, cumin, cayennne, and salt.  Add to the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Shred chicken and mix all together.  Serve on tortillas or tortilla chips with guacamole and shredded Mexican blend cheese.

Enjoy!