Baked Meatballs

Maisie adores meatballs and last week she asked for some and as they’re so simple to make I whipped up a batch.  Because of Maisie’s allergies I don’t use eggs or bread crumbs when making the meatballs.  To substitute for the egg I use chia seeds and for the bread I use potato flakes.  To add some extra calories I also incorporate ground walnuts into the mixture and they add a really nice texture to the finished meatball.  These meatballs have great flavor and texture and I love that Maisie adores them and will easily eat six to eight of them at one go.  Maisie enjoys eating the meatballs dipped either in ketchup or bbq sauce but they’re also delicious over pasta with a sauce or as part of a meatball sub sandwich. 

 Everything goes in one bowl and is mixed together,

 I portion out the meat using a large cookie scoop then roll the scoops into balls before placing them on a foil lined baking sheet.  Twenty minutes in the oven and Maisie’s meatballs are ready to serve.

Baked Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 2 TBS chia seeds
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup minced yellow onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 1/2 cup potato flakes
• 1 cup ground walnuts
• 1 TBS Italian seasoning 
• 2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl add the hot water and chia seeds and mix well.  Allow the chia seeds to hydrate for five minutes.  Add all the other ingredients and using your hands mix well.  Using a large cookie scoop portion out the meat.  Roll the portioned out meat into balls and place the meatballs on a the prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through.  Serve with sauce or as Maisie likes them, with a side of ketchup or bbq sauce.

Enjoy!

Slimmed Down Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole

My friend Lisa recently had surgery and while she recovered I wanted to make dinner for her and her family.  Lisa has been on Weight Watchers and she really liked the sound of my Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole so I set out to make a healthier version for her and her family. 

I cut way back on the oil that I used in the recipe and it made for a thicker coating on the potatoes which I really liked.

I used less potatoes, creating only a single layer in the pan.

Because I used less oil I had less leftover oil/hot sauce left in the bowl to use for marinating the chicken.

Though there was enough to coat the chicken, I think that next time I will just add a few dashes of extra hot sauce to the chicken.

The potatoes roasted up beautifully with the reduced oil and I loved the thicker coating of the hot sauce mixture.

Raw marinated chicken placed on top of the roasted potatoes,

In place of the regular bacon I used turkey bacon and for the cheese I used Weight Watchers Reduced-fat shredded Mexican-style cheese.

Ready for the oven.

The casserole baked up the nicely though not quite as gooey melty as when I use other cheese.  The reviews, well Lisa and her family loved the casserole and finished off the entire pan and if asked to make a slimmed down version again I wouldn’t hesitate to make this exactly as written below.  Also, after making this slimmed down version and seeing how it worked out, I think that in the future I will only use the reduced amount of olive oil and if needed I’ll add a bit of extra hot sauce to help marinate the chicken. As far as the bacon and cheese, just because of my personal taste preferences I’ll most likely continue using real bacon and regular cheese.  So in the future our family will enjoy a less slimmed down version but I guess cutting any bit of fat out of a recipe is good for the diet. 

Slimmed Down Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole

• 24 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 30 oz. potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes  (I leave the skin on)
• 2 TBS. olive oil 
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 TBS. freshly ground pepper
• 1 TBS. paprika 
• 2 TBS. garlic powder 
• 6 TBS. hot sauce 

Topping:

• 8 oz. Weight Watchers Reduced-fat shredded Mexican-style cheese
• 6 oz. turkey bacon, diced and pan fried until crispy
• 1 c diced green onion

Preheat oven to 500F.  In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder & hot sauce.  Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat.  Carefully scoop the potatoes into a cooking spray coated 9 x 13 inch baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mix as possible.  Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy & browned on the outside.  While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the leftover olive oil/hot sauce mix and stir to coat.  Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400F.  Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken.  In a bowl mix together the cheese, cooked turkey bacon & green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mix.  Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.  Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

The other day I was really craving Chicken Curry and rather than spending 45 minutes in the car round-trip, going to my favorite Thai place to pick some up, I decided to make it myself.  Last week I made a batch of Tom Yam Ghoong (Spicy Thai Shrimp Soup) so I figured that I had all the necessary ingredients in the house.  I knew the flavor that I was going for so I put on my chefs hat and used all my creative juices and made this recipe up as I went along.  Something unusual for me though, I decided to use a slow cooker which I generally don’t like using but it worked perfectly, the chicken was tender and the sauce, well it was absolutely divine with a perfect balance of spicy, hot, creamy, sweet and sour.  I’m glad that I kept track of the measurements as I went along because I will be making this curry again…and in the crockpot because it was sooooo easy!  

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in thumb sized strips
• 2 TBS peanut oil (or oil of your choice) 
• 2 large onions, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 fresh Thai red chili peppers, left whole
• 2 TBS grated fresh ginger root
• 6 TBS Jamaican curry powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp paprika 
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to your taste)
• 4 bay leaves 
• 12 Kaffir lime leaves 
• 2 TBS Thai fish sauce
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 3 TBS palm sugar 
• 2 – 14 oz. cans lite coconut milk
• 1 large lime, juiced
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used fat-free)

In a large skillet heat the oil until hot and then add the minced onion.  Sauté until the onion is caramelized.  Add the chicken, caramelized onion, minced garlic, Thai chili peppers, grated ginger, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, Kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, tomato paste, palm sugar and coconut milk to a slow cooker and stir to mix well.  Cook on low for five hours.   Once the curry has finished cooking, stir in the lime juice and the yogurt. 

Enjoy!

Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole

This is my sixth month participating in the Improv Cooking Challenge which is hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker.  As always I looked forward to participating and finding or coming up with a great recipe which included the two theme ingredients.  This month the participating bloggers were asked to make any recipe of their choosing using the two given ingredients of potatoes & cheese.  I knew immediately what I was going to make as this recipe has been a favorite in our home for a few years and as I haven’t made it in ages nor have I ever posted the recipe to my blog, well it was time to make it.  Back the end of 2006 when we first brought Maisie home, not only was I very sick but she wanted no part of me putting her down or leaving her so that I could cook.  Because we still needed to eat, I started going one night every month or so to one of those kitchens where in two hours you partially prepared twelve meals and then you brought them home to your freezer.  When dinner time would roll around all I would have to do was take my prepared items and quickly cook them.  It was nice because we were eating real food that I had previously prepped, but at home I had virtually no clean-up and my time in the kitchen was mere minutes. This recipe was inspired by one of the meals I once prepared in that kitchen but through the years I’ve changed and adapted the recipe to suite our tastes and this is the version I have been making for a few years.

NOTE:  A reduced fat & lower calorie version can be found here:  Slimmed Down Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake 
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies 

In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, hot sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder & paprika.

Add the potatoes and stir to coat.

Add the potatoes to a greased baking dish.

 When scooping the potatoes into the baking dish, leave behind any extra olive oil/hot sauce mix.

Add the diced chicken to the “left behind” olive oil/hot sauce mix and stir to coat all the chicken.  Allow to marinate as the potatoes bake.

Roast the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and nice and crispy on the outside.

Once the potatoes are fully cooked add the marinated chicken.

In a large bowl mix all the topping ingredients together.

Top the raw chicken with the topping.

Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is melted and bubbly delicious.

 
Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8-10 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes  (I leave the skin on)
• 1/3 cup olive oil 
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 TBS. freshly ground pepper
• 1 TBS. paprika 
• 2 TBS. garlic powder 
• 6 TBS. hot sauce 

Topping:

• 2 c. Fiesta Blend Cheese or a mix of Cheddar & Monterey Jack
• 1 c. crumbled bacon 
• 1 c diced green onion

Preheat oven to 500F (This is NOT a typo, 500F is correct!)  In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder & hot sauce.  Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat.  Carefully scoop the potatoes into a cooking spray coated 9 x 13 inch baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mix as possible.  Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy & browned on the outside.  While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the leftover olive oil/hot sauce mix and stir to coat.  Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400F.  Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken.  In a bowl mix together the cheese, bacon & green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mix.  Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.  Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.

Enjoy!

Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter

This sauce is absolute delicious simplicity and I could easily, and I almost did, eat the entire batch just out of a bowl and forget about even putting it on pasta.  This sauce didn’t need added cheese or spices…I’m telling you, this sauce is just AMAZING!

It’s Crazy Cooking Challenge time again and this month our hostess Tina of Moms Crazy Cooking challenged the participating bloggers to search non-celebrity blogs looking for the ultimate spaghetti with red sauce recipe.  Once we find what we think is the ultimate recipe we are to make and feature that recipe and the blog where we found it.  This month I *KNOW* that I found the ultimate spaghetti with red sauce recipe as I’ve read the panegyric accolades of Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter on so many blogs including More than Burnt Toast, My Italian Grandmother, Orangette, Shockingly Delicious and numerous others, well I just had to make her sauce and highlight it. 

This recipe is crazy easy with only three ingredients and it’s essentially hands off simple as there’s no slicing, dicing, mincing or messing around with fancy ingredients.  I’m telling you too, if you’re a cook and you’re used to adding and subtracting ingredients and spicing to fit your tastes and trust me, I do it all the time, DON’T DO IT!  Make this recipe as written and you will be rewarded with a perfectly balanced creamy sauce where the taste of the tomato shines through and the butter gives a richness and gorgeous silky mouth feel.  Even better, this sauce freezes beautifully so make a big batch and freeze some for later use. 

Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter

• One 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 5 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
• Kosher salt

Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a medium sized, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered at a very slow and steady simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for about 45 minutes or until droplets of fat float free from the tomato. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and salt as needed. Discard the onion. Serve over cooked pasta.

Enjoy!

My previous Crazy Cooking Challenge entries:
Chocolate Cake Challenge:  Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake
Chicken Noodle Soup Challenge: Thai Chicken Noodle Soup 
Fudge Challenge: Biscoff Fudge 
Mashed Potato Challenge: Aloo Tikki 
Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge: Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps 
Mac & Cheese Challenge: Velvety Mac & Cheese 

Broiled Sushi

I love being a member of The Secret Recipe Club and each month I’m excited to receive my Secret Recipe Club assignment to see who I’ve been assigned.  Just as in months past, as soon as I received the email from our Group ‘A’ hostess Jane, which contained all the information for my assigned blog, I was off stalking it.  This month I was assigned Lisa’s Sweet as Sugar Cookies which is a wonderful blog filled with dozens and dozens of sweet treat recipes as well as some main dishes.  I looked at so many of Lisa’s bar, cookie and ice cream recipes and there were just dozens that I wanted to make but because of Maisie’s allergies she can’t really eat most of the sweets and the fact that neither Eammon nor I really need to be eating sweets right now I decided to look at the main dish recipes.  Once I saw Lisa’s recipe for Broiled Sushi I knew that I had found my recipe. 

I’ll bet that it was less than four hours from the time I opened the email containing my assignment to the time that I served this meal.  As it worked out I opened the email late on a Sunday morning and as I didn’t have any plans for meals that day and the fact that I had everything I needed to make this in my pantry and freezer…well it was meant to be.  I got my mushrooms and sushi rice soaking and I pulled a package of imitation crab meat from the freezer and got that defrosting and then I was good to go.  This dish came together in no time at all and Eammon especially adored it and ate it for meal after meal until he finished the entire dish.  Surprisingly for me, I didn’t change Lisa’s recipe at all, I made it exactly as written and when I make it again, which I will, I wouldn’t change a thing…well maybe I would make one of her wonderful looking sweets to enjoy after the Broiled Sushi.  Oh and if you’re turning your nose up thinking sushi = raw fish well not in this dish, as there’s nothing raw, just wonderful flavors so give it a try.

In a large bowl mix together the mushrooms, crab meat, sour cream and mayonnaise.

Spread a layer of sushi rice in a baking dish.

Sprinkle the rice layer with furikake.

Add the crab & mushroom mixture and it’s ready for the broiler.

Bubbly and lightly browned, fresh from the broiler.

Furikake and roasted laver (Gim).  I keep both the sheets and the individual packets of Gim in the house.  The sheets are when we eat at home and the small packets I send with Maisie for snack at school and at the gym.  To see our no-mess way of cutting the sheets into neat little squares, click here.

Broiled Sushi  (from here)

• 10 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water until rehydrated and then chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs. imitation crab meat, shredded
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• furikake (Japanese rice seasoning)
• 3 cups cooked brown sushi rice 
• Korean roasted laver (Gim)
• Sriracha

In a large bowl combine the chopped mushrooms, crab meat, sour cream and mayonnaise and stir to combine  Spray a 9 x13-inch Pyrex with cooking spray and spread the sushi rice in an even layer.  Sprinkle with furikake seasoning. Spread with the crab meat mixture. Put under the broiler for about 10 minutes until the top begins to brown. Serve with Sriracha.  Scoop into pieces of Gim, and eat.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry