Meatballs with some Spaghetti

There are few meals my daughter will eat without any complaints these days, but spaghetti with meatballs is definitely one of them.  She's always been a fan of the spaghetti, we have wonderful pictures of her from maybe around 18 months old with spaghetti sauce all over her face and down her belly.  That love has never wavered.

I recently began adding the meatballs.  In fact, until recently we had vegetarian spaghetti more often than not.  The occasional ground hot link italian sausage, maybe, but I'd never tried meatballs.  They had never been in my family book of food.  They were just something to be seen in movies, like Lady and the Tramp.

With that understanding, I went on a mission to make some meatballs.  I purchased some ground turkey a month or so ago and had portioned it out to about 1/2 lb a bag.  That's a good amount of meat for dishes like spaghetti, casserole, stir fry, etc.  Let meat and more veggies are always the key.  It also allows you to purchase better quality meat because you are using less in your meals.

These meatballs are moist and super delicious with or without spaghetti sauce.  I could definitely see them holding up as an appetizer too.

Turkey Meatballs

1/2 lb ground turkey

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 Tbsp non-dairy plain milk 

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp pepper

Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Shape mixture into about twenty 1 inch meatballs.  Place in an ungreased pan (13 x 9 x 2 inches).  Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center and juice is clear.

To add to spaghetti; make your favorite sauce, add meatballs, cover and let simmer for half an hour.  Serve over pasta.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Well, almost sweet & sour pork.  I fully admit to using a ready made sauce, but it isn't actually called sweet and sour.  It's a sweet chili sauce from Trader Joe's and I think it has a very nice flavor for this type of dish.  You can sub any ready-made sweet and sour sauce for this recipe.

This is a tasty one dish meal that the whole family can enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Pork
ready-made sweet & sour sauce
1 thick cut pork chop (cut into 3/4 inch pieces)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 egg
1/2 cup cold water
Oil for frying (I like safflower)

Heat about an inch of oil in a deep fryer or 4-qt dutch oven to 360 degrees.  

Beat flour, cornstarch, cold water, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth.  Stir pork into batter until well coated.

Drop pork pieces into oil, one at a time.  Fry until golden brown, turning 2 or 3 times.  Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

In sauce pot saute onion, zucchini, carrots and bell peppers on medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and add the fried pork, mushrooms and sauce.  Mix until everything is nicely coated.  Serve over rice.

Spinach Empanadas

I ended January well with my budget.  I ended up going over by some, because my favorite raw honey was on sale at Whole Foods, so I stocked up.  On the bright side though, I shouldn't have to buy any more honey for a couple months. 

Empanadas are a favorite around this house, both to eat and make.  You can basically fill them with anything you want and they are going to turn out great.  You have a couple dough choices too, a regular pie crust and baking (kinda calzone like), or using a masa dough and frying (as pictured above).   

Economically speaking, you really can't beat spinach empanadas.  Some chopped spinach, a little tomato sauce or tofu cream cheese, some seasonings... BAM! a taste explosion.  I tend to make the fried version more often than the baked simply because there is something about fried foods that excite my little one.  My daughter happily eats her spinach empanadas, whereas spinach in anything else creates plenty of complaints.  

As always, this is using organic products.  Frozen spinach, canned organic tomatoes, and Bob's Red Mill Masa Harina Corn Flour.  16 empanadas for around $3.75.  I usually eat 4, my daughter eats 2, and my husband eats 6 (our son isn't ready for these yet).  It goes well with some rice, or stir fried potatoes.  A zesty salad is always nice too.

Spinach Empanadas

Dough:

1 cup Masa Harina flour

1/4 cup All purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2/3 to 3/4 cup warm water 

Enough oil to fry in

Fillings:

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

In a mixing bowl, mix the two flours and salt.  Slowly add enough of the water to make a soft dough, just shy of being sticky.  Gently knead the dough a few times on a lightly floured surface, roll into a ball and set aside.  In another bowl, mix the filling ingredients.  Set aside.  Begin heating your frying oil.  Fill a small bowl with water and set that aside too.  

Bring your ball of dough to the floured surface again and roll out to a log shape.  Slice dough into 16 even pieces.  Create a balls with the dough pieces.  Roll out the balls into about 3 inch diameter circles.  In the center or each circle, place about 2 tsps amount of the filling in the center.  Brush edges of circle with water. Fold the round in half over the filling, and press down hard along the edges to seal.  You can crimp the sides with a fork or your fingers.  Continue until all 16 empanadas are made.

At this point, your oil should be ready to fry.  Drop in 2-3 empanadas at a time, cooking until golden.  Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to help soak up extra oil.  Repeat with remaining empanadas.

Tamale Pie

I apologize for no pictures, for some reason blogger isn't uploading my pictures. :(

We are at the end of week two on my new budget rules, and things are going swimmingly.  The first weeks food total was $73.49, this week was $74.99.  I know its going to get a little tougher in a month from now, when a lot more of my staples start to need replacing, but I'm happy with my progress so far.

This week I purchased some meat.  Pork Carnitas to be exact.  Trader Joe's sells a nice little package of carnitas for $3.99 (I forgot to check the package, but guessing its a pound of meat).   This package of meat is great and simple.  Open it up, heat in the microwave a few minutes, then use two forks to shred the meat.  I turned this into 3 different meals this week.  All of these meals could have been completely vegetarian though, simply substitute the meat or just leave it out.

Monday: Breakfast Burritos.  A pack of flour tortillas, a couple scrambled eggs, some sauteed veggies and maybe a little soy cheese.  We add a little amount of carnitas with it to make it feel more like a dinner meal.

Tuesday: Taco Salad.  Some organic lettuce, 1/2 a can of organic black beans, carnitas, some more sauteed veggies, and a bag of unsalted tortilla chips for a base.

And Wednesday was our Tamale Pie.  This meal is $6.08 for 6 servings.  Pair it with some spanish rice, or a nice salad for a complete meal.

Tamale Pie
2 cups Masa flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 oz carnitas
1 cup black beans (rest of the beans from Tuesday's dinner!)
1/2 a 15oz can enchilada sauce
1/2 a 15oz can spinach

Heat the chicken broth to boiling, then remove from heat and add the masa flour, forming a dough.  In a casserole dish, lay half of the masa dough into the bottom.  Spread half the enchilada sauce on top of the masa, then layer your spinach, beans and carnitas.  Using your hands, make "masa patties" with the rest of the dough and arrange them as your top.  Spread the rest of your enchilada sauce as your topper.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake the tamale pie for 25 minutes.  Serve hot and enjoy.

Slightly New Direction and General Tsao Chicken

I am going to change my blogs focus, but only slightly.  Everything on here will still be dairy free recipes, and other allergen free when applicable.  However, in an effort to stay budget friendly, I'm going to be trying to make healthy, low-cost meals.  My hope is this will help others feeling the money crunch and help me organize the cheapest meals in my repertoire.

So the rules: my budget is $75 a week, or $300 a month.  I am only buying organic produce and meat.  I am only shopping at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.  And finally, everything will still be dairy free (of course!).  A tall order I think, considering the high cost of organic and dairy free, but I aim to make it happen.  Now on to the food.

This was a veery simple dish, and pretty tasty.  I found the sauce at Trader Joe's: General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce.  It's tangy and slightly sweet, it went great over my battered fried chicken cubes.  I also sauteed some zucchini to mix in the sauce as well, with some green onion too.  Some plain white rice to put it on top of, and viola!  Here is our meal.

Price breakdown for 4 servings came to roughly $5.50 total or $1.47 each person.

General Tsao Chicken

2 chicken thighs or breast, cubed

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup corn starch

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce

2 medium zucchini, sliced

1/2 cup chopped green onion

Oil to fry in (we prefer Safflower for frying)

2 cups cooked rice

Mix the flour, cornstarch, water, salt and egg to make a simple batter.  Coat chicken cubes in batter.  Heat up your frying oil.  When hot enough, fry chicken cubes.

Meanwhile, saute zucchini to just al dente.  Remove to large bowl, add cooked chicken and green onions.  Pour sauce over and stir to coat evenly.  Serve with rice and enjoy!

Kung Pao Seitan

I'm sorry I've gone so long without blogging.  I haven't been cooking much for two very good reasons: 1, I was doing NaNoWriMo last month and 2, my lovely husband is working long hours.  I expect my cooking creativity to snap back into gear as holiday's just scream cooking and baking.

I've been meaning to try seitan for a while.  While we do eat meat, we are trying to greatly limit how much we eat.  Both for health and price reasons.  I try to buy grass-fed, no antibiotics/hormones, cage-free, etc. meat, which can be pricey.  So I thought, if seitan doesn't taste to bad, then it might be a cheaper solution for meat (since we aren't big tofu fans around here).

The base for this recipe is from The Accidental Vegan, but as usual I did tweak it.  Can't help myself you know.  The basic seitan recipe is also from this book, but you can find others online as well.  The one created in this cookbook looks kinda like cut up and cooked chicken (as seen in the picture).  My daughter thought it was chicken just by the look, but I will admit that she didn't like the taste.

(Basic Seitan, before being added to the kung pao.  Tastes better than it looks!)

The verdict?  While the seitan turned out fine and was far better than tofu (IMHO), it still wasn't that great. It does soak up the sauce well, so it was really like eating really big flavor bits. haha  I'm not sure if I will make seitan again, but I will do this kung pao again.  My husband and I both agreed that just beefing up the zucchini and mushroom quantity would make it a great dish, or you could try tofu or meat in it too if you really wanted.  So on to the recipe.

Kung Pao Seitan

1 Tbsp oil (I used grapeseed)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 carrot, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 cup chopped bok choy
6 crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup basic seitan (or meat or tofu)
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can bamboo shoots, drained
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp Sriracha sauce (this makes it pretty spicy so do less if you can't take to much heat!)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium low heat.  Add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute for about 5 minutes or until onions are soft.  Stir in the soy sauce and carrots and cook a few more minutes.  Stir in zucchini, bok choy, and mushrooms and cook stirring often, for another 8 to 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Stir in the seitan, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, sesame oil and Sriracha sauce.  Cook stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes.  Serve hot.

Jen's Awesome Veggie Burgers

I know I've said it before, but I'm not a huge fan of beef.  In this family, cow in every form is just not welcome.  So alternatives to meals that would normally have beef must be used.  I typically will buy either pre-made turkey burgers, or ground turkey meat to make burgers.  They are good and we are happy.

I, however, in an ever increasing attempt to bring us closer to a vegetarian diet, am looking for the perfect veggie burger.  The ones I've bought pre-made are (in my opinion) pretty plain and dry.  So I figured I should give making my own a try.

I started with a recipe from Food Network that was suppose to be fantastic.  We all agreed it was ok, but dry.  Which I figured was from being all beans and oats.  How can that be "juicy"?  So then I googled "Best Veggie Burger" and got lots of hits.  I read about why people claimed certain ones as best and came to this conclusion: Mushrooms are the closest to giving you the meaty texture people like.

Great, but I still wanted the protein one got from beans.  So... here comes my hybrid veggie burger recipe.  I think it is Awesome, thus the title.  I hope you enjoy it too.   I also make my own buns from this recipe (replacing the butter for dairy free margarine of course), top it with your favorite burger toppings and, as my daughter says in gymnastics, ta-da.

Jen's Awesome Veggie Burgers
1 cup mashed beans (I used half black and half white)
1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 a large red bell pepper, chopped
3 artichoke hearts, chopped
2 Tbsp black olives, chopped
1 cup fresh white mushrooms, chopped
1 egg
2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder

In the olive oil, saute the onions, red bell pepper, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and black olives.  Meanwhile, mash the beans in a large bowl.  When the onions become translucent, add them to the beans and mix well.  Add oats and mix.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix really well, I find using my hands works best.  When its all mixed, use hands to form balls (4-6 depending on size of burger you want).  Place the balls in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

When ready to eat, pull the balls out and press into burger shapes (they will be thick).  Heat a pan to medium heat and fry each burger for about 5 minutes a side.  Place on bun and your done.

These freeze really well, just press them into burger shapes and wrap in cling wrap and put into freezer bags.  Just defrost in the fridge on the day you want to use them.

Quinoa with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Have I mentioned I love quinoa?  Because I do.  There is something about that little grain that I can't get enough of.  It doesn't even have to have any fancy sauce, just some plain quinoa with a bit of soy sauce will satisfy me.  The same can not be said for my family though, so in an effort to "spice" it up, I'm always looking for new ideas.

Today's recipe was derived from a Whole Foods Market recipe.  I didn't have all the ingredients required for the original, so mixed it up a bit.  I am sad to say, that while I thought it was tasty, it was not a hit with the family.  My husband hates sun-dried tomatoes, and my daughter... well I'm still trying to convince her that quinoa is good.  I will say playing with this recipe has given me ideas, so watch for more to come!

Quinoa with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 Tbsp virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cup broth (I use chicken, but vegetable would work too)
1/2 cup dry white wine
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup small broccoli florets

Heat oil over medium heat in a pot.  Add onions and garlic and cook until soft / translucent.  Add tomatoes, broth, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Stir in quinoa and salt and pepper.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Add broccoli to top of quinoa, cover and simmer another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and gently toss to combine.  Serve and enjoy.

Chimichangas

On a whole, we don't often eat beef.  It tends to feel like a gut bomb in my stomach, and my husband says the same.  When I try a new recipe, though, I usually feel I should follow it exactly the first time through before I make changes.  So I go out and buy the exact ingredients the recipe calls for, only to end up changing it as I go to fit our tastes.  I don't in general think there is anything wrong with adjusting the recipe, I just wish I would plan for it ahead of time.  So I can say that when I make these again, I will be using ground turkey instead of beef.

The recipe itself is from the book Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer.  Like I said above, I made a few changes, so that is the recipe I'm posting.  One thing I did that I wont write in the recipe is make some special ones for my 3 year old.  She is not a fan of spicy things, so I mixed the beef mixture with just the sour cream and then made her chimichangas with that, then put in the rest of the ingredients for the adult chimichangas.  She enjoyed them just as much as my husband and I, so I can say its a winner meal.

Chimichangas

1 tsp salt

1 lb lean ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey or pork would work)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp crushed oregano

1/2 cup canned green chilies, chopped

1/2 cup taco sauce

1/2 cup sour cream * I use tofutti brand sour cream, which is soy based

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

10 - 7 inch tortillas *use corn for gluten and wheat free

enough vegetable oil to get about 1/2 an inch depth in an 8-inch skillet

Sprinkle salt in medium skillet.  Place over medium heat.  Add meat, garlic, and spices.  Cook until meat loses pinkness.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Remove from heat.

In an 8-inch skillet, add oil and heat to medium heat.  Place 1 tortilla at a time in skillet and "fry" for about 5 seconds a side and let cool on the side.  Mound filling on the center of the tortilla.  Fold tortilla in envelope fashion.  Place seam side down in ungreased 11x7 baking dish.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Bake until crispy, about 15 minutes.  Optional toppings; soy cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and additional sour cream.

BBQ Pork Fried Quinoa

Not the best picture, but I shouldn't expect much more from the iphone. Anyway, this was dinner last night. We had some leftover BBQ pork meat from some ribs made earlier and I am big on reusing leftovers.

Quinoa is one of our favorite new finds. Known to the Incan's as "Mother Grain", Quinoa is an excellent replacement for rice being tastier than brown (in my opinion) and much healthier than rice in general. It also happens to be gluten free, which makes it another plus for allergy families.  Of course, if you prefer to just use rice you can.

BBQ Pork Fried Quinoa

1/2 cup BBQ Pork Meat, diced (*always check the ingredients in your BBQ sauce)

1 1/2 cup Quinoa

2 cups diced carrots and peas

2 eggs

2 Tbsp soy sauce (check ingredients for gluten/wheat items)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

Cook quinoa like you do white rice (2 cups - 1 cup). In a large skillet, saute the peas and carrots until soft. Add BBQ Pork and cook for another 3 minutes , until meat is reheated. Remove skillet from heat and add cooked quinoa. In another pan, quickly scramble the eggs. Add eggs, green onions and soy sauce to quinoa mix. Stir it all up well and serve.

Simple meal, but very delicious.