I'm nearing the end of my two week Phase One period of the South Beach Diet. Technically yesterday should have been my last day, but I went off the diet over the weekend while the husband and I had a little staycation at our house while my mom kept the kids. So to compensate for that I'm staying on it until at least tomorrow, maybe Sunday. I'm down 11 pounds since I started, and I'm fitting in to clothes I haven't worn in YEARS, so I'm really pleased with the results I'm getting.
I did some Googling for low carb recipes to get some different ideas for dinner. The SBD website has a pretty limited number of recipes. The actual diet book has some in it, but a lot are beef which we don't eat much of. I found a low carb recipe section on SimplyRecipes.com, a website I like anyway. My kids love meatballs, so when I saw this I thought it would be a great dinner. I love the flavor profile of Greek food, although I used to really not like it. My parents always went to a Greek festival at a Greek Orthodox church in Seattle, and they'd come home raving about what they'd eaten, and it sounded so gross to me. Now I'm kind of sad we don't live there anymore because I'd really like to go!
Greek Meatballs
From SimplyRecipes.com
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 large shallot, minced
1 pound ground lamb
4 ounces salt pork, ground or finely minced
Zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons chopped mint
Freshly ground black pepper
Greek yogurt for dipping
1 Heat a small pan over medium heat and add oil, garlic, jalapeño and shallot, and cook for 1 minute, then let cool.
2 Meanwhile, crumble lamb into a large bowl. Evenly scatter salt pork, orange zest and mint over lamb, and season with pepper. Sprinkle the cooled garlic mixture over lamb. Gently mix until just combined, then form into 1¼-inch balls and transfer to a plate or sheet pan.
3 Heat a large cast iron pan over medium to medium high heat. Working in batches if necessary to prevent crowding, brown meatballs on all sides until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm with toothpicks or skewers with plain yogurt.
Note: Meatballs can also be cooked ahead, refrigerated and reheated in the microwave on high for 2 minutes.
Makes about 20 meatballs.
*****
I used grass-fed beef instead of the ground lamb. I had a bad experience with ground lamb, so I'm kind of turned off from it after that. I also left out the salt pork because I didn't have any, nor did I have anything on hand to use in its place. Instead of Greek yogurt for the dipping sauce I bought some tzatziki at Trader Joe's (actually I'm snacking on it now with some celery).
These meatballs were fantastic!! I love the addition of mint to savory dishes. My only complaint was that these on their own weren't really enough for dinner. They're listed as an appetizer, which they'd be great for. I told the husband I thought they'd be fantastic in my Greek spaghetti. Or I thought they'd be good if you put a little chunk of feta inside them. Mmmmm. These are definitely something I'll make again, I just need to plan better so we're not all still hungry once dinner is done!
Showing posts with label meatballs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meatballs. Show all posts
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Rick Bayless' Chipotle Meatballs (Sandwich Style)
Oh man...words do not express how freakin' excited I am to try this dinner tonight!!! Months and months ago when I was holding the Rick Bayless Mexican Everyday cookbook hostage from the library I saw this chipotle meatball recipe in it. Sounded good and then I thought, "Hmmm...you could probably make a Mexican version of a meatball sandwich with those." And then the idea just had to sit in my brain for a long, long time. I don't know why I haven't made this sooner given my excitement for it!!
So, first I'll post the recipe from his cookbook and then how I'm doing my sandwich take on it after the recipe.
Rick Bayless' Chipotle Meatballs
Copyright 2005, Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday
3 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, peeled (divided use)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (3/4 cup if they're the coarse-textured panko)
Salt
1-1/4 pounds ground pork
1/2 cup (loosely packed) coarsely chopped mint leaves, plus extra leaves for garnish if you wish
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
1-2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, stemmed and seeded
1-2 Tbsp chipotle canning sauce
1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
About 1-1/2 cups beef or chicken broth
Turn on the oven to 450 degrees. In a food processor, combine the bacon and 1 garlic clove. Process until finely chopped. Add the eggs, bread crumbs, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse several times to combine thoroughly, then add the pork and mint. Pulse the machine a ew more times until everything is well combined--but not at all processed into a paste. Remove the blade.
With wet hands, form the meat into 16 plum-size spheres, spacing them out in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Bake until lightly browned (they'll be browned more underneath than on top), about 15 minutes.
While the meatballs are baking, combine the tomatoes, with their juice, chipotles, canning sauce, oregano, the remaining 2 garlic cloves (cut in half) and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor. Process to a smooth puree.
When the meatballs are ready, spoon off any rendered fat from the baking dish, then pour on the tomato mixture, covering the meatballs evenly. Bake until the sauce looks like tomato paste, 15 to 20 minutes.
Microwave the broth for about a minute to heat it (or heat in a small saucepan). Divide the meatballs among four dinner plates, leaving most of the sauce behind. Stir enough broth into the sauce to give it an easily spoonable consistency. Taste and season with additional salt if you think the sauce needs it. Spoon the sauce over the meatballs, decorate with extra mint leaves, if you wish, and serve.
*****
My mouth started to water a bit there while I was typing out the recipe. Rick has yet to do me wrong, so I cannot wait to try this! The only substitution I'm making is to use ground beef instead of pork. I have 1.5 pounds of ground beef left in my freezer, and I gave the husband a couple options that I could do with it, and this is what he chose. We're trying to get back to no (or very little) red meat, so we won't be having anything like this for awhile.
So, now my sandwich take on them. These sounded really similar to meatballs in marinara my friend Laura makes and then uses for meatball sandwiches. So I thought why couldn't I do a Mexican version, using this sauce instead of marinara, and queso fresco instead of mozzarella. So that's what we're having for dinner tonight! I was telling my friend Jen about these last night when I talked to her, and she thought they sounded awesome, too. She suggested putting avocado or guacamole on them, too. I do have an avocado that needs to be used up, so I might try that and see how it is.
I can't wait to report back to you on how these turn out!!
*****
Oh man...oh MAN!!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Rick Bayless is a god among men, or at least when it comes to food. These meatballs were AMAZING. The sandwiches were so-so, but I think that's mostly because I forgot to toast or somehow heat up the sandwich rolls before assembling. Oops. They were so filling, too. Neither of us finished the sandwich.
I ended up using one chipotle pepper and a few spoonfuls of the canning sauce because I didn't want it to end up too spicy. I figured better to start with less and then go from there if I needed to, but I think that was just the right amount for our taste. Smokey with a little heat but not overpowering.
I loved the hint of bacon and mint in the meatballs. The flavor was fantastic and captivating. The smokey sauce really added to them as well. This is something I will definitely make again, although since we're giving up ground beef for awhile I may try them with ground turkey, or I'm hoping to get a food grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer for my birthday, so if I do I could grind up a lean cut of pork and make them that way. As it was I used 93% lean ground beef, and they turned out fine. Oh, my food processor was not going to be big enough to add the meat with the bacon/bread crumbs/egg/garlic mixture, so I added the mint in with all that and then combined that mixture with the ground beef in a bowl and mixed it by hand.
Just thinking about them makes me want to go over to the fridge and have one cold!
(I took pictures, but they're on my phone, so I'll upload them later.)
So, first I'll post the recipe from his cookbook and then how I'm doing my sandwich take on it after the recipe.
Rick Bayless' Chipotle Meatballs
Copyright 2005, Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday
3 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, peeled (divided use)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (3/4 cup if they're the coarse-textured panko)
Salt
1-1/4 pounds ground pork
1/2 cup (loosely packed) coarsely chopped mint leaves, plus extra leaves for garnish if you wish
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
1-2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, stemmed and seeded
1-2 Tbsp chipotle canning sauce
1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
About 1-1/2 cups beef or chicken broth
Turn on the oven to 450 degrees. In a food processor, combine the bacon and 1 garlic clove. Process until finely chopped. Add the eggs, bread crumbs, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse several times to combine thoroughly, then add the pork and mint. Pulse the machine a ew more times until everything is well combined--but not at all processed into a paste. Remove the blade.
With wet hands, form the meat into 16 plum-size spheres, spacing them out in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Bake until lightly browned (they'll be browned more underneath than on top), about 15 minutes.
While the meatballs are baking, combine the tomatoes, with their juice, chipotles, canning sauce, oregano, the remaining 2 garlic cloves (cut in half) and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor. Process to a smooth puree.
When the meatballs are ready, spoon off any rendered fat from the baking dish, then pour on the tomato mixture, covering the meatballs evenly. Bake until the sauce looks like tomato paste, 15 to 20 minutes.
Microwave the broth for about a minute to heat it (or heat in a small saucepan). Divide the meatballs among four dinner plates, leaving most of the sauce behind. Stir enough broth into the sauce to give it an easily spoonable consistency. Taste and season with additional salt if you think the sauce needs it. Spoon the sauce over the meatballs, decorate with extra mint leaves, if you wish, and serve.
*****
My mouth started to water a bit there while I was typing out the recipe. Rick has yet to do me wrong, so I cannot wait to try this! The only substitution I'm making is to use ground beef instead of pork. I have 1.5 pounds of ground beef left in my freezer, and I gave the husband a couple options that I could do with it, and this is what he chose. We're trying to get back to no (or very little) red meat, so we won't be having anything like this for awhile.
So, now my sandwich take on them. These sounded really similar to meatballs in marinara my friend Laura makes and then uses for meatball sandwiches. So I thought why couldn't I do a Mexican version, using this sauce instead of marinara, and queso fresco instead of mozzarella. So that's what we're having for dinner tonight! I was telling my friend Jen about these last night when I talked to her, and she thought they sounded awesome, too. She suggested putting avocado or guacamole on them, too. I do have an avocado that needs to be used up, so I might try that and see how it is.
I can't wait to report back to you on how these turn out!!
*****
Oh man...oh MAN!!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Rick Bayless is a god among men, or at least when it comes to food. These meatballs were AMAZING. The sandwiches were so-so, but I think that's mostly because I forgot to toast or somehow heat up the sandwich rolls before assembling. Oops. They were so filling, too. Neither of us finished the sandwich.
I ended up using one chipotle pepper and a few spoonfuls of the canning sauce because I didn't want it to end up too spicy. I figured better to start with less and then go from there if I needed to, but I think that was just the right amount for our taste. Smokey with a little heat but not overpowering.
I loved the hint of bacon and mint in the meatballs. The flavor was fantastic and captivating. The smokey sauce really added to them as well. This is something I will definitely make again, although since we're giving up ground beef for awhile I may try them with ground turkey, or I'm hoping to get a food grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer for my birthday, so if I do I could grind up a lean cut of pork and make them that way. As it was I used 93% lean ground beef, and they turned out fine. Oh, my food processor was not going to be big enough to add the meat with the bacon/bread crumbs/egg/garlic mixture, so I added the mint in with all that and then combined that mixture with the ground beef in a bowl and mixed it by hand.
Just thinking about them makes me want to go over to the fridge and have one cold!
(I took pictures, but they're on my phone, so I'll upload them later.)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Meatball, Mozzarella, Marinara - Oh My, Calzone Pie!
So, I lied on my birthday by saying I was going to be making a Trader Joe's recipe last night. I forgot I had slated it for tonight. Last night I needed a quick crockpot dinner, so I went with my old standby, Chili Cheese Tortilla Wraps. It was good, as usual.
Oh, I want to point out that the boy has been an angel yesterday and today!! Since I usually complain about his behavior I figured I should let everyone out there know that he is capable of being nice. He really is a sweet boy, he just doesn't know how to deal with his anger and frustration. But he's been so, so, so good yesterday and today. Hooray!! It makes me a much happier and nicer mommy. :)
Last week I was looking on the Trader Joe's website and noticed a Recipe section. As you know (or probably could figure out), I'm a sucker for recipes. I didn't look at all of them, but the title of this one intrigued me. Then I was beyond delighted to discover I had most all of the ingredients I needed for this, except a pie crust, but that was easy enough to pick up at my grocery shopping trip this week. The recipe lists all TJ's ingredients, so I'll keep it like that.
Meatball, Mozzarella, Marinara - Oh My, Calzone Pie!
1 package Trader Joe's Gourmet Pie Crust, thawed
1 cup Organic Basil Marinara
1 package Frozen Meatballs (Meatless or Turkey work too!), thawed and quartered
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Follow the directions on the pie crust packaging for double pie crust. While filling, first spoon 2 Tbsp of sauce on the pie crust and spread to cover. Add meatballs and top with remaining sauce and cheese. Continue with the rest of the directions on the package, baking 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden.
*****
Mmmmm...sounds yummy! I had a bag of TJ's Meatless Meatballs in the freezer, so I have those thawing on my counter right now. I'll probably use more than half a cup of cheese, too, because a small amount of cheese just isn't my style. I think I have an Italian cheese blend in the fridge. Not sure what we'll have with it, maybe some frozen peas or broccoli. I have a bagged salad mix in the fridge, but I think it's Asian blend which seems kind of weird to have with this. I was going to get Lite Ceasar, but the nutrtional info was better on the Asian one. Weird.
*****
This was really good! We all liked it a lot. It was really easy to throw together which was nice. When I was assembling it I wondered if it would be weird having the cheese next to the crust on the top, but it wasn't at all. It was yummy with the cheese stuck to the crust. Mine baked for about 20 minutes, the crust didn't look quite done after 15 minutes. This is definitely something I'd make again. With the soy meatballs, it was a great easy vegetarian dinner, too.
Oh, I want to point out that the boy has been an angel yesterday and today!! Since I usually complain about his behavior I figured I should let everyone out there know that he is capable of being nice. He really is a sweet boy, he just doesn't know how to deal with his anger and frustration. But he's been so, so, so good yesterday and today. Hooray!! It makes me a much happier and nicer mommy. :)
Last week I was looking on the Trader Joe's website and noticed a Recipe section. As you know (or probably could figure out), I'm a sucker for recipes. I didn't look at all of them, but the title of this one intrigued me. Then I was beyond delighted to discover I had most all of the ingredients I needed for this, except a pie crust, but that was easy enough to pick up at my grocery shopping trip this week. The recipe lists all TJ's ingredients, so I'll keep it like that.
Meatball, Mozzarella, Marinara - Oh My, Calzone Pie!
1 package Trader Joe's Gourmet Pie Crust, thawed
1 cup Organic Basil Marinara
1 package Frozen Meatballs (Meatless or Turkey work too!), thawed and quartered
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Follow the directions on the pie crust packaging for double pie crust. While filling, first spoon 2 Tbsp of sauce on the pie crust and spread to cover. Add meatballs and top with remaining sauce and cheese. Continue with the rest of the directions on the package, baking 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden.
*****
Mmmmm...sounds yummy! I had a bag of TJ's Meatless Meatballs in the freezer, so I have those thawing on my counter right now. I'll probably use more than half a cup of cheese, too, because a small amount of cheese just isn't my style. I think I have an Italian cheese blend in the fridge. Not sure what we'll have with it, maybe some frozen peas or broccoli. I have a bagged salad mix in the fridge, but I think it's Asian blend which seems kind of weird to have with this. I was going to get Lite Ceasar, but the nutrtional info was better on the Asian one. Weird.
*****
This was really good! We all liked it a lot. It was really easy to throw together which was nice. When I was assembling it I wondered if it would be weird having the cheese next to the crust on the top, but it wasn't at all. It was yummy with the cheese stuck to the crust. Mine baked for about 20 minutes, the crust didn't look quite done after 15 minutes. This is definitely something I'd make again. With the soy meatballs, it was a great easy vegetarian dinner, too.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Spaghetti
This is going to be short and sweet. The boy didn't nap, the baby's been crying pretty much all day, and i don't have a whole lot of patience or mental capacity. I'm not even going back to correct that i that should be capitalized. When my in-laws were here at Christmas time, my MIL--God bless her--froze a bunch of her spaghetti sauce and meatballs for us to have at a later date. I noticed them in the freezer yesterday when I was trying to do a quick inventory to see what all we had that I could use this week. I had originally slated spaghetti for tomorrow night, but as I'm in no mood to cook or deal with anything more difficult than boiling a pot of water and throwing in some pasta, this will work out great.
I'm not even bothering to copy and paste her recipe...here's a link to it:
MIL's Spaghetti and Meatballs
I'm not even bothering to copy and paste her recipe...here's a link to it:
MIL's Spaghetti and Meatballs
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Meatball Sandwiches
Tonight we're going the easy route. I was at Fresh & Easy at the end of last month, and they had all of their frozen appetizers on sale. I hadn't planned on buying anything, but I ended up getting a 1.5 pound bag of frozen meatballs for $2 I think it was. I thought that was a pretty sweet deal, and I couldn't resist. So tonight I'm throwing those in with some of the tomato sauce I have in my freezer (last time I checked, I had four Ziploc freezer bags of tomato sauce...why I have so much, I don't know), putting it on toasted buns with some mozzarella, and dinner is done. Well, not totally...I think I'll heat up some fries or tater tots--whichever I have in the freezer--and a real vegetable of some sort and then call it good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)