Meatballs

I realized recently that although I use my mom's recipe for meatballs and sauce all the time, I actually have never posted it before.  These meatballs are delicious.  I could eat them all the time.  Now, I actually forgot to take a picture of my sauce (whoops!), so I will post that whenever I make sauce again.  For now, meatballs alone will have to suffice.
For an alternative to pasta, you can make my zucchini rollups as a side for these meatballs!

Meatballs

Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb. hamburger, or ground meat of choice
2 cloves chopped garlic
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
additional garlic powder to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix ground meat, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, cheese, egg, and bread crumbes together in a large bowl.  If mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs, a little at a time. 

Roll into balls and place on sprayed cookie sheet. 

Spray the top with more pam & season with salt, pepper & garlic powder. 

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until brown.

Add to sauce the last hour.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Meatball Tagine

I found this recipe and knew I had to try it!  I am a big lover of meatballs (hello, I'm Italian!) and the North African twist sounded like a winner to me!  Plus I've been trying to incorporate more veggies into my dinners, and this seemed like the perfect way to do so.  I served it over couscous for a complete meal!

Moroccan Meatball Tagine

Also, my meatballs kind of fell apart, but they were still very tasty, so I deemed they were fine.  I only may have worried if I was having a fancy party, but still, eh.

Moroccan Meatball Tagine

Ingredients:
1 large onion, finely chopped, divided
2 Tbsp. raisins, coarsely chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbsp. tomato puree
3 tsp. curry powder
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 stalks celery, thickly sliced
2 medium zucchini, roughly chopped
1 cup frozen peas

Preparation:
Mix together half the onions, the raisins, ground beef, tomato puree, and curry powder in a large bowl.  Using your hands, combine and form into meatballs.  (The recipe said you could make 24, I made about 15, it's fine).
Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a dutch oven.  Add the meatballs and brown all over.  Pour out excess fat.  Add cinnamon, tomatoes, and lemon juice.  Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan.  Add celery and zucchini and cook until soft, but not mushy.  Add peas and cook for another 5 minutes.
Combine zucchini mixture into meatball mixture just before serving.
Serve over couscous for a complete meal.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from 1000 Recipe for Simple Family Food by Eleanor Maxfield

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

This week, I was really feeling the need for some avocado in my life, so I decided my excuse would be these peppers!  (Really, I should just buy an extra avocado and eat it.  Yum!)  I also feel like red, yellow, or orange peppers would be better than green in this recipe, but green were on sale, so alas, I used green.
These also could be easily vegetarian, use soy crumbles instead of ground beef.  If you don't want to use ground beef, add rice or just more veggies!
The amount of filling is enough for probably 8 peppers, but it's good left over as is.

Southwest Stuffed Pepper

Yum!  Look at the avocado!

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
4 red bell peppers
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 (10 oz.) can tomatoes and green chiles (drained)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 avocado, sliced (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Cut the tops off the peppers, remove the seeds and ribs.  Place in a lightly greased baking dish.
In a large saute pan, over medium heat, saute to the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.
Add ground beef, cook until no longer pink.  Stir in taco seasoning.
Add tomatoes, corn, and beans.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
Fill peppers with mixture, top with cheese, and the top of the pepper.
Bake 40 minutes, or until peppers are tender.
Top with sliced avocado and additional cilantro (if desired).
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Let's Dish Recipes

Meatball Soup

Today I really wanted a comforting soup to ease the chilliness that has set upon Philly.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and found that I had most of the ingredients, except a few; with a few substitutions, I was ready to go!  I also totally cheated and used pre-made meatballs, but hey, I get home from work at 6:30 and did not feel like making meatballs.  Of course, this recipe would have been better with homemade meatballs, but the frozen ones worked just fine and the soup was done so fast!  

Meatball Soup

Yummy!

Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

11 cups chicken broth

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 cup carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup corn

1 cup small pasta

1/2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. Italian-Style frozen meatballs

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large stockpot.  Saute the onion and garlic until translucent.  

Add broth, tomatoes, carrots, and seasonings.  Heat to boiling.  Add meatballs, corn, and pasta.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.  

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Becoming Betty

Rosemary Sage Burger

I've been on a burger kick lately.  Probably because they are super simple to make after working all day and french fries were on sale last week.  Perfect!  This recipe comes complete with toppings, though I'm the only one that actually used them.  (Matt used just the apples and Lyss used ketchup.)  Oh well, the apple slaw and "mayo" were delicious and definitely added to the burger!

Rosemary Sage Burger with Apple Slaw and Chive "Mayo"

Rosemary Sage Burgers

Ingredients:
Burgers:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 Tbsp. rosemary
1/2 Tbsp. sage
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Hamburger buns

Chive "mayo":
1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. chives
Salt and pepper, to taste

Apple Slaw:
1 apple, grated
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients of burgers, except the buns, and mix well.
Form ground beef mixture into four patties.
Heat grill pan over medium heat with olive oil.
Place patties onto grill pan.  Cook about five minutes.  Flip.  Cook another 4 minutes, or until desired doneness.
Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for chive mayo, set aside.
Combine all ingredients for apple slaw, set aside.
When burgers are done, top with apple slaw and chive mayo.
Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Self

Mexican Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa

Today I was going to make Thai turkey burgers, but then Alyssa came into the kitchen, saw the peanut butter out, and made a face.  I didn't have scallions anyway, so I switched my menu to Mexican turkey burgers instead; especially because the mango salsa could stay!  The Mexican burgers went over well, especially because I made up the recipe on the fly!

Mango Turkey Burger with Mango Salsa

I went bun-less to cut some carbs, but it's a burger of course, use a bun if you want!

Mexican Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
Burgers:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 pound lean ground turkey (93/7)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg

Mango Salsa:
1 mango, cubed
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
The juice of 1 lime
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients for the hamburgers in a large bowl.  Heat oil over medium heat.  Shape burgers into 4 patties.  Cook on one side for 4-5 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine all mango salsa ingredients in medium bowl.  Flip burgers.  Cook 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through.  Serve with mango salsa spooned over top.

Recipe Adapted from Chocolate Broccoli

Enchilada Noodle Casserole

If you have ever visited my blog before, I'm sure you realize by now that Mexican food is my favorite food.  So, now that the cool fall weather is here, I can finalize make casseroles!  Hooray!
Of course, it wouldn't be my blog without me missing some ingredient, so right before I started cooking, I realized I didn't have any cheese!  What is a casserole without cheese!?  Oh well, I can attest that this is still quite delicious, despite the lack of cheese.  Plus, now that I have scheduled two wedding dress appointments, it's probably a good thing we didn't have any cheese.

Enchilada Casserole

Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
5 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 (14.5 oz.) can corn, drained
6 oz. egg noodles
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Cook egg noodles according to package directions.  Drain.  Set aside.
In a large skillet, brown ground beef and drain fat.  Add chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Add cream cheese until melted and combined.
Put noodles back into large pot you cooked them in.  Add sour cream, enchilada sauce, corn, and tomatoes.  Add meat mixture.  Stir to combine.
Pour mixture into a casserole dish.
Bake 15 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Table for Two

Salisbury Steak

Have you ever eaten salisbury steak not out of a box or in a school cafeteria?  Me either.  Well, until today.  I found this recipe in my trusty Comfort Food cookbook and didn't know what to make of it.  After reading the ingredients, it sounded tasty and pretty easy!
I did have to fix the recipe a bit though, there was no binding ingredient in the meat, so I added one which should work much better!  Also, as a disclaimer, this doesn't have the thick sauce that normal salisbury steak has... though it is delicious!

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup red wine

Preparation: 
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Cook onions until soft, remove from skillet.
Mix meat, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Roll to form patties.  (The recipe suggests to make three 1/2 pound patties, however I made 6 smaller ones.)
Place in skillet.  Cook 5 minutes on one side.  Flip.  Cook an additional 3 minutes.
Remove from skillet.
Place onions back in skillet.  Add red wine.  Bring to a boil.  Cook one minute, or until slightly thick.
To eat, spoon sauce and onions over steak.
Enjoy!
(I served this with a side of stuffing and caprese salad!)

Recipe Adapted from Comfort Food

Crockpot Enchiladas

Today my friend Siobhan came over for dinner, so we had to tweak the menu to go vegetarian.  Easy!  I found this recipe for vegetarian crockpot enchiladas, and they were a hit!  (Matt and Alyssa both had seconds!)  I like this recipe also because you can easily substitute the soy crumbles for ground beef if you want meat!

Crockpot Enchiladas

So this picture, is terrible, but mostly because I ate my first one so fast I forgot to take a picture and they were a little tougher to get out of the bottom of the pot!

Crockpot Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 pound soy crumbles (I used Morning Star) or ground beef
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles, drained
1 14 oz. can sweet corn, drained
1 large white onion, diced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Adobo seasoning
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. taco seasoning
1 28 oz. can enchilada sauce (I used red, but only because I couldn't find green)
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
8 10'' tortillas
Tomatoes, diced, optional
Sour Cream, optional

Preparation: 
In a large skillet, brown crumbles, corn, 1/2 the diced onion, tomatoes, and all of the seasonings.
Spray Pam in crockpot.
Pour 1 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of the crockpot.
Scoop 3 Tbsp. of mixture in tortilla, top with 1 Tbsp. of cheese.  Roll up and place in bottom of crockpot.  Repeat until you have one layer.  (I fit 4 in the bottom of mine.)
Pour one cup of enchilada sauce and one cup of cheese over first layer.
Repeat filling tortillas.
Repeat layer of enchilada sauce and cheese.
Top with remaining onions.
Cook for 2-4 hours on high.
Top with fresh tomatoes and sour cream, if desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Miss Foodie Fash

Taco Skillet Casserole

Don't let the name fool you, this is basically nachos for dinner.  I found this recipe in an old Culinary Arts Institute and have made it easier and a little healthier.  (But not too healthy... I just said this is nachos for dinner right?)
My favorite part of this dish is that you can basically add whatever you want AND it uses up all those chip crumbs in the bottom of the bag.  Yay!

Taco Skillet Casserole

Taco Skillet Casserole

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef*
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
2 cups enchilada sauce (I used red)
1 1/2 cups tortilla chips, crumbled (or the crumbs from the bottom of the bag)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tomato, chopped
Shredded Lettuce
Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt

Preparation
In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat.  Drain except for 1 tsp. oil.
Add garlic, onion, and pepper.
Cook for 5 minutes, or until pepper is slightly soft.
Add pepper, salt, chili powder, and enchilada sauce.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Add tomato, tortilla chips, and cheese.
Cook for another 5 minutes, or until everything is coated.
Spoon mixture on plate and top with lettuce and sour cream.
Enjoy!

*This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by using soy crumbles instead of ground beef

Recipe Adapted from The Culinary Arts Institute Cookbook

Stuffed Cheeseburgers and Homemade Pickles

My parents were in town to visit yesterday so we went to Victor Cafe, where the waiters and waitresses sing arias in between serving our food.  Matt and I didn't tell them anything until they actually started singing, they were so surprised!

Today they went with my sister, Alyssa, to her orientation and left afterwards.  I cooked dinner for Matt and Alyssa tonight, hamburgers and homemade pickles!  

Look how healthy I was, no bun! 

Stuffed Cheeseburgers

Ingredients: 

1 pound ground beef

1 packet beef boullion

1 Tbsp. chopped dried onion

2 Tbsp. water

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 Tbsp. olive oil

*You can really stuff your burgers with what you want, including relish, any kind of cheese, onions, etc.

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. 

Shape into patties, about the size of your palm.

Press your thumb into the center of each burger to make a small hole.

Heat large pan over medium heat.

Place olive oil in pan. 

When hot, add burger patties.

Cook 3-4 minutes.

Flip, cook 2-3 minutes on the other side, depending on how well-done you want them. (This will give you medium.

I used two tomato slices instead of buns, but you can top with what you like.

Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Comfort Food

Homemade Pickles

Ingredients: 

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. dill weed

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cucumber, sliced thinly

Preparation:

Heat all ingredients, except cucumber, in medium sauce pan until boiling.  

Remove from heat and add cucumber.

Let sit for about a half an hour, stirring occasionally. 

Enjoy! 

Recipe Adapted from Cooking Light

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

Today I hosted a dinner party with my friend Siobhan, and because she is vegan (almost) everything we made was vegan.  This dip was the exception... being the least vegan thing known to man.  Cheese, cream cheese, bacon, and ground beef?  Oh man!  Obviously Siobhan didn't have any, but I did, and it was delicious!
This dip is super rich, so it went well with the rest of our meal being vegan, but if you aren't planning on doing that, I would suggest loading up on the veggies!

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

Cheeseburger Dip

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
6 strips bacon
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup nonfat sour cream
1/4 cup light mayo
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. ketchup

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350
Cook ground beef over medium heat, set aside and drain.
Cook bacon in same pan until crispy, about 6-10 minutes.  Set aside and drain all but a Tbsp. of grease.
Add onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
Crush up bacon once cool enough to handle.
Add garlic and saute about a minute
Mix all ingredeints into a baking dish
Bake in oven 20-30 minutes.
Serve with tortilla chips or carrots

Recipe Adapted from Closet Cooking

Mexican Meatballs

Today I wanted to use some chipotle pasta I found in the store and decided to make some Mexican meatballs to go with them.  I made up the recipe, but used my mom's basic proportions and way of cooking so I didn't screw them up too much.  They actually turned out quite delicious and were great just with the pasta side, but you could also put them into some tacos for a yummy treat as well!

Mexican Meatballs

Muy Caliente!

Mexican Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 4 oz. can green chiles
1 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 Tbsp. chile powder
1 tsp. garlic
Pinch salt
1 avocado

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400.
Mix all ingredients except the avocado together in a large bowl. Roll into palm-sized balls and place on greased baking sheet.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes.  Serve with a side of chipotle pasta or whatever you choose.
Enjoy!

Taco Pizza

Today I decided to try my hand at another kind of pizza, taco pizza!  Giving Matt and I's affinity to Mexican food, this seemed like a perfect way to get my pizza fix in too.  I did cheat a bit and use a store-bought pizza dough for this, but I was busy this week and didn't have time to make my own!
First I browned the meat with a packet of taco seasoning.  After that,  I rolled out the dough (with my homemade rolling pin... an empty wine bottle) and spread it onto a cookie sheet.  I topped the dough with  salsa (as the sauce), the ground beef, one pepper and some fresh mozzarella.  I only used the fresh mozzarella because I needed to use it before it went bad, but you can use any cheese!

Before going in the oven

 I popped the pizza in the oven and and waited for it to come out bubbly and delicious (which it was!)  After it came out, I topped it with fresh tomatoes and fresh cilantro.  The cilantro really made it.  I can't stress enough how much better this pizza came out because of it!  I try to use fresh herbs whenever I can because of how much BETTER they make everything!!

Taco Pizza 

Anyway, though the pizza tasted super delicious, next time I would make a thicker crust because it didn't stand up to the sauce and extra liquid from the tomatoes.  It was fine for dinner, but the leftovers I had for lunch the next day I had to eat with a fork.  Oh well, it was still super yummy!

Taco Pizza

Ingredients:
1 pound pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
1 pound ground beef
1  medium bell pepper, diced (whatever color you would like!)
1 packet taco seasoning (or your favorite taco seasonings)
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese (or whatever you have on hand)
1 cup salsa
fresh cilantro, chopped, to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425.
Add a tablespoon of oil to a skillet.
Once hot, add the ground beef and taco seasoning.
While the beef is browning, spread flour onto a clean countertop and roll out the pizza dough with a rolling pin (or wine bottle!).  Spread to desired thickness.
Move dough to greased cooking sheet.  Add salsa, then layer with cheese, ground beef, and peppers.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
After you take out the pizza, top with tomatoes and cilantro.
Enjoy!!

Kitchen Sink Spaghetti

Today Matt and I decided we wanted spaghetti, but I also needed to use up a bunch of vegetables that were about to spoil, so I did both.  I did cheat a little bit and use frozen meatballs (which I hate doing because they don't taste anything like homemade meatballs), but I had to work today, so give me a break!
First, I sauteed eggplant in a pan with a little olive oil.  Matt hates undercooked eggplant, so I made sure to do that one first.  That eggplant was actually frozen from before Christmas, so I actually had to squish the water it had retained out of it before going in the pan.  Once that was cooked enough, I added it to my sauce.  Then I sauteed garlic, onion, zucchini, and carrots until they were done and in the pan they went.
My sauce was comprised of sauce leftover from my chicken, sausage, and white bean casserole along with two half jars of different pre-made sauce, and a lot of extra garlic powder from me.  After I added all of the vegetables, I cooked the sauce long enough for the meatballs to unfreeze, and it was ready to eat!
It turned out delicious!  The only thing I would have changed was to cook the carrots longer.  Also, it would have been even more delicious with homemade meatballs, but what can you do?  I really liked all of the vegetables in it!

Kitchen Sink Spaghetti 

Kitchen Sink Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
1 box frozen meatballs (if you have time, make your own!)
1 zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces*
1 onion, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, chopped into 1/2 ince pieces*
1/2 cup chopped carrots *
1 jar pasta sauce
Garlic powder
Italian Seasoning
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Saute all vegetables in olive oil over medium heat.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.  Add to sauce.  Add meatballs to sauce.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions on the package.
Once the pasta is done and meatballs are cooked through, combine and enjoy!
*All vegetables are just suggestions, feel free to use whatever you have on hand and tell me what you used!

Bean and Beef Chili

I decided to make chili tonight and I tried a new recipe I found in the Food Network magazine.  I didn't have any beef chuck, but I used the same amount of ground beef and it worked out well.  I also didn't have any pinto beans, so I used one can of black beans and one can of kidney beans.  I also couldn't find any regular chili powder in the house, so I used a combination of a bunch of different chiles my mom had; it was a combination of cayenne pepper, red pepper chili flakes, adobo chile, and some others.  I used much less than called for, but it still had plenty of heat from the hotter chiles.  I also ended up cooking it on a low simmer for about six hours rather than the two it originally called for.  That really let the flavors marry!

Bean and Beef Chili with a piece of Cornbread!

Bean and Beef Chili

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 pounds ground beef
Salt and Pepper
2 large onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. adobo chile
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 oz.) can low-sodium beef broth
1/3 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained
Topping: Shredded cheese, sour cream

Preparation:
Heat 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Season beef with salt and pepper.  Brown in batches, about 4 minutes, adding more oil as needed (especially if you're using lean ground beef), about 4 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium and add 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil to pot.  Add garlic and onions, and cook, stirring, about 6 minutes.  Add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, adobo chile, chili powder, oregano, and tomato paste, cook, stirring, about 30 seconds.

Return the meat to the pot and stir in the tomatoes with their juices, broth, coffee, and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, about 4-6 hours.
Top with whatever you like.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Taco Salad

I wish I could have been so cool as to have made bowls out of tortillas, but alas, I was not.  Matt and I have been trying harder to eat healthier lately, so we decided to have taco salads for dinner... that and avocados were on sale.  I cheated a little bit and had previously bought ground turkey already taco seasoned, so all I had to do with that was brown the meat.

Taco Seasoned Ground Turkey

Normally when I make taco salad, all I do is throw in fresh vegetables, but Matt recently had a taco salad with cooked peppers and onions in it and it was delicious, so I decided to follow suit. I cooked down a red pepper, a green pepper, and half an onion.  I seasoned them with some pepper, a tiny bit of salt, and some adobo seasoning.

Peppers and Onions

I also decided to add in some black beans, because who doesn't love black beans?!  I threw those in with the meat for a couple of minutes, just to heat them up.

Turkey and Black Beans

Finally it was time to assemble!  We didn't have lettuce, so we used fresh spinach as our base, then came the cooked vegetables, the turkey and bean mixture, one avocado apiece (YUM!), some lite sour cream, and a garnish of some cilantro and scallions.

Taco Salad

Taco Salad

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. ground turkey
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
8 oz. spinach
2 stalks celery
Guacamole
1 avocado, pitted
1/4 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 roma tomato, diced
1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro
Salt

Preparation:
Guacamole
Add avocado, onion, garlic, tomato, and cilantro to a small bowl.
Cut the lime in half and add the juice.
Stir.
Add salt to taste.
Set aside.
Salad
Place a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 Tbsp. oil.  Add turkey to skillet.  Add cumin and garlic powder.
Cook until turkey is almost cooked through.
Add black beans.
Cook until heated through.
Set aside.
Add additional oil, if needed. Add peppers and onion to skillet.  Cook until onions and peppers are soft, about 5 minutes.
Place spinach in bowls.
Add turkey and bean mixture on top.  Add peppers.  Top with guacamole.
Enjoy!

Christmas Chili

Today I decided to make chili.  I didn't realize all of the vegetables I used were red and green until they were in my crock pot, so I decided to name it Christmas chili.  I combined a couple of recipes into my own for this one.  First, I cooked down some onions, celery, garlic, and green peppers.  Once they were soft, I added ground turkey.

All of my green (and white) vegetables!

While they were cooking, I turned on my crock pot and added one can of chicken broth, two cans of diced tomatoes (with green chiles), and one can of red kidney beans.  After the turkey had cooked most of the way through, I added that and the vegetables to the crock pot as well.  To finish it off, I added a mixture of chili powder, Italian seasoning, cumin, and garlic.  I also added the rest of the tomatillo salsa I made the other day.

Even my crock pot fit the theme!

I cooked the mixture on high for two hours, stirring occasionally.  To serve, I threw some mozzarella cheese on top.  Next time, I will add a little bit more seasoning.  I actually used the seasonings that my mom uses in her white chicken chili recipe, but that has green chiles in it, so it doesn't need as much.  Here's to next time!

Christmas Chili

Christmas Chili

Ingredients:
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 (14 oz.) can red kidney beans
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cilantro
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
Toppings: Shredded cheese, sour cream

Preparation:
Add vegetable oil to a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic.  Cook for about 3 minutes, until slightly soft.  Add pepper and celery.  Cook for about 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add ground turkey, cook about 5 minutes, it's okay if it is still a bit pink, you will cook it more in the slow cooker.
Meanwhile, add all other ingredients to slow cooker.  When vegetable and turkey mixture are done, add that to the slow cooker as well.
Cook on high for about 2 hours.
Top with whatever you like.
Enjoy!

Philly Cheesesteaks!

Today I decided to embrace my new move and pay homage to probably the most famous food of my new city... cheesesteak!  I decided not to follow any recipes today, because really, it's just meat, onions, and cheese.  (I added peppers too.)  Also, if you happened to make the pot roast I made last week, this is the leftovers!  

Beef, peppers, and onions.

The biggest problem I had tonight was that I wanted to make the cheese kind of liquid like on a real cheesesteak, but I didn't want to use cheese wiz.  So, I put cheese and milk in a cup and microwaved it.  That worked pretty well, however I added too much milk and it was a little too liquid-y.  Whoops!

The cheese and milk mixture!

Cheese mixture added to the beef, peppers, and onions.

All in all, the cheesesteaks turned out pretty good, though the cheese was a little runny and I had to serve it on white bread (rolls are more expensive!).  Oh well, go Phillies!  

Philly Cheesesteak! 

Philly Cheesesteaks

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. oil

1 pound leftover beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 pepper, diced

1 cup milk

2 cups cheese, shredded

Good quality hoagie rolls

Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

Over medium high heat, add oil to skillet.  Add peppers and onions.  Cook until onions are translucent, about five minutes.  

Meanwhile, add milk and cheese to small saucepan, and whisk until a thick cheese sauce forms. 

Add beef to peppers and onions and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Scoop beef mixture into a hoagie roll.  Top with cheese sauce. 

Enjoy!

Pot Roast

Today I decided to try my hand at an American classic... pot roast.  I looked at a few recipes and ended up making up my own from what they said to do.  Everything turned out great!  The meat was super tender and flavored well.  The only thing I would do differently is trim off some of the fat before putting the roast in the crock pot.

Pot roast sizzling away!

Pot roast with linguini! 

Pot Roast:
Ingredients:
1 4-5 pound rump roast
1 cup canned tomatoes
1 onion
5 stalks celery
2 cups water
Garlic Powder
Onion Flakes
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
Place onions and butter in bottom of crock pot.  Cook until onions are soft
Put roast on top of onions
Add rest of ingredients.
Stir.
Cook on high for approximately 6 hours.
Enjoy!