Middle Eastern Chicken Meatballs

 I am trying to cook meals for the two of us that are clean and diabetic friendly. I saw a baked chicken meatball recipe and thought that they would roast well on top of veggies. So, I decided to spice the meatballs with vaguely middle Eastern flavors and roast them on top of 2 lbs of green beans dressed simply with olive oil and Cavenders Greek Seasoning which I dearly love.

We enjoyed the flavors, but the texture of the ground chicken, though juicy, was slightly granular, which we didn't care for. I will try it again, adding some breadcrumbs and a couple tablespoons of ice water. 

This made about 18 meatballs about 1 1/2"  in diameter. We will get two light dinners meals from this. I would love to add lemony roasted potatoes which would make a more hefty meal, but they are too carby for my diabetic husband.

Preheat oven to 450F

INGREDIENTS 

1 lb ground chicken

1 lg egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper 

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp each: oregano, dill, mint, smoked paprika

1/4 cup minced onion

3 minced garlic cloves

1/2 tsp lemon zest

2 Tbs dry parsley, or 1/4 cup minced fresh

2 Tbs lemon juice

1/2 cup crumbled feta

In future, I will add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbs

Roll into 1 1/2" balls and arrange on greased baking sheet. Spray with EVOO and bake for 20 - 25 minutes at 450F.

Tasty!!!

Greek Style Black Eyed Peas

It's New Year's Day, and most cultures enjoy special foods to bring luck in the coming months. I usually make a lentil dish honoring my  Italian mother, but this year, I  decided to do it up Southern style with black eyed peas. I'm not a huge fan of the traditional Hoppin John and it is too many carbs for us anyway. I saw many recipes online for mediterranean inspired salads, but I wanted something hot and comforting. I perused my pantry - I knew I had the peas, but only 1 cup dried. So, I quick soaked them while pondering how to increase the protein in a one pot meal for two. I had some leftover pork loin and some feta, so, Greek it is. Here is what I did:

1 C or 8 oz dried black eyed peas, soaked

1 med onion, diced

2 lg carrots, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

EVOO

1/4 tsp black pepper

15 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

2 bay leaves

1 - 2 Tbs dry dill, plus more to garnish

1 tsp chicken bouillion or Vegeta powder

Salt to taste

Optional meat or sausage

Garnish with a drizzle of really good EVOO, some crumbled feta, and a pinch of dill

In a 3 or 4 qt heavy bottomed pot, saute onion, carrots, and garlic in EVOO till soft. Add the pepper, bay leaves, tomatoes, meat (I used leftover pork loin), bouillion powder, and drained peas. Stir well. Add about 2 C water, or more, to ensure everything is submerged. Simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally, and topping off with more water so it doesn't dry out. 

It took longer for the peas to be tender than I thought it would. You want the peas to retain their shape but cooked through, and not too juicy because I didn't envision a soup. Once the peas are done to your liking, taste for salt. I added about 1 tsp of pink salt.

The garnishes really made this extra delicious, so don't skip them. 

Middle Eastern Red Lentil Soup

 

My dear friend Tracy brought me 3 lbs of red lentils, among other goodies. When I moved, I thought maybe it would be difficult to find my girl gang, but I was wrong. Tracy appeared, and with her have come all sorts of yummy goodness.

Red lentils cook quickly and are so versatile. Best of all, they don't spike my guy's blood sugar. This soup has a middle eastern flair, but it can be flavored a number of ways. 

1 small onion, minced

1 lg clove garlic, minced

2 Tbs EVOO

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

.25 tsp pepper

2 C red lentils, well rinsed

6 - 7 C water

To finish:

Fresh parsley, best quality EVOO, fresh lemon, red pepper flakes or hot sauce

In  3 qt, heavy bottomed pot, saute onion and garlic in oil till softened and translucent. Add cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper till fragrant. Stir in lentils and 6 C water. Bring to boil, lower to a low simmer, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes till everything is smooth. Taste for seasoning. If too salty, add a little water that you've reserved. 

Serve with a drizzle of EVOO, fresh parsley, and a squirt of lemon.j

Fennel and Turkey Dalad

When I go food shopping with my guy, I never know what will end up in the cart. This time it was a giant English cucumber, fresh dill, and two huge and beautiful hands of fennel. Today, I improvised a chopped salad featuring fennel.

I chopped the stalks and and fronds off one bulb, leaving the bulb for another purpose. I checked the fridge, freezer, and pantry for things that might be tasty with with fennel and found a few. 

Stalks and fronds of fennel, sliced thin

2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

1 apple, cored and diced

Approximately 6 oz cubed roast turkey

2-3 green onions, sliced

Approximately 1/4 cup raisins

Grated parmesan

Caesar dressing to taste

It was crunchy and delicious. If I had walnuts, craisins, or croutons, they would have gone into the bowl, too. Frozen or fresh peas, or shrimp, or halved cherry tomatoes, or olives would be lovely, too.

My guy was amazed at how tasty it was. He said, "How can you make something so delicious out of nothing? And so quickly, too?" My answer was two words: "I'm Italian. "  I guess if you grow up in a big, multigenerational Italian home, with a grandmother, mother, and aunties who lived through the Great Depression, you learn a few things about not wasting food. 

Braised Lamb Shanks

 

Maybe 15 or 20 years ago, we found a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant in my neighborhood called Troy. It quickly became our favorite - we never had a meal there that we didn't love, especially the braised lamb shanks which we washed down with bottles of Zoe red wine. We tried for years to buy that wine, but it was only sold to restaurants.  The other night we were reminiscing about Troy, thinking we might have to make the trip down to Savannah for some lamb and Zoe, when he urged me to look online one last time. Eureka! I ordered two bottles which he picked up today, and he bought me 4 lamb shanks from the butcher. The shanks are already in the the crock pot, and the house smells amazing!

Dredge the shanks in 2 tsp granulated garlic, 1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika, 1/2 tsp pink salt, 1 scant tsp black pepper, 1 tsp ground nutmeg. Brown in olive oil on all sides, remove and set aside. 

In same pan, add more EVOO if needed and saute till transparent:

2-3 carrots, peeled and chunked

2 celery, chopped 

1 med yellow onion, diced

Pour in 2/3 cup red wine, stir to scrape up the browned bits of fond, then stir in:

1.5 cup beef stock

15 oz can of tomatoes and juice

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tsp thyme

1 scant tsp rosemary

Nestle the shanks into the wine sauce, cover, and let it cook in the crock pot on high for 6 hours or more. The meat  should be falling off the bones easily. I dont think it is possible to overcook shanks in a crock pot, so let it go as long as you want, just check the liquid from time to time.

I think we will sop up the yummy wine gravy with couscous, or maybe barley.

My crock pot is a rectangular, 4 qt pot which sits on top of a teflon coated, heated griddle. The pot can be used on a burner, which I did today to do the browning and sautéing, or in the oven up to 350F. I highly recommend this type of slow cooker for its versatility. 

Edited the next morning: we had the shanks on a bed of simple farro, and killed a bottle of Zoe red wine. The meat literally fell off the bones. The wine was perfect for this. It was an absolutely delicious meal. We ate till we nearly burst, then vegetated on the sofa dozing and talking like the old farts we are. I highly recommend this recipe.

Cranberry Brie Crinkle Pie

 

Wow, this was big hit at Christmas dinner yesterday! I used an entire can of whole berry cranberry sauce, but I think it would be equally delicious with raspberry or fig preserves. In future, I would add a few nuts on top, maybe almonds or walnuts. The possibilities are endless. 

Half a package phyllo dough, room temp

2 x 8 oz rounds of brie

1 1/2 cup preserves or cranberry sauce

1 stick butter, melted

4 eggs

1 cup cream

Salt and pepper

Thyme, fresh or dried

This is so simple to put together in a lightly buttered 9x13 pan. Preheat oven to 350F. Lay the phyllo out flat. Grab 1 or 2 sheets and quickly crinkle like a fan - just scrunch it up - and place in pan. Don't worry if pieces tear or get a bit dried out as you work because it all works out in the end. Work quickly to cover the entire pan. Cut brie into 1/8 or 1/4" slices and tuck into the folds. Pour melted butter over all. Whisk eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over all. Spoon dollops of cranberry all over and sprinkle with thyme.

Bake uncovered in center of oven for 20 - 25 minutes till lightly golden and bubbly. Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting. It's good cold, but best while still warm and gooey.

I have a photo, but can't seem to add it to this post right now. Will try later.

Chicken and Portabello Cannelloni

 I didn't have a recipe, but it was so delicious that I'm writing it down. Yesterday, I made Cock A Leekie soup and the two cooked breasts were left over. In my fridge, I had 4 large portabellos, some heavy cream, parmesan, and an unopened package of egg roll wrappers. In the pantry was a quart of Bertolli Marinara gathering dust, and the idea was born. It was yummy, but in retrospect, it would have been better with a classic bechamel. O was too lazy for that. I used my Vitamix which made short work of mincing.

2 large, cooked chicken breasts, ground or finely minced

2 large portabello mushrooms, ground or finely minced

1  tsp chicken bouillion powder

1 tsp each of salt, garlic powder, poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp pepper

Mix together well with your hands, adding enough heavy cream to make a moist paste.

Preheat the oven to 375F

Put about a cup of sauce into a 9x13 pyrex baking pan, and roll the stuffing into the rectangular pasta pieces. You don't have to wet them to keep them rolled, just place them seam side down. When all is used up and the pan is full, pour the rest of the sauce on top and drizzle the cream liberally over the top. I could have used more cream. 

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle about a half cup parmesan over the top and bake for up to 10 more minutes, till the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Let stand for a few minutes, then serve with broccoli, green beans, or salad on the side.