Crockpot Gigantor Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:

1.25 lb ground beef

2/3 lb Italian sausage

1 large stalk celery, minced

1 large-sized carrot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 of a large red onion, minced

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup almond meal

1 tsp dried oregano
sprinkle garlic poweder
a few turns of black pepper

dash of cayenne pepper
sea salt

Sauce Ingredients:

32 oz can Organic Diced Tomatoes

6 oz can Organic Tomato Paste

1 shake dried basil

5 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

Mix together meatball ingredients by hand. Divide in to eights and make 8 gigantic meatballs. Place in a single layer in the bottom of a large oval (6 qt) crockpot. 

Mix together sauce ingredients and pour over meatballs.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.


These were fabulous! (and HUGE) Great with spaghetti squash and a salad.

Dairy-Free Copycat Rubio's Fish Tacos

Dairy-Free Copycat Rubio's Fish Tacos

Less greasy, cheaper, quick and dairy-free - these are a great alternative to Rubio's Fish Tacos.

Ingredients:
Trader Joe's low-fat fish sticks
corn tortillas
finely shredded green cabbage
white sauce**

Cook fish sticks, heat tortillas, assemble.


(awful picture)

**White Sauce
1/2 cup Trader Joe's mayonnaise
1/2 cup Tofutti sour cream
juice of 1 lemon

Mix together. Serve on fish tacos, chicken tacos, etc.

Asparagus Pasta

Modified from my friend Chelsea's recipe. *Recipe below

Asparagus Pasta
2 lbs fresh asparagus, tough ends removed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4-1/3 cup tofutti cream cheese
whole wheat spaghetti
grilled chicken
tomato-basil topping (recipe below)

Cut asparagus into 1" pieces, reserving tips separately. Cook asparagus stems in 5 to 6 qrt boiling water with 2 Tbsp salt until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to blender, reserving cooking water in pot.

Drizzle asparagus tips with olive oil and fresh ground salt & pepper and roast/broil until tender.

Purée asparagus stems with oil, tofutti cream cheese and 1/2 cup asparagus cooking water.

Cook pasta in boiling asparagus cooking water. Reserve 2 cup cooking water and drain pasta.

Put pasta, asparagus sauce and a little bit of reserved pasta water back in to pot and heat through. Place serving of pasta with sauce on plate and top with roasted asparagus spears, grilled chicken and a spoonful of tomato-basil topping. Yum!


Tomato Basil Topping
1 large ripe tomato, diced fine
8-10 large basil leaves, chopped fine
1 large garlic clove minced fine
extra-virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
freshly ground salt & pepper

Mix all together and let sit at room temperature for at least 10-15 minutes.

Cheslea's Asparagus Pasta Original Recipe:
1 lb fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb whole wheat penne or pasta of choice
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

Cut asparagus into 1" pieces, reserving tips separately. Cook asparagus stems in 5 to 6 qrt boiling water with 2 Tbsp salt until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander, reserving cooking water in pot, and rinse under cold water. Drain asparagus well and transfer to a food processor or blender.

Cook asparagus tips in same boiling water until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to colander, reserving boiling water in pot, and rinse under cold water. Drain tips well.

Purée asparagus stems with zest, oil, and 1/2 cup asparagus cooking water. Transfer sauce to a 4-qrt saucepan.

Cook pasta in boiling asparagus cooking water until it still offers considerable resistance to the tooth, around three fourths of the recommended cooking time. Reserve 2 cup cooking water and drain pasta.

Add pasta, asparagus tips, and 1/2 cup reserved water to asparagus sauce and cook over high heat, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes, or until pasta is almost al dente and sauce coats pasta. Add more cooking water, 1/4 cup at a time, until sauce coats pasta but is a little loose (the cheese will thicken it slightly).

Stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until cheese is melted.

Serve immediately.

Thin Crust Pizza

Yum! This recipe makes two large thin crust pizzas and enough sauce for these 2 crusts plus some to freeze for later.

Pizza Dough
Yield: 2 thin crust Pizzas
4.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1.5 cups 110 degree water
3.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
pizza sauce - of your choice, or see below
shredded cheese - of your choice, as needed
toppings - of your choice, as needed

-Dissolve yeast and sugar in water; allow to rest for 8 minutes.
-In a bowl of mixer, combine flour and salt.
-Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture and mix with dough hook.
-Knead on low speed with dough hook until it begins to climb up the hook.
-On a floured board, working from the edges to the center, press dough into a 12" circle.
-Place dough on a lightly greased pizza pan and stretch dough to edges.
-Spread sauce over crust and top with cheese and desired toppings.
-Bake in a 500 degree oven for 8-12 minutes, or until edges are golden.

Quick and easy pizza sauce
Pizza Sauce
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground paprika

Mix together until smooth.

This pizza was excellent simply topped with fresh basil, mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Delicious Dairy-Free Pesto

*big bunch of farmer's market fresh basil (enough to fill the bowl of the food processor without packing at all)
*4 large garlic cloves minced with...
*about a tablespoon of kosher salt
*1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
*about 1/2 c - 3/4 c walnuts
EVOO

Blend all ingredients except EVOO together in the food processor until smooth. Stream in EVOO - about 1/2 cup while machine runs. Using pasta cooking water to thin and serve over pasta. YUM!

Notes:
Most pesto recipes call for parmesan, this was fine without.
Used walnuts because they are cheaper than pine nuts and we had them on hand. Might try with pine nuts next time.
Served over whole wheat flax fussili with a side of balsamic glazed tofu - next time process some tofu in the mix to add protein without DH complaining about eating tofu.
Made enough for 2 family sized meals plus a husband sized lunch serving. Will try freezing leftovers.

Turkey Meatloaf

TURKEY MEATLOAF
1 tblsp. EVOO
sprinkle dehydrated chopped onions
~ 2/3 cup chopped celery & leaves
½ cup grated carrot
3/4 tsp. dried thyme (couldn’t find any in my cabinet)
1 tsp. dried sage
Sprinkle poultry seasoning
2 packages lean ground turkey
2 large apples grated
1/2 c. dried bread crumbs
½ c flax meal
2/3 cup crumbled whole grain crackers
2 lg. egg, lightly beaten
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. Hot & Sweet mustard
1 tsp. salt
a few grinds of freshly ground pepper

GLAZE:
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. Hot & Sweet mustard

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onions, carrot and celery and saute 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in thyme and sage and let cool slightly. Combine vegetable mixture in large bowl with turkey, flax/bread/cracker crumbs, apple, egg, parsley, salt, mustard and pepper. Mix well. Pack into a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish. GLAZE: Combine ingredients in small bowl and brush over top of loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 60+ minutes or until 165F+. Pour off any fat.

Baked sweet chicken

A huge hit with the family. My kids each ate a whole good sized chicken thigh!

6 chicken thighs - skin on, bone in
1/2 cup ketchup (I like the flavor and texture of Trader Joe's organic ketchup)
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
big sprinkle of garlic powder
big sprinkle of ground ginger
3 tablespoons of brown sugar

mix together glaze ingredients - taste and adjust seasoning. Place chicken skin side up in a baking dish. Spoon glaze on top of chicken pieces. Bake at 375* for 1 hour cor until juices run clear. Baste chicken with juices after 45 minutes.

Baked Pork Chops

Based on this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 thick cut boneless pork chops
* 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1 (10 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1/4 cup water
I added - half a red onion sliced very thin and 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced thin around the pork chops.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place pork chops in the skillet, and brown about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, salt, pepper, and dry mustard.
4. Arrange pork chops in a medium baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, season with brown sugar mixture, and cover with tomato sauce. Pour water into the baking dish.
5. Cover, and bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).


Notes: the flavor was excellent but I cut my pork chops in half to cook faster and reduced the cooking time and they still got dried out. Next time I will get started earlier and leave the thick pork chops thick. The sauce was excellent over rice.

Dairy Free Vegetable and Tuna Casserole

Dairy Free Vegetable and Tuna Casserole

2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 large onion, diced
~2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
~ 4 T Earth's Balance
~ 4-5 T flour
3+ cups chicken stock
3 cans water packed white albacore tuna, drain but do not discard water
1 pkg egg noodles
3/4 large package fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
crushed kettle potato chips

cook onions, carrots and garlic in olive oil and Earth's Balance until softened
add flour, cook until golden
add chicken stock and water from tuna cans
cook until bubbly and thickened, adding more chicken stock as necessary
season w/ salt and pepper
crumble tuna in to sauce, add peas
cook noodles according to package, last 2 minutes add spinach, drain
mix together sauce and pasta in 3qt baking dish, top with crushed chips

Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes

Fresh Tomato and Basil Pasta

Fresh Tomato and Basil Pasta


2 garlic cloves
2 lb tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon sugar
fresh ground sea salt and black pepper
1 lb dried whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
fresh finely grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
olive oil

Mince garlic and mash to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife.

Core and coarsely chop two thirds of tomatoes. Halve remaining tomatoes crosswise, then rub cut sides of tomatoes against large holes of a box grater set in a large bowl, reserving pulp and discarding skin. Toss pulp with chopped tomatoes, garlic paste, lemon juice, salt, sugar, and pepper. Let stand until ready to use, at least 10 minutes.

While tomatoes stand, cook pasta in boiling salted water. Drain in a colander and immediately add to tomato mixture, tossing to combine. Sprinkle with basil, cheese and olive oil.


Note: Adapted from Epicurious. We loved this. We actually ate ALL of it in one meal. The kids had 3rd and 4th helpings

Mediterranean Tilapia

Mediterranean Tilapia

4 tilapia fillets
4 roma tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick
olive oil
basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 sm red onions, sliced thin
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
klamata olives
feta cheese

In a large oven proof skillet saute carrots and onions olive oil until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
Place fish fillets on top of onions and carrots. Top each fish fillet with a small sprinkle of fresh or dried basil, garlic and tomato slices. Top tomato slices with basil, cracked pepper and sea salt. Bake in 350 oven for 20-30 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.
Place each serving of fish fillet, onions/carrots and tomatoes on top of a bed of steamed spinach. Top with feta cheese and klamata olives. Serve with rice pilaf.


Note: Everyone loved it except for the garlic - it was clumped up and didn't get cooked enough. Would have been fine without -next time I will either leave it out or cook it with the onions and carrot.s


Everyone liked it.

Super Yummy Pork Roast

Super Yummy Pork Roast

mix equal parts soy sauce and orange marmalade (about 1/2 cup of each)
add 2 chopped cloves of garlic

cover roast with marinade
cook in 375 oven until internal temp reaches 160


Serve with steamed spinach and whole wheat couscous - the marinade/sauce is SUPER good on the spinach/couscous This recipe is always a hit with my picky DH and toddler.

Moroccan-ish Chicken

Moroccan-ish Chicken

~1.3 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in to bite size pieces
3 T flour
1.5 t ground cumin
.5 t ground red pepper
couple of turns of fresh cracked sea salt
2 t ground cinnamon
~2 T olive oil
1.5 cups chicken broth
.5 cups raisins
4 zucchini - sliced thin

mix flour, cumin, red pepper, sea salt and cinnamon in a large plastic bag - toss chicken to coat
heat olive oil in a large saucepan - add chicken and cook until browned
add chicken broth and raisins and cook until broth is thickened (about 8-10 minutes)
add zucchini the last 5 or so minutes of cooking

I served with brown rice but it would have been more moroccanish over couscous if we had had any. I also served with a couple spoonfulls of plain yogurt.

"Haven't Been to the Grocery Store and I have two crabby kids" Lemon Chicken Piccata

12 skinless boneless chicken breast tenders, chopped in to bite site pieces
juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 lemon thinly sliced and halved
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 garlic big garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup butter/butter sub
1 cup vegetable stock
3 tablespoons capers


Note: I am not an exact cook - so the above are my best guesses - I used the rest of the capers in the jar - which looked to be about 3 tablespoons, the paprika I eyeballed, lemon juice is approximate.

1. put chicken pieces in a big ziploc with the flour and paprika - smoosh around to coat.
2. melt butter in a large saucepan on medium
3. add garlic - cook for 1 minute. .
4. turn heat to med-highish. add chicken. cook chicken until lightly browned and no longer pink on the outside (I used a spatula to make sure that the pieces were not sticking together while it was browning)
5. add lemon juice and vegetable stock (I am sure this would be fine with chicken broth or stock but I had vegetable on hand). simmer for approx. 10 minutes.
6. add lemon slices (reserving a couple for garnish should you choose to photograph your meal ) and capers. cook until sauce has reduced by about 1/3 or 1/2. add kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste. Serve over pasta or rice (I mixed angel hair in the saucepan to sop up lots of sauce).

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

(made a huge pot - taking some to a new mommy friend and some for my family for dinner)

20 frozen b/s chicken breast tenders
1/2 sm can of tomato paste
1 c frozen sliced tri-color peppers (red, green, yellow)
1 med. onion sliced thin
4 tsp chopped fresh basil
4 cloves of garlic
1 tblsp dried oregano
1/4 c red wine
2 26 oz cans of pasta sauce

Dump all ingredients in crockpot, stir to combine. Cook 4-6 hours on high. Serve over hot pasta, sprinkle with parmesan.

WW pts for entire pot of chicken and sauce = 36


NOTE: Super yummy - picky DH liked as well!

Alfredo Veggie Lasagna

Alfredo Veggie Lasagna
I made this HUGE lasagna when my non-tomato eating MIL was in town - it made for MANY servings/meals and some to freeze!


2 large carrots peeled and sliced thin
1 onion chopped
5-6 med. zucchini sliced thin
2 10oz package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
2 big cloves of garlic, minced
vegetable stock
olive oil

1 lb cooked lasagna noodles
2 jars classico alfredo
4 cups shredded mozzerella cheese
2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
32 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes


1. cook noodles
2. in a small amount olive oil sweat the onions and carrots, once they begin to soften add garlic. Add zucchini and spinach. Add vegetable stock as needed. Cook until veggies are tender crisp.
3. mix together eggs, ricotta, parsley
4. put a bit of sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish (I think my big one is 10 x 14). Layer 1/4 of pasta, veggies, sauce, ricotta mix, cheeses and repeat. (when I used up what I could pour out of the jar of sauce I swished some milk to get it all out and make sure my lasagna wasn't dry).
5. cover with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour or until hot and bubbly throughout. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. This is a very rich dish so a little goes a long way!

Vegetable and Chickpea Curry

1 tbsp olive oil
1 minced shallot
1 cup carrot, cubed
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
2 cans chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled baking potato
5 zucchini, sliced thick
1 cup diced red/green/yellow pepper (used frozen pre-sliced)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14 oz can chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 can light coconut milk


1. heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over med heat. Add shallot, carrot and cover. Cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder, sugar, ginger, garlic and chile. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. place carrot mixture in a slow cooker. Stir in chickpeas and next 8 ingredients (through broth). Cover and cook on high 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and coconut milk and stir until spinach wilts.

Veggie Egg Foo Young

Veggie Egg Foo Young

10 eggs, beaten

6 spears of asparagus
3 green onions
1 med carrot
1 med zucchini
1.5-2 c spinach
4 large mushrooms
12 oz bean sprouts

Sauce:
1.5 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce (or to taste)
1 16oz can chicken broth or vegetable broth
ground pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water


Slice/chop all veggies thin. Heat skillet. Lightly coat skillet with vegetable oil. Cook all veggies (except bean sprouts) until bearly tender (sprinkle with water as needed to steam). Place veggies in a cool bowl, toss with bean sprouts. Add eggs and a healthy splash of soy sauce, mix to combine.

Heat skillet, oil and cook egg/veggie mix 1/2 cup at a time - flip like pancakes until golden and eggs are set. Remove to plate to keep warm and finish with remaining batter (I made 9 big pancakes).

Sauce: Heat chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar and pepper until boiling. Mix cornstarch and cold water in small bowl. Add to boiling sauce - mix until smooth and cook for 5-10 minutes at a low simmer or until thick and the cornstarch taste is gone.

Serve sauce over Egg Foo Young. Served with brown rice.

note: I use low sodium soy sauce so the amt of soy sauce might need to be adjusted if using regular.

Inside Out Cabbage Rolls

1 head of cabbage
1/2 large onion, chopped
20 oz lean ground turkey
2 15 oz cans chopped tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
salt and pepper


brown turkey and onion in a skillet
chop cabbage in to strips
mix tomatoes, tomato sauce, cinnamon and salt and pepper
put all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Points depend on the fat content/calories of your ground turkey. Ours was approx. 4 pts for 1/5ish. Served over brown rice. VERY yummy. The cinnamon gave it a really good flavor. It was excellent leftover the next day and DH actually complimented it multiple times - unusual for him for a recipe that includes veggies

Sloppy Joes

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound lean ground beef
big sprinkle of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIRECTIONS:
Brown ground beef. Drain fat.
Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.


NOTE: This is a sweet sloppy joe recipe. My DH doesn't like onions so I sneak the onion powder in. Last time I made this recipe I made 6 pounds and froze in meal sized packages. Serve with whole wheat buns and veggies/salad.