BBQ Turkey Meatballs

Tags

bbq, cauliflower, dinner, healthy, meatball, recipes, spinach

I wanted to change things up a bit. When I saw this recipe in Cooking Light magazine back in April, I thought this was a definite win. The last meatball recipe I tried in a cooking light magazine was the chicken yakitori meatball and they were fantastic. So, I thought meatballs and bbq sauce couldn’t steer me wrong.

• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles (such as Del Monte)
• 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
• 3 tablespoons Italian-seasoned dried breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• Cooking spray

1. Place first 6 5 ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth.
2. Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, and chili powder in a large bowl; using wet hands, shape into 12 meatballs.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add meatballs; cook 2 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add tomato mixture to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes or until the meatballs are done.

The meatballs couldn’t be eaten alone… or could they?

I decided to saute some spinach in garlic and olive oil.

And to make it look just like the photo, I whipped up some smashed cauliflower.

This was a really balanced dinner but if I’m being honest, I really didn’t like the sauce on the meatballs. It was too acidic and sweet for my liking. I prefer bbq sauces to be smoky. It wasn’t a total failure but I’ve had better.

Less Loaded baked Potato Soup

Tags

bacon, baked potato, cauliflower, cooking light magazine, dinner, healthy, lunch, recipes, scallions, soup

I feel like a broken record here. Its cold! Its April! Why?

What to do when its cold?

Snuggle up with your boo and your puppy. And if you need some warmth and comfort in your tummy, January’s issue of Cooking Light had a tasty less loaded baked potato soup.

Now, I love all things soup. Its filling, Its comforting. And its usually easy to make. BR on the other hand, is not really a soup kind of guy. He likes substance. He likes meat.

Looking at the recipe, I saw it had bacon. Bacon is meat. This soup is meat and potatoes. How can that disappoint anyone? And even more amazing is how this soup packs all the flavor of a loaded baked potato with less calories and fat thanks to the pureed cauliflower.

Right?

Less Loaded Baked Potato Soup

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 pound cubed peeled baking potato (about 2)
• 1 pound cubed Yukon gold potato (about 4)
• 5 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound cauliflower, cut into florets (about 1/2 head) I used an entire head
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk 1/4 cup fat free half and half
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
• 1/2 cup fat-free fromage blanc (such as Vermont Creamery) or sour cream
• 2 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup)
• 4 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions: (my directions vary from Cooking Light slightly)

1. Set up a large pot of salted water. Bring to boil. When water is boiling, add cauliflower and potatoes and boil till fork tender. About 10 minutes. (you want it to fall apart easily – makes blending quick!)
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, thyme, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add stock, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. When the potatoes and cauliflower are fork tender, place in a blender, along with some of the simmering broth and puree. When the desire texture is reached, I like mine velvety, place it all in the dutch oven and allow it to simmer for an additional 10-20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf.
5. Add half and half. Stir. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 cup green onions, and sour cream; stir until sour cream dissolves.
6. Ladle soup into 8 bowls. Top evenly with remaining green onions, cheese, and bacon. (or in my case, serve two bowls of soup and put the leftovers in the fridge for lunches)

For a soup, BR thought it was okay. (figures). But this is a great soup disguised as a guilty pleasure but lightened up to make indulging guilt free. My favorite part of this soup is the crispy bacon and the creamy texture of this soup.

Might as well enjoy it while its still freezing.

My First Christmas Ham!

Tags

brussel sprouts, cauliflower, christmas, ham, mac and cheese

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! This year was the first year that I cooked dinner and I invited a few of my friends who weren’t up to anything. I tried as best as I could to document the dinner but I kept forgetting.

BR suggested we do a ham. I have never made a ham before, other than heating up a spiral ham back when I lived with my mother. It felt like the best time to try something new!

I found a great source for an easy but very delicious recipe. I could barely do this recipe justice – for great photos and instructions, visit the instructables sight.

I basically scored the low salt ham, rubbed it with brown sugar, stuck pineapple rings all over it then covered it and baked it for 4 hrs. After the 4 hrs, I uncovered it and glazed the ham with pineapple juice and brown sugar with a  touch of maple syrup, then baked it  uncovered for 30 minutes.

When it was done, what a sight! I left it to rest while I worked on the other dishes. If there is an art to carving ham, it is lost upon me. I hacked off slabs of ham while BR and I ate the “ugly” slices… for quality control. It was juicy. Flavorful. An instant hit.

I made fried cauliflower. An old favorite.

Grandma used to make them at every family function. Cauliflower florets dredged in eggs, breaded and fried.

I also made brussel sprouts. I crisped up some chopped bacon and saved the drippings. I caramelized pearl onions in the drippings and then combined quartered brussel sprouts, bacon and onions in a baking pan. I roasted the brussel sprouts for 30 minutes at 400*, stirring every 10 minutes.

The guests all dug in and with the absence of a big enough table, we had massive plates of food on our laps.

There were trips for 2nds and 3rds.

I am still left with 8lbs of ham. Lots of leftovers in the near future!

My brussel sprouts were a surprising hit. If you have never had brussels, please try them this way!

The fried cauliflower was a nice and sneaky way to get some friends to eat their vegetables. If the fried part scares you, these are great broiled.

Oh the ham! It has be to made again… im thinking easter.

And of course, mac and cheese. I think my brother ate 1 of the 2 lbs that I made.

All in all it was a successful Christmas. My Sweetie was a great Santa. I got a stunning necklace with a heart diamond pendant along with a gel manicure set and a Cheese slate.

Happy Girl!

Hope you had a merry Christmas!