Tomato & Basil Meatballs with Cauliflower puree

Tomato & Basil Meatballs with Cauliflower Puree (I also made some spaghetti in case someone didn't like the cauliflower puree.  We liked the puree on the side with spaghetti under the meatballs and sauce.)tomato

Meatballs

1kg(=2.2 lb.) grass fed beef mince (for vegetarian balls - cooked chickpeas/lentils) I used 2 lb chuck

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tbs dijon mustard

2 tbs tomato paste

2 eggs

½ cup almond meal  (I used bread crumbs moistened in almond milk)

½ bunch parsley, finely chopped

½ bunch basil, finely chopped

Large pinch sea salt 

Tomato & Basil Sauce

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tbs smokey paprika

Pinch of dried chili flakes

1 tin crushed tomatoes (I mistakenly grabbed and added a small jar of salsa)

2 punnets (2lbs ) fresh cherry tomatoes

¾ cup tomato paste/tomato concentrate

1 cup hot water

1 tbs organic vegetable broth powder or stock

2 large sprigs rosemary

½ bunch basil

125g (=0.28 lb) buffalo mozzarella (or bocconcini)

½ cup grana padano parmesan cheese, finely grated

½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped 

Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped

¼ cup almond milk

¾ cup grana padano parmesan cheese, finely grated

Pinch sea salt 

Method

Meatballs

Place the meatball ingredients into a large mixing bowl, mix well and set aside.

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees celcius.

Place the cherry tomatoes into a large, deep baking dish and drizzle with a little olive oil, then place them into the oven while you prepare the rest of the sauce.

In a large pan, sauté the red onion, garlic, chili flakes and smokey paprika in a little olive oil over medium heat, until soft and slightly caramelised.

Now add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, hot water, broth powder and rosemary sprigs. Simmer for a couple of minutes and remove from the heat.

Remove the baking dish containing the cherry tomatoes from the oven and pour in the crushed tomato mixture, then set aside.

Rinse out the large pan, place back onto the heat and add a good glug of olive oil.

Scoop the meatball (or veg) mixture into large table spoon sized balls.

Add the balls to the hot pan.

Brown the balls on both sides (don’t worry about them being cooked through as they will finish cooking in the oven).

Place the browned balls into the dish with the tomato sauce.

Sprinkle with ½ cup parmesan, ½ of the torn basil leaves and the mozzarella.

Place the dish into the oven for about 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh basil and parsley. 

Serve the balls over the cauliflower puree.

Cauliflower Puree

Cut the cauliflower into small chunks and steam for about 30 minutes or until very soft.

Place the steamed cauliflower into a food processor with the almond milk, parmesan and a generous pinch of sea salt.

Blend until very smooth (this will take a couple of minutes).

Dietary Options

For a vegetarian option, substitute the grass fed beef mince for chickpeas or lentils.

For a vegan option, substitute the grass fed beef mince for chickpeas or lentils and leave out the buffalo mozzarella and parmesan. Replace with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast.

For a paleo option, leave out the buffalo mozzarella and parmesan.

Avocado shrimp scallop bisque

I added some scallops too.  Also had asparagus and a salad. Let the bisque boil so it wasn't as smooth and creamy as it should have been.

Avocado Shrimp Bisque                           Sonia Mendez Garcia  

     

 Yields up to 6 servings

For Shrimp:

1 pound large shrimp, cleaned and peeled

*reserve shrimp shells

1/3 teaspoon salt

1/3 teaspoon pepper

1/3 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 to 2 tablespoons Tabasco hot sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking

Tips~ A quick saute is all you need for the shrimp. It will continue to cook even after you remove it from the heat.

 Gather all of your ingredients and measure if needed. This make the whole cooking process much easier.

For the Soup/Bisque:

3 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/3 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

Juice of 1 lemon ( I used lime-Norm)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

2 large avocado

2 cups half and half milk

1/3 cup cilantro

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules or soup base

2 tablespoons flour

For the Garnish:

Diced avocado

Lemon wedges (used lime) 

Chopped cilantro

Sliced green onions

Hot sauce of your choice

Tips~This was not my first time preparing a bisque-style soup, but it was my first time preparing a warm avocado soup. It was absolutely delicious! It was the smoothest and creamiest soup I have ever eaten. When adding milk, cream or sour cream to hot liquids, make sure it is not boiling or the dairy will curdle. You could also whisk in a couple of tablespoons of flour to the dairy before adding to the hot liquid. This will act as a thickener and also prevent curdling

Directions:

1. Transfer the cleaned shrimp to a bowl. Add spices listed, Tabasco hot sauce and olive oil. Stir well to coat evenly, cover and set aside.

2. In a sauce pan, add the shrimp shells, 3 cups chicken broth, bay leaves, juice of 1 lemon, Cayenne pepper, 1/3 teaspoon of pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Strain out the solids and reserve the broth.

3. In a soup pot, add the 2 tablespoons of butter and heat to medium. Add the onions, garlic and serrano pepper. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the reserved chicken/shrimp broth and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Taste for salt.

4. In the blender, add the half/half milk, cilantro, 2 tablespoons of flour, chicken bouillon, 1 avocado and half of the second avocado. Blend on high until smooth and whisk into the simmering soup. Reduce the heat to medium/low and continue cooking for 6 to 8 minutes.

5. While the soup is cooking and thickening, preheat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet to medium/high heat. Stir-fry the shrimp for a few minutes or until pink. Cover and remove from heat. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and divide the shrimp on top of soup. Garnish with cilantro, green onions, lemon wedges and hot sauce.

Spare Ribs from the smoker.

Rib rub

2 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

1. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, onion powder, white pepper and black pepper.

Log for Smoker Spare Ribs Aug 21, 2015

  Damper code: 6= door open, 5 =door half open, 4=door closed;damper open, 3 damper 1/2 open, 2=damper 1/4 closed, 1=damper closed to 1/8 open 0=damper and door closed completely.

Started fire with damper at 6.

time         upper  lower damper              action taken

                temp   temp

10:45        230   270            1

10:55        250   258

11:10        260   269

11:30       255   264

11:50       245   254

1 hour elapsed stick of oak added

12:00       240   255                                spritz and start new coals

12:25       238  250                               add coals and chunk of oak

12:28       255   284     0

12:30       250 260

12:35                                                 too much smoke, removed oak chunk

12:45 TWO HOURS spritz meat with apple juice/cider blend

12:50     230 250

1:10       240 265                              spritz

1:25       235 256     2

1:45 THREE HOURS season with brown sugar, honey & margarine (because butter burns) Wrap.  Start more coals.  Rake out spent ashes.

1:50                                              Add coals

1:55      249 281          1

2:00      245 265

2:40      245 265

FOUR HOURS  Ribs finished.  Take off smoker and let rest 20 minutes.

Skillet Chicken with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

Dinner tonight was chicken breast in a cream sauce, asian dressed green beans, salad, fried okra and rice.

Skillet Chicken with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

yield: SERVES 4 prep time: 30 MINUTES total time: 40 MINUTES

PRINT RECIPE

One skillet and 40 minutes is all it takes to transform chicken into a flavor-packed meal!

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chicken broth (I recommend reduced sodium)

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice (I use closer to 1.5 Tbsp)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes1

3 Tablespoons heavy cream2

2 Tablespoons butter, cubed

optional: lime wedges and more cilantro for garnish, steamed asparagus for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

If the chicken breasts are uneven in thickness, pound them down so they're all even. This way all the breasts will cook through similtaneously. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper.

In a large oven-proof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6-7 minutes, turning once. You want the chicken nice and browned on the outside. (It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through yet.) Set chicken on a plate and cover tightly with foil until step 5.

Remove skillet from heat and add the broth, lime juice, onion, cilantro, and red pepper. Return to heat. Cook and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to around 1/4 cup. (During this time you can steam some veggies to have on the side, like asparagus.) Reduce heat to medium-low, then add the cream and butter. Stir until butter has melted.

Return chicken to the skillet and place in the preheated oven. Bake until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 5-10 minutes.

Serve chicken with sauce spooned on top and any of the listed optional garnishes. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Reheat to your liking.

Additional Notes:

1. Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your liking. This amount made the chicken mildly spicy. The cream in the sauce mellows out the spice.

2. You can use whole milk instead, but for the thickest, richest sauce I highly recommend heavy cream.

Using SparkRecipes calculator, this gluten free chicken dish comes out to about 300 calories, 14g fat, 2g carbs, and 33g protein per serving. That includes all the extra sauce too! If your chicken breasts are smaller than 6 ounces each (about what mine were), these numbers will be lower.

Asian Green Beans

Author: Liz Berg

Garden green beans sauteed with garlic, soy and sherry for a simple

side dish

Ingredients

3 cloves of garlic, crushed with skins removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1­1½ pounds fresh green beans

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon dry sherry

Instructions 

1. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add crushed garlic and cook a minute or so till fragrant. Add green beans

and add to pan. Stir, then cook for a couple minutes before adding the soy sauce and sugar. Stir and cook for

2 more minutes. Add sherry, decrease heat and cook uncovered for 10 minutes or till soft and wilted.

Recipe by That Skinny Chick Can Bake at http://www.thatskinnychickcanbake.com

Steak and Potatoes, Malaysian style

Garlic & Ginger Soy Caramelised Steak     (Malaysian) 

2 - 3 people with rice and veggies

I like to serve these caramelised steaks with rice and steamed/microwaved veggies. Due to the slight caremelisation of the sauce on the beef, I felt like I was having beef char siu rice and it was delicious!

Ingredients

2 Tbsps soy sauce

2 Tbsps water

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp sesame oil

2 Scotch Fillet/Porterhouse Steaks (about 400g)

Freshly milled black pepper

2 pinches of salt

Cooking spray

Thinly sliced spring onion for garnish

Instructions

In a small bowl, add soy sauce, water, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and sesame oil and whisk until well combined with a fork. Set aside.

Heat up your pan. While waiting for the pan to be hot, season the steaks with pepper and salt on both sides and spray them with cooking spray.

Roasted New Potatoes Recipe Norm's note: I added boiled onions.

Prep time: 10 minutesCook time: 40 minutesYield: Serves 4-6

The small new potatoes work great for this dish, all you have to do is cut them in half. Otherwise cut the larger new potatoes into 1 1/2-inch chunks. No need to peel.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of smallish new potatoes (red or yellow skinned), cleaned, cut in half or quarters

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1 Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Place potatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. Toss until potatoes are well coated with everything.

2 Spread the potatoes out on a single layer of a roasting pan (a sturdy pan that can take high oven heat, a standard cookie sheet may warp). Roast for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and browned. Serve immediately.

Smoked Beef Brisket Enchiladas

This is going to be for supper tonight. It is made from left over smoked brisket that I made on July 31st.

 Picture came with the recipe. I have not taken a picture of mine.

Smoked Beef Brisket Enchiladas 

Adjust ingredients to the size of your baking dish.  We only had about 2 cups of leftover brisket, so used a square 8×8” baking dish to make 6 enchiladas.

Smoked Beef Brisket Enchiladas

Ingredients: 

The sauce: 

2 cups of My Mama’s Basic Red Chile Sauce (preparation instructions below), or your favorite red chile enchilada sauce (if using store bought sauce, omit the next 4 ingredients).

1 clove of garlic, crushed or finely diced

½ teaspoon each salt and fresh ground pepper

½ vegetarian bouillon cube (I used Edward & Sons Non-Chick’n Natural Bouillon Cubes – my mom is convinced that the bouillon takes away any bitterness in the red chile sauce)

Slurry:  1 cup water mixed with 2 tablespoons flour (mixed together so that the flour is dissolved)

1 cup leftover smoked beef brisket, chopped

For the filling:

6 corn tortillas

1 cup leftover smoked beef brisket, chopped

1 cup spinach, chopped and slightly wilted

1 cup shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend  (mild cheddar works well too).  You may need more for the top, depending on how cheesy you like your enchiladas.

2.5 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Instructions:

Preparation – the sauce

To make the sauce thaw one portion of My Mama’s Basic Red Chile Sauce.

Heat a medium-large size skillet to medium heat and coat with a tablespoon of oil then add the garlic to let get hot (but don’t fully cook it or it will start to burn).  Once you smell the garlic add the red chile sauce.  Next add ½ a vegetarian bullion cube and the salt and pepper, and mix into the sauce.  Add the slurry, bring to a simmer and stir, allowing everything to mix and thicken to desired consistency (46 minutes). Set aside.

If you are using a store bought sauce just heat up the sauce in a medium skillet and wait to add the beef just before you top the enchiladas.   

Making Brisket Enchilada Sauce

Preparing and assembling the enchiladas

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Dice up your brisket into small pieces.  Separate into two portions (1 cup will go into the sauce, 1 cup will go into the filling).

Soften the spinach for 1-2 minutes on a skillet set to medium heat (just to slightly wilt it).

To soften the corn tortillas – take the tortillas and dip them into the red chile sauce sauce one by one to coat them.  This will help soften the tortillas so they don’t break up when you roll them.  It also helps infuse the tortillas with the tangy delicious sauce.

Next, add your filling to the tortillas – layer about one tablespoon of the beef, spinach, shredded cheese, and a couple crumbles of the goat cheese (go light on the goat cheese or it will overpower the flavor).  Roll the tortilla and layer the rolls on an 8×8″ baking dish seam side down, in one layer.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas until the dish is packed.

When the tortillas are all layered, add the remaining 1-cup of beef brisket to the sauce and let mix.   Pour the beef soaked enchilada sauce over the top of the dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Garnish with cilantro.

Pictures of Brisket smoke July 31