Thursday, August 27, 2015

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe
  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground meat (see note) (I doubled the meatballs to freeze half.  I used 1 lbs of each: Beef, turkey, pork)
  • 3/4 cup quick oats or old-fashioned oats that have been lightly pulsed in a blender
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Sauce:
  • 1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want the sauce)
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (my favorite homemade version here)
  • 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Hot, cooked rice for serving
DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. For the meatballs, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Form into about 12 meatballs (right around 2-inches each). Place in a lightly greased 9X13-inch pan.
  3. For the sauce, whisk together the ingredients until well-combined.
  4. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and bake for 30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened.
  5. Serve over hot, cooked rice, if desired.
NOTES
Freezable Meal: After covering the meatballs with sauce, cover the pan with two layers of aluminum foil and freeze. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake covered without thawing for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 20-30 minutes more, until meatballs are cooked through.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Fried Zucchini

1 med zucchini
1 egg
about 3/4 roll of Ritz
Olive oil

Cut zucchini into about 1/4-1/3" slices.
Beat the egg in a small bowl.
Crush the Ritz in a blender and place in another bowl.

Heat griddle to 350.
Dip zucchini slices into egg, then Ritz and set on a plate until you have a whole bunch ready and the griddle is ready.

Pour a good amount of olive oil onto griddle and place zucchini on top. Fry about 3 min. on each side.

Black Bean and Mango Quesadillas

Black Bean and Mango Quesadillas


We really liked these!  And I will definitely be making them again!  Chad was skeptical because there was no meat...but he really liked them, too!  Even Hyrum did!  

Thanks to OurBestBites!


Ingredients
1  cup diced mango (about 1 medium/large mango, 2 small ones)
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1-2 tablespoons finely minced jalapeno pepper (I didn't add, just added more red pepper)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon water
1-2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
4-6 small/med flour tortillas

Instructions
Preheat a non-stick griddle or skillet to medium high heat.
Combine mango, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice in a bowl. 

Sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt and a few cracks of pepper.  Gently stir to combine and place in fridge to chill.
Place beans, water, cumin, coriander, onion and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and stir. 

Cover with plastic wrap and prick plastic with a fork to vent.  Microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes (microwaves vary) until beans are hot.  Use a fork to lightly mash beans, leaving some beans still in tact.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Lightly brush pan with a little oil and place tortillas on it.  Sprinkle tortillas with pepper jack cheese (I use a generous 1/4 cup on 6-inch tortillas) and cook until cheese is melted and tortillas are toasted and golden brown.
Remove from heat and divide bean mixture between tortillas, top with mango salsa and fold tortillas in half.  Use a pizza cutter to cut into wedges.  Serve with sour cream if desired.

Monday, August 3, 2015

Tater Tot Casserole

1/2-1 lb ground beef/turkey
1 onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can corn/frozen (1 3/4 c)
(1 3/4 c frozen green beans-maybe parboil- optional)
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 can milk
1 32 oz package frozen tater tots

Brown ground beef with onion.  Add the mushroom soup, corn, 1 c. cheese, and milk.  Mix and place in 9x13" pan.   Place tater tots on top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.  Bake at 375 for 40 min.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

7 Layer tostadas

Ingredients:
refried pinto beans
guacamole
light sour cream
Taco Seasoning)
Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, shredded
chopped tomatoes
thinly sliced green onions
sliced black olives (or use a 4 oz. can sliced olives)
whole wheat flour tortillas, 6 or 8 inch inch size

Broil tortillas in the oven until they're crisp and barely starting to brown, turning once. 30 sec-1 min on each side.

While tortillas are crisping, put the refried beans in a bowl, stir to break them apart, and microwave 2-3 minutes, or until they're warm. 

Turn oven to 350.  Leave tortilla on pan and spread on top: 
-- refried beans (1-2 tablespoons)
--a thin layer of guacamole (1-2 tablespoons)
--a thin layer of sour cream (1-2 tablespoons)
--Sprinkles of taco seasoning
--several generous pinches of finely grated cheese
--chopped tomatoes
--thinly sliced green onions
--sliced olives

Put back in the oven for 5 minutes or so until cheese is melted and hot.