Turkey Kefta

After reading through the reviews and the recipe I made some changes. The meatballs were really good. I think that these would be just as good on their own and even as a little appetizer. I would serve them over couscous or rice. We didn't since rice and couscous were on the menu later in the week. I served them over egg noodles. Not a great choice!

Turkey Kefta with an Onions and Raisin Sauce
4 C thinly vertically sliced sweet onion
1/2 C raisins
3/4 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 t Ras el Hanout (recipe follows)
2 C fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 C finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 C dry breadcrumbs
1 t salt
1 1/2 t Ras el Hanout (recipe follows)
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast

Combine first 6 ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Combine chopped fresh parsley and the next 6 ingredients (through ground turkey breast) in a large bowl; shape mixture into 20 meatballs. Place meatballs on top of onion mixture; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until done.

Ras el Hanout

2 t ground ginger
2 t ground coriander
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 t ground turmeric
1 1/4 t ground nutmeg
1 t ground allspice
1/2 t ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

recipe adapted from Cooking Light (picture from Cooking Light)

Chipotle Rice and Black Bean Enchiladas

Most people know that we already have a REALLY good Chicken Enchilada recipe. I was very intrigued by the Chili Gravy and was excited to try a different take on an old favorite. I think this is more Texan with the gravy and all. The dish has a good kick. If you are a constant tester throughout the process of making dinner (like me) you may be worried that the rice is too spicy. Its not! It really had just the right amount of spice between the rice and the gravy. Add a dollop of sour cream and a little lettuce for crunch and this dish is perfect. We had enough filling for 10 tortillas. We ended up making two separate dishes and freezing one for later. Some may consider this a time consuming weeknight meal but it is well worth the effort! I'm glad I tried it and think you will be too.

Chipotle Rice and Black Beans

1/2 T canola oil
1/2 C diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
1/3 C uncooked rice
1 C chicken broth
3 T tomato sauce
1 can of drained black beans
1/2 t oregano

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Tortillas
Sour cream

Chopped lettuce

Heat the oil in a shallow saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Add the onion and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic, chipotle, salt and oregano sauteing an additional minute. Stir in the rice, and stir to coat. Add the broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, cover, and then turn the heat down to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, then add black beans and continue cooking until rice is tender. Remove from heat (but keep the lid on) and let sit while you make the gravy.

Chili Gravy

1/4 C vegetable oil
1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 t salt
1/2 t powdered garlic
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2-1 T chili powder
2 C chicken broth

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux. Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients. Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Makes 2 cups.

Adapted from Homesick Texan

Assemble the enchiladas:

Preheat oven to 400°. Cover the bottom of baking dish with 1/2 cup chili gravy. Fill each tortilla with chipotle rice and beans and cheese. Place in baking dish seam side down and cover with remaining chili gravy. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 15 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and lettuce.

Lemony Shrimp with White Beans and Couscous

Dave made this dish last night while I prepped our pot roast for Wednesday. I have the fear of having the crockpot on while we are out of the house so I cook my meals at night while we are sleeping so make sure that if something goes wrong we are close by. I know its wierd but I think- better safe then sorry. I also think that it just tastes better after it has sat for a while and the flavor get a chance to meld. Its kinda like reheated pizza. Better the second time around!

On to this dish. I didn't realize that it was a Real Simple magazine recipe until last night. I haven't had much success with these recipes. I think they are just that, real simple. They seem to lack the flavor punch if left alone. I reflected my doctored up modifications below. I realized that the Spanish Chicken and Rice recipe is also a Real Simple recipe and we doctored up that one as well. I think my changes make each of these dishes more flavorful. This was a good dish, not a great dish but a good.

Lemony Shrimp with White Beans and Couscous
Recipe adapeted from Cooking Light / Real Simple (picture from Cooking Light/Real Simple)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 T butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
1/2 C fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 C chicken broth
zest of one lemon

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in the couscous and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and let sit off heat for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 the lemon zest to the couscous and fluff with a fork before serving. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and scallions and cook for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they begin to turn pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beans, parsley, lemon juice, the remaining butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, broth and zest. Cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the couscous.

Chicken Brunswick Stew

My version of something I have never made before! I looked up a ton of recipes and kind of mushed them together to make this one with items I had in the house. The only thing I would change would be starting with less sugar. I thought it was a touch too sweet. I think you need the surgar because otherwise it would take more like a chili. It was quite good and really easy since I used the crock pot. We had enough to freeze half for another night.

Chicken Brunswick Stew

1 large onion, chopped
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
15-ounce can cream-style corn
28-ounces can crushed tomatoes
15-ounce can chili beans with sauce
2 C chicken broth
¼ C Worcestershire sauce
2 T white vinegar
2 t dry mustard
½ t salt
½ t pepper
½ t hot pepper sauce
1 T sugar

Place onion in a 4-quart slow cooker; place chicken breasts on top of the onions. Add the rest of the ingredients and cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove the chicken and shred; return to stew. Mix thoroughly and serve.

Blueberry BBQ Turkey Balls

I think this bbq sauce would be great on ribs, pork tenderloin or chicken. I would double the recipe next time since it is just that good! We served this over turkey meatballs. I wish I could say I found this recipe but I didn't! I took my cue from The Noshery cooking blog.

Adapted from Cooking Light 2003

Blueberry-Balsamic Barbecue Sauce
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat; cool. Place blueberry mixture in a blender; process until smooth. (I used my immersion blender.)

Simple Turkey Meatballs
1 lbs of ground turkey meat
1/4 cup of minced parsley
1/2 large onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tsp paprika
1/2 salt
1/2 pepper

To prepare meatballs, combine all the ingredients into a large bowl, mix together working with hands. Shape meat into about 14 1 inch balls. Set aside. Place meatballs into the same saucepan used for sauce over a medium heat and brown. Pour sauce over the meatballs, cover and simmer for about 5 mins or until meatballs are done.

We served this with some steamed carrots and Caesar salad. It was really good!

Jason's Chicken and Pasta

This is an old recipe from college that had become a family favorite. There are not many things that I can say I still make from these years! I can name a few but I am not proud of the fact that I ate them! Ramen started out my freshman year, Taco Salad Surprise, (I can't even go into this one!) Cheryl created this "salad"! She also brought to the table Dirt Cake, which I love but haven't made in years! Jason came to visit Nichole and made the girls dinner one night and I can still picture all of us crammed into our little kitchen in Odells watching Jason make this dish. If I remember correctly this was something that his dad made. Well, who ever I need to give credit to I will because this one is a keeper. It has been over nine years and I still make it!

Jason's Chicken and Pasta
2 chicken breast
½ C Italian breadcrumbs
1 egg scrambled
3 T milk
3 T evoo
1 C chicken broth
1 14 oz. can of quartered artichokes
½ C kalamata olives
¼ C chopped sun dried tomatoes
¼ C freshly grated Parmesan
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 box of pasta- your choice

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and place in a bowl with the scrambled egg and milk Drain and toss with breadcrumbs in a plastic bag. Add more breadcrumbs is needed. Cook pasta according to directions. Heat oil in a large skillet until hot but not smoking. Add chicken in batches and brown on each side. Remove chicken to a paper towel lined plate. Add garlic, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and olives to skillet and cook for two minutes. Return chicken to skillet and toss to combine. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add Parmesan. The sauce should thicken just a bit with the breadcrumbs and cheese. Cook for 3 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Todd pasta in skillet and add reserved pasta water if it seems dry. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

The weeks ahead and the week behind!

After my brother-in-law Pete left early Tuesday morning I decided that I would take a break from visisting grocery store. I had been there each day for a week while Pete was here. Everytime we went out to do some activity it always ended with a "quick" trip to the store. I think the boys were catching onto a theme here but didn't say anything since a pretty decent dinner always followed!

A quick recap of the Pete visit menu:
Blueberry bbq sauce over turkey meatballs with sauted carrots and cesar salad
Shrimp del Mar
bbq pizza with pineapple and carmelized onions
Jason's Chicken and Pasta
Spring Rolls

I dedicated my research for our weekly menu to a seach for recipes with ingredients we had on hand. I think I did a pretty good job.

The menu consists of the following:
Made up Crustless Quiche (probably not blog worthy)

Turkey Kefta

Chicken Brunswick stew (from the freezer stash)

Pot Roast (never made it before but we had a piece of meat in the freezer that I beleive goes in this kind of dish)

Lemony Shrimp with white beans and couscous

Spanish Chicken and Rice

Black bean Chipotle Enchiladas