Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I saw this recipe on another food blog and had to give it a try. I had never made meatballs as a meal before and wanted to give it a try. This recipe had great reviews so I figured I couldn't go wrong. I made a few minor changes to the recipe beginning with the meat. I used lean ground turkey instead of beef and I would highly recommend it! The turkey went really well with the rest of the ingredients and it was a lot more healthy. Besides, I didn't have to worry about a bunch of fat and grease pooling in the sauce as they baked. That would just be wrong and I am pretty sure I would not have been able to eat them. I also added a grated clove of garlic, just because it sounded good. A key ingredient in the sauce is BBQ sauce and in my opinion, anything with BBQ sauce in it or on it is delicious. It is a bit more tangy with the vineager and is delicious with the rice. I served the meatballs over brown scallion and edamme rice with a green salad and a piece of cheese toast. It was a yummy meal and I will be making these again!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
3/4 cup quick oats (I used regualr and it was fine)
2 eggs, slightly beaten (I used one)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Form into 12-14 balls each about 2 inches in diameter. Place in a casserole dish and cover with sauce below. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. yellow or Dijon mustard
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sace

Combine ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat until well combines and sugar is dissolved. Pour over the meatballs. (I doubled the sauce and it was the perfect amount for 1 recipe of meat balls).

Italian Sausage Manicotti

Once again, I apologize for the horrible picture. This is a wonderful and easy meal to put together. I like to make a couple of pans and freeze one for a meal for later. I found the recipe on another food blog. It sounded so delicious that I knew I had to make it! When my mom made manicotti or lasagne, she always included shredded carrots and zucchini, so I knew right away that I would be adding each of those. I am so glad that I did! It helps to add some bulk to the filling and it is another way to get in some more veggies! I only used two chicken sausage links because that is what I had. I know it might sound like a complicated dish, but it actually came together rather quickly. I served this with a nice green salad and some toasted sourdough bread. Yummy!

Italian Sausage Manicotti

1 onion, diced

2-4 links chicken or turkey Italian sausage

8 oz.pkg. sliced mushrooms

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

salt and freshly ground black pepper

15 oz ricotta cheese (I used part skim and it was great!)

dash of nutmeg

2-3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

5-6 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

4-5 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

Manicotti shells, cooked (I used 1 whole box, 16 shells, and made two 8X8 pans)

3 cups marinara sauce (I used Classico brand)

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided (I used a lot less because we didn't have much. It still turned out yummy!)

1-2 zucchini grated*optional

1-2 carrots grated *optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put a little bit of the marinara sauce in the bottom of your pan (or pans). Heat a skillet and add a touch of olive oil or spray with non-stick spray. Add the sausage (remove from casing) and cook for 1-2 minutes while crumbling. Remove the sausage and pour out any fat. Add mushrooms and onions to skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add sausage back to pan and add minced garlic. Cook for a minute longer, making sure the sausage is cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook the Manicotti shells according to the package directions and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, add the cooled meat mixture, ricotta cheese, grated nutmeg, parsley, basil, 1/4 cup mozzarella, 2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese (I also added a bit of cottage cheese to make more filling), shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture to combine. Fill the manicotti shells and lay filled shells in the pan(s). Cover with remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and salad!

*if you want to freeze a pan, assemble the manicotti and cover with foil. Do not bake it before freezing. The night before you want to eat it, take it out of the freezer and thaw in the fridge. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Sweet and Savory Couscous Salad

This is a delicious salad to have during the summer time when you don't feel like heating up your kitchen. It is made with couscous, a quick cooking pasta, and lots of fresh veggies and herbs. The couscous only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. I used sliced scallions, carrots, apricots, parsley, cilantro, basil and garbonzo beans to help bulk up the couscous. You can use pretty much any veggies you wanted to or whatever needed to be used up in your refrigerator. The dressing is light and sweet, yet savory at the same time. I know that cinnamon seems like a strange spice to use in a dressing, but trust me, it works and very well might I add!

Sweet and Savory Couscous Salad

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

4 scallions, sliced

1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, diced

2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsely

2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

Fresh basil, sliced into ribbons

1 15 oz. can garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed

6 dried apricots chopped

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 cups couscous

Dressing

1/4 fresh orange juice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4-1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside. In a medium sauce pan, bring chicken broth to a boil and add couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5-10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. While couscous stands, combine all the veggies, herbs, beans and dried fruit. When the liquid is absorbed, add the couscous to the veggies and stir. Slowly pour some-not all- of the dressing over the salad and todd to combine. I served this with mango and ginger grilled fish, steamed chard, and a green salad.

Jalapeno Poppers

My husband could not get enough of these! They were so easy and a lot more healthy than the regular deep fried jalapeno poppers. I used turkey bacon and scallions to flavor the filling. I bought a total of 10 jalapenos to make this recipe but only made a few since I knew he would be the only one eating them (I don't do so well with dairy and these have cream cheese). But I can tell you that they smelled WONDERFUL! My husband ate the entire plate almost the second I pulled them out of the oven.

Jalapeno Poppers

10 jalapenos, stems removed, sliced in half and seeded

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, at room temp. (I used low fat)

3 scallions, sliced

4 pieces bacon, cooked and chopped (I used turkey bacon)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Combine cream cheese, scallions and chopped bacon. Stir to combine well. Scoop desired amount of filling in the jalapeno halves. Dip each half in the panko and spray the tops lightly with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until peppers are cooked through and the tops are golden brown.