Moroccan Style Meatballs and Couscous

Let me first say that I have no idea if Moroccans eat meatballs and that this is not authentic at all. I just love this Moroccan Place we like to eat at and can't afford to eat there often, so this is my way of having some of those flavors at home. Also, we are trying to eat less red meat, so I made them with ground turkey but I think these would taste great with ground beef also. Something to note, this is very very flavorful, it has a lot more spices in it than most people are accustomed too, at least in the US. It's not a familiar flavor unless you've had Moroccan food before, but we absolutely loved it. If you're unsure about it you could halve the spice ingredients the first time you make this dish.

Here's the recipe:

Meatballs
1 pack of ground turkey, around a 1-1 1/2 lbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 C or more of quick cooking oats or crushed crackers or breadcrumbs ( I used a combo of oats and crushed wheat ritz because we ran out of oats)
1 large onion very finely chopped or grated or substitute dry onions
1T paprika
1T cumin
1T turmeric (I actually used some McCormick's Curry blend because it has turmeric and that's all I had)
1T cinnamon
1t ginger
1/4C dry parsley or 1/2C fresh parsley

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Make small meatballs by using a tablespoon to get your meat out so that it stays a uniform size. Put on baking stone for best results, but you may also use a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes. It will take about 2 batches.

Sauce
1C tomato paste
5-6 cloves chopped garlic
1 can chopped tomato
1 red pepper (I didn't have this but it still turned out great)
1T paprika
1T turmeric
1T cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

Make sauce while meatballs are in the oven. Saute garlic and add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Add water to make a slightly thick consistency. Bring to boil and simmer, adding more water if needed.

While the sauce is simmering up you can start your couscous. I just bought the quick boxed kind from the store. The chicken flavored kind is good with this. If you don't have couscous you can serve over pasta.

Serve the meatballs over the couscous and top with some sauce. Add a side of veggies for a balanced meal.

Red Beans and Rice

1lb. bag of dry red beans (I used light red) that have been sorted, rinsed, and soaked overnight and then drained and rinsed.
1 quart chicken stock (4 cups)
2 cups hot water
2 bay leaves
1 onion
2 stalks celery
1 green bell pepper
chopped up garlic to taste (I used about 6 cloves)
2T oil
1 package of smoked turkey sausage
2t cumin
2t paprika
cayenne pepper to taste (I used about 1t)
Dash of hot sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of liquid smoke(you can leave this out if you don't have it, but it's a nice flavor)
Dash of thyme
1/4 C or so of parsely
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked rice, I made about 5 cups and just added in as much of it as looked right for consistency.

Put your beans in a big pot(I used an 8qt stockpot) as this recipe makes about 4 quarts of food, you'll want room to stir. Add your bay leaves, half your diced onion, chicken stock, and hot water. Stir it up. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours with lid tipped and stir often.

While your beans are cooking, chop the rest of your veggies and the sausage. You can also cook up your rice. Saute your veggies and garlic in oil. Add that to your pot after the beans have been cooking about an hour. Cook sausage up so it's browned a bit and then add it to the pot. Remember to keep stirring. Add in all the spices now. Cook till beans and veggies are soft. When that's done you can add in the rice.

This can be served as a main dish or side dish.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Nom! is all that needs to be said about pumpkin pancakes. There were no leftovers.

I got the recipe from here.
PS I left out the ginger because I am not a fan.

Sweet and Spicy Stir Fry

Cut some poultry into bite sized pieces. (I used 2 turkey breasts that were moderately sized)

Dump about a 1/2C or so of cornstarch into a bowl and coat all the meat in it.

In a small bowl mix about a 1/3C of honey, a few tablespoons hot sauce, and a few tablespoons of soy sauce, set aside.

Heat a pan or wok with oil in it.

Add meat and brown it up then add the rest of your stir fry veggies and cook till all the veggies are tender and the meat is cooked through, about ten minutes. Before your stir fry is done add in the sauce, stir to coat everything and let it thicken up.

Serve over rice. Squeeze some juice from an orange over the top to give it a pop of flavor and you could throw some chopped nuts on top. Slivered almonds worked really nicely.

Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs

Set oven temp to 350 degrees.

Wash and then cut your spaghetti squash in half. Bake cut side down for 45 minutes @ 350 degrees.

While that is cooking you can assemble your meatballs. In a medium/large bowl put:

1/4-1/2 C breadcrumbs or instant oatmeal or crushed crackers (you get the idea)
1 egg
1 small onion grated
3 cloves minced garlic
3T ketchup
1/4C fresh parsley (I just threw in some dried parsley and guessed at how much)
1/4C parmesan & 1/4C ramano (I just used 1/2C parm)
1t salt
1/4t pepper
Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning to taste
1 lb turkey meat


Mix well and make in to smallish balls, I used a table spoon to grab up the meat each time to try and get a uniform size. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so and check to be sure the middle isn't pink.

Flip squash and then bake an additional 15 minutes or until flesh is tender. Use a fork to scrape out "spaghetti."


Top spaghetti squash with desired sauce. (tomato sauce, alfredo, or a simple olive oil and basil toss) Then put meat balls on top. Serve about 8 meatballs per person. Should serve about 4 people.

(I heated olive oil and garlic in a pan and cooked the spaghetti for about 5 more minutes, then I added basil and parsley. Once plated I sprinkled parm on top and then added the meatballs.)

Pumpkin spice bars

Oh my god, so yummy.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen - FoodNetwork






Ingredients
Bars:

* 4 eggs
* 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 15-ounce can pumpkin
* 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

* 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Chicken Artichoke and Spinach Casserole.

Recipe courtesy of Reciple Zaar.com


SERVES 6 Preheat oven to 350*
Ingredients

* 1/2 cup butter
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 shallots, minced
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 cup heavy cream

* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

* 1 (5 ounce) package parmesan cheese, grated (I used shredded)
* 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used pre-packaged Purdue grilled chicken strips)

* 1 (14 ounce) can quartered artichokes, drained and chopped

* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 2 cups French bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
* 3 tablespoons butter, melted


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Lightly grease a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.
3. Add garlic and shallots, cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in wine and cook 3 minutes.
5. Stir in cream and simmer 5 minutes.
6. Add cream cheese and Parmesan cheese, stir until combined.
7. Stir in chicken, artichokes, spinach, salt and pepper.
8. Remove from heat and spoon into prepared casserole dish.
9. In a small bowl, combine the French bread cubes with the melted butter and toss until coated.
10. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.
11. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.