Yep, I Made It: Ch-Ch-Chicken Meatballs!

Hello!

I always find myself wracking my brain when trying to come up with a versatile meal idea, where I have the option of freezing so it can be just as good if used within a week.  Then...meatballs came to mind!

Meatballs are super easy to make - just mix, shape and cook.  They're also pretty simple to adjust just so they are a wee bit healthier. 

In the recipe below, I've replaced beef with chicken, italian bread crumbs with whole wheat, and opted to bake instead of fry:

What You'll Need

• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, minced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese* (optional)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (increase to 1 cup if eliminating parm cheese)
• 2 tsp. fresh** oregano (You can go with dried, but fresh herbs make a huge difference in this recipe!)
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

What You'll Do

1. Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Place chicken, egg, yellow onion and garlic in a medium bowl.  Knead until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, mix parm cheese, bread crumbs, thyme, parsley, sea salt and black pepper.  Add to meat mixture.  Knead until combined.
4. Add Worcestershire sauce and olive oil.  Guess what?  Knead until combined. =)
5. Line a 9 x 12 cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease. 
6. Form meatballs to desired size and place on cookie sheet.  Keep them about 1/2 inch apart so that they can cook evenly.
7. Place in oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes. And....

Voila!  Meatballs that you can use in spaghetti sauce tonight, then freeze and use next week in meatball parm heroes!  (Make sure they're cooled before placing them in a freezer-safe zip-lock bag or container...)

Meatballs in spaghetti sauce with thin spaghetti and a just a little mozzarella cheese =)

(all photos by a. singh)

Enjoy!

xoxo andrea

Yep, I Made It: Salmon 'n Veggie Couscous

Here's a quick 'n easy recipe I whipped up for my mama last week...it took just about 15 minutes to make!  No joke!

FYI:  Couscous is coarsely ground pasta made from wheat.  Its consistency is similar to rice, as seen here:

(click image for source)

It's also affordable, cooks super duper fast and is deliciouso!

For the recipe below, I used canned salmon to ease the process, but you can also wash, marinate and bake/grill fresh salmon separately.  Ditto for fresh veggies!  (Keep in mind that it'll be a bit longer in terms of cooking time...) 


You'll probably notice that the salt content is drastically reduced here - I don't think there's a need to add extra salt when bouillon and salmon is involved...feel free to adjust to your liking!

Salmon 'n Veggie Couscous

What You'll Need:

• 1 1/2 cups plain couscous  (I used a brand called Near East)

• 2 3/4 cups water*

• 1 chicken bouillon cube*

• 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine**

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

• 2 cloves of garlic, diced

• 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

• 1+ cup of veggies (fresh or frozen!  I like a snowpea- various peppers-broccoli-zucchini-type mix)

• 1  5 oz. can of skinless, boneless pink salmon, drained

• 1 tbsp. dried parsley 

• Salt and pepper to taste

*you can replace the water/bouillon with 2 3/4 cups chicken broth.
** an optional ingredient

What You'll Do:

1.  In a small pot, boil water and add bouillon cube.

2.  When the cube dissipates, add couscous and reduce to a simmer.

3.  Cover and cook for about 5 minutes.  (It's done once the water is absorbed and/or the 
     couscous is dry and fluffy...)  Optional:   Add butter and stir for a bit more flavor

4.  In a separate frying pan, heat oil (at medium heat) and add garlic and onion.

5.  When the onion is translucent, add your veggies.  Stir-fry for about 5-7 minutes.

6.  Add salmon and cook until both the salmon and veggies are hot. 

7.  Add the couscous and parsley. Mix all ingredients for about 5 minutes.

8.  Salt and pepper to taste.


All done!  You can use this as a side or serve as an entire meal if you add lots of veggies and salmon.  Feel free to substitute salmon with cooked, seasoned and diced boneless chicken. 


Enjoy!