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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

meatball soup.

{from the deceptively delicious cookbook}

ingredients:
3 ounces whole-wheat pasta shapes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 {28 oz} can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice
1/4 cup carrot puree
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups reduced sodium beef or chicken broth
3 slices whole-wheat bread, cubed
1 large egg, slighly beaten
1/4 cup sweet potato puree
1/4 cup nonfat milk
2 tbsp grated parmesan, plus more for serving
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 lb ground turkey or beef
note:
if you don't have time to cook & puree the carrots & sweet potatoes, you can put them in them in the food processor or blender raw and finely chop them.
directions:
♥ cook pasta, drain & set aside. coat a large pot with cooking spray & put over medium-high heat. add onion & garlic. cook until onions are softened {3-4 minutes}. puree tomatoes & their juice with the carrot puree in a food processor or blender. add to the pot along with 1/2 tsp salt. add broth, reduce heat to low, let simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes.
♥ meanwhile, put cubed bread in a large bowl. add egg, sweet potato puree, milk, parmesan, 1 tsp salt, pepper & paprika, and let soak until bread is very soft. stir to break up the bread, add ground turkey, mix until smooth. form into mini-meatballs 1/2 inch in diameter.
♥ add the meatballs to the pot. simmer, covered, until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center {12-15 minutes}. stir in the pasta. serve sprinkled with parmesan. serves 10.

deceptively delicious.


i had heard many good things about this book and finally bought it. let me just say that the whole idea is genius. the recipes include vegetable & fruit puree to add nutritional value and/or reduce fat. for example, in the yellow cake recipe, 1 cup canned pumpkin puree and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil are used instead of 1/2 cup of oil. i have a picky picky husband who can count on one had the vegetables that he will tolerate, so this is going to change my life :)

Friday, June 26, 2009

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs



This recipe is hands down one of my favorite things to make. It's delicious and because it's cooked in the crockpot it is easy too!

Ingredients
1/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. worcestershire sauce
1/8 c. lemon juice
4 (8oz.) cans tomato sauce
Meatballs: You can either use frozen or see the recipe below to make your own!

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Serve over rice!

Homemade Meatballs
1 lb. hamburger
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Mix all of the ingredients by hand in a large bowl. Shape into one inch balls (or use a cookie scoop like I do) and drop into sauce in the crockpot.

Enjoy!

Time: 10 min
Serves: 4

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

FAVE: Bananas for GreenBags!

A long time ago my mom gave me this box of Debbie Meyer GreenBags. These nifty little things are green bags (go figure) that you keep your fruits and vegetables in and in return they keep your produce fresh longer. And the best thing is: they're reusable! According to Deb you can keep broccoli fresh in these miracle bags for up to 21 days! What?! And much more. I've had fresh parsley in my fridge for 2 weeks. LOVE it. They're my new fave.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Monday, June 8, 2009

Aunt Tina's Rigatoni


Okay, so this one isn't "quick" per say, but it's dang good and sometimes you just have to splurge and do a recipe that has more than 5 ingredients and takes longer than 20 minutes. This is worth it, and I highly recommend cooking the sauce the day before.

Also, one more thing: this cooks A LOT, so you can freeze half of the sauce - or just half the recipe.

ingredients:
1/2 pt. olive oil
1 bunch Parsley, chopped
5-6 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 T. Italian Seasoning
1 C. Water
1 lg. can Stewed Tomatoes, chopped
2 (10 oz) cans Tomato Paste
2 lbs. Spicy Sausage, without casing
Rigatoni Noodles, prepared

directions:
Pour olive oil in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add parsley (hint: don't let oil get hot before you add the parsley...because it will spit at you and ultimately burn.), garlic, and Italian Seasoning. Simmer until garlic starts to brown. Add water, tomatoes, and tomato paste, (fill each paste can will water and add to pot). Cook sausage in skillet and drain. Add to sauce and simmer several hours. Skim grease off top of sauce occasionally. Serve over cooked noodles.

Recipe note: For enhanced flavor, prepare the sauce the day before serving.