Cheese Stuffed Meatballs (Low Carb, Gluten-Free, etc... no breadcrumbs!)

What's more awesome than a great meatball? A great meatball stuffed with stretchy cheese!!

These can be eaten straight out of the pan, on top of pasta, in a crusty roll,... the possibilities are endless!

Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
Makes about 12 golf ball-sized meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-2 grated or finely chopped cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (I prefer fresh, but the powdery canned version would work too)
• 1 tablespoon dry oregano
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• mozzarella, provolone, or other stretchy pizza cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• vegetable oil
• 2 cups tomato sauce or crushed canned tomatoes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Thoroughly mix the beef, egg, garlic, Parmesan, oregano, and ground pepper.
3. With clean hands, pick up a small handful of the meat mixture and shape it into a ball. Push one cheese cube into the center of the meatball and then close it up so that no cheese is showing. Repeat until you've used up all your meat mixture.
4. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in an oven-proof frying pan on the stove top. Gently place the meatballs in the pan and allow to brown 1-2 minutes per side. Be careful when turning them that you're not breaking them or the cheese will escape.
5. Once the meatballs are browned all around, spoon out and discard most of the oil from the pan and pour the tomato sauce on top of the meatballs. 
6. Place the pan in the preheated oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the meatballs are fully cooked.

Bacon and Egg Baked 'Muffins'

There aren't many recipes out there for breakfast muffins that are as simple as this one and call for only two ingredients (or three if you're adding black pepper!). They're simple to make and low carb. They tasted great fresh out of the oven and the plan is to keep the leftovers as quick breakfasts-on-the-go for the week.

Hubby and I used some teamwork to get these made efficiently this morning. I partially fried up the bacon, and then he wrapped one slice around the inside of each non-stick muffin tin and carefully cracked in an egg. Once they were all completed he added a few twists of ground pepper on top and popped them in the oven. Ours only needed to cook for 10 minutes until the yolks were set, but I'd imagine the time will vary depending on the size of the eggs.

I was pleasantly surprised that after leaving them to sit for a few moments out of the oven they all came out of the muffin tins without a hitch! I just used a small spoon to gently loosen the edges before lifting them out.

This is definitely a recipe I'd consider if I were serving brunch to a group of people since the bacon can be prepped ahead of time and the cooking is simple and straightforward.

Bacon and Egg Baked 'Muffins'

Ingredients

• one dozen eggs
• 12 slices of bacon (about 3/4 lb based on the thickeness of our bacon)
• fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Cook the bacon in a frying pan until it's about halfway cooked. You want it to be pliable but not raw.
3. Remove the bacon from the pan shaking or blotting off excess grease and wrap each slice around the inside edge of a muffin tin. It's okay if the bacon doesn't wrap fully around the circumference. 
4. Carefully crack an egg into each muffin tin, ideally not breaking the yolk. (Don't stress if it does break, it'll still taste good but be a little less pretty!)
5. Add a few twists of ground pepper to taste.
6. Place the pan in the preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes. Cook until the egg feels firm and the yolk is cooked through, using a toothpick to test for doneness. 
7. When fully cooked, remove from oven, let sit a few minutes to cool, then gently loosen edges with a spoon or knife and remove onto a plate.

Pressure Cooker Beef Curry

Despite being in the month of April, having had a taste of warm and sunny weather, and equipping the kids with new bikes, we're still slowly inching our way out of winter. The temperature is still hovering around freezing, and we're still getting a fair number of grey and drizzly days.... Which means it's time for another pressure cooker curry dish!

Cooking curry in a pressure cooker makes for very tender meat in a relatively short period of time. This recipe uses red lentils to help thicken the curry and also adds some tasty protein and fiber. I like to add potatoes to turn this into a one-dish meal for those who don't like rice in my family, but it can also be made without the potatoes, keeping all other quantities of ingredients the same.

The pressure cooker I use is the Instant Pot which is an electric cooker. It's possible that cooking times may vary depending on your method of cooking.

Pressure Cooker Beef Curry
inspired by this recipe

 

Ingredients in order that they go into the pot:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or 1 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 tablespoons crushed or minced garlic 
• 2 tablespoons shredded fresh ginger (or about 1/2 tsp dried ground ginger)
• 2 onions, chopped 
• 2 red chili peppers, chopped (I sometimes use jalapenos, or even leave peppers out altogether for a very mild curry)
• 2 lbs/1 kg stewing beef
• 2 cups/16 ounces crushed tomatoes (or diced or whole depending on whether you like tomato bits in your curry)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/2 cup red lentil 
• 2-3 medium potatoes, cubed the size of your beef pieces (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (a garnish after cooking)

Directions:  

1. I highly recommend prepping and measuring out all the ingredients before getting started. 
2. Heat the oil or ghee in the pot.
3. When the oil/ghee is very hot, add the cumin and mustard seeds and stir for a few seconds until they start to sizzle and pop.
4. Stir in the turmeric and garam masala.
5. Next add garlic, ginger, onions and peppers and cook for a few minutes until onions become translucent. You can add a bit more oil/ghee if needed.
6. Add the beef and brown briefly on all sides.
7. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, red lentils, and optional potatoes. 
8. Lock on the lid of the pressure cooker, bring to pressure, and cook for 20 minutes. If the meat is not  tender, pressure cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. 
9. Add chopped coriander and stir through.
10. To adjust the consistency of the curry you can add more tomato paste or beef stock to taste.

Easy Saucy Meatloaf

This is the simplest kid-friendly meatloaf I've ever made. I like to cook it divided in two loaf pans to maximize sauce coverage and to cut down on cooking time. Since it uses tomatoes rather than ketchup you can control the level of sweetness. The recipe here comes out quite sweet which is undoubtedly why it is so popular with my littles!

Another reason they like it is because it's a homogeneous brick of loaf. No bits of onion or herb or other non-meaty bits to pick out as my kids tend to do. I like to chop the onion, add it to the canned tomatoes, and then blend it together with a handheld stick blender before adding it into the meat mixture.



Easy Saucy Meatloaf
Inspired by this recipe

Meatloaf

• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs pounds ground beef
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 small onion, chopped *(to hide the onions use a hand blender to puree them into the tomato sauce)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (or pureed canned tomatoes)
• 1 cup Italian (seasoned) bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste 

 Sauce 

• 1 cup tomato sauce (or pureed canned tomatoes)
• 2 tablespoons vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl combine the ground meat, egg, onion, 1/2 cup tomato sauce and seasoned bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
3. Press mixture into two loaf pans. Make a depression in the center and poke a few holes down the middle to ensure a good sauce coverage.
4. In a small bowl combine the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar. Mix together until sugar has dissolved and pour liquid evenly over meatloafs.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes until cooked through.

 

Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry

Another snowy day calls for another simple warm comfort food. This chicken curry is great because it uses ingredients that we keep in the house, and it can be made in the pressure cooker, so a total of about 45 mins from start to finish including prep time. An added bonus is that the leftovers can be easily packed up for lunches tomorrow.

This was a meal intended for everyone, so I followed the recipe without adding any extras to keep it at a mildly spiced level. Hubby added some hot curry powder to his serving to give it more kick, and for the kids I just served them the chicken pieces with a little sauce since they're not fans of cooked tomatoes or onion. And they definitely don't like their ingredients all mixed together. I ate my portion on sticky rice. 
 
 

Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry
Adapted from Yummy Tummy

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste (or 1 tbsp each of grated ginger & garlic)
• 1/2 tsp salt (or more or less, to taste)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garam masala 
• 1 sprig curry leaves (or 2 dried bay leaves) 
• 4 finely chopped tomatoes, or ~1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes 
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut in 1-2 inch chunks (I prefer thighs for curry)

1. Heat oil in your pressure cooker pot. 
2. Add fennel seeds and heat until they crackle, it should take less than a minute if your oil is hot enough. 
3. Add onions and saute for 5 mins, stirring. 
4. Add ginger garlic paste and mix well.
5. Add salt and all the spice powders and mix well. (I like to measure these out ahead of time so that I can just dump them all in at once.)
6. Stir in tomatoes and curry/bay leaves and cook until the tomatoes have softened. 
7. Stir in the chicken pieces. 
8. Close the pressure cooker, heat to pressure, and then cook for 15 minutes. Use the natural pressure release method and let sit off the heat/unplugged. This should take about 10 minutes.
9. Serve with rice, potatoes or roti.

Roast Chicken

Last August I decided that we weren't eating nearly enough homemade food. We used to cook a lot in the pre-kids olden days, but life had since gotten pretty busy and hectic and freezer meals from the grocery store and delivery food were so much simpler... and unhealthier... and more expensive... So my new school year's resolution was to start cooking more no matter how busy or rushed we might feel. Here we are about six months later and I've discovered that it's usually just as simple to throw something together from fresh ingredients... and healthier... and cheaper... and also a lot more fun!

One of the first dishes I made at the end of last summer was a whole roasted chicken complete with veggies and potatoes. It turned out beautifully yummy. And when the kids asked where it came from (since no one had rung the door bell to deliver it to our house), I knew I was on the right track!

Since then I've been roasting a chicken about once every two weeks. I love that we get a good meal out of it and still have enough leftovers to make something else like chicken salad sandwiches or chicken fried rice. When I'm feeling like spending a little more time in the kitchen I toss all the bones and some veggies into the pressure cooker after dinner to make some stock.

Sometimes I make the chicken in the pressure cooker using this recipe if we're working under time constraints and my chicken is small enough to fit in the pot. The chicken turns out really moist but not very pretty since I haven't figured out yet how to properly brown the chicken skin in the pressure cooker without all the skin getting blasted off at some point during the pressure cooking which results in a funny-looking naked chicken when the lid comes off. It's still tasty and moist but I serve it on a platter off the bone.

Tonight I made a roast chicken in the oven inspired by Jamie Oliver's recipe. I placed a few bacon strips on top of the chicken during cooking since I already had an open pack in the fridge from earlier this week, and they were the clear highlight of the dish for my kiddos. I think they would have been happiest if I'd just skipped the chicken altogether and simply fed them a half pack of bacon!

Roast chicken
inspired by Jamie Oliver

• ~2 kg/4lb whole chicken
• 2 medium onions
• 2-3 carrots
• 2 sticks celery 
• 1 bulb garlic (Yes, a whole bulb, not just a single clove. Garlic is good!)
• olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage, or dried poultry seasoning
   Preheat oven to 400F.

1. Chop the onions into quarters, the carrots and celery into finger length pieces, and peel all the garlic. Place it all in your roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. 
2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 
3. Make many small cuts into the lemon, and then place that in the chicken cavity with the herbs.
4. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and put in the oven for about 1 hour 20 minutes. 
5. After about 30-35 minutes, baste the chicken (or add bacon strips on top like I did tonight!). Also add in some quartered potatoes at this point if you'd like to cook your dinner all in the same pan. 
6. Give the potatoes and all the stray veggies a stir after another 30 mins and add a little water if the pan is looking dry so things don't burn. 
7. When the chicken is cooked based on your meat thermometer reading, remove from oven and let sit for about 15 minutes before carving.

Pita Pizzas

If my family had to pick a single food to eat for the rest of their lives, I think they'd all pick pizza. Coming up with simple and creative ways to make pizza while appealing to everyone's varying tastes is not a difficult task when starting with as blank a canvas as a pizza crust. Or, in the case of tonight, a pack of fresh pita bread.

After last night's cheesy meal I wanted my own pizza to be heavy on the veggies. And since I did my last produce shopping at Costco, I had an excessively large quantity of grape tomatoes on hand. So while I was prepping the rest of the toppings, I was also roasting up my grape tomatoes.

My pizza went into the oven with the roasted tomato mixture and some Parmesan cheese, and then I added a little extra Parmesan once it came out of the oven. 

My kids opted for plain mozzarella cheese pizzas, hold the sauce. One of them added garlic salt on top. My little one loves adding extra seasonings and herbs to her dishes!

Hubby's pizza was light on the sauce and topped with mushrooms, green peppers, kielbasa, and both mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. He added a sprinkling of olive oil after it came out of the oven.

Pita Pizza

• pita bread
• pizza ingredients

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Place pita bread on baking sheet and build your pizza.
3. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until your cheese is starting to bubble and the edges are getting toasty.

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

• 2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of salt & twist of pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375F. 
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 
3. Place mixture in a thin layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 
4. Roast about 30-40 minutes, stirring gently about halfway through, until veggies are looking lightly browned and smell yummy.

Granola

With two large bags of oats that I bought on sale the other week sitting in my pantry, we sat down to brainstorm on what else we could make aside from oatmeal porridge and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

And then my kids came up with the idea of granola! It's something I've never made before, (in fact I don't think I've even bought granola in recent years), but given their fond memories of the granola they were served at their old school we decided to give it a go. A quick Google search led me to The Best Granola Recipe, so needless to say our expectations were high. Plus I already had most of the ingredients in the house and enough time to pull it all together. My 4 year old volunteered to be the mixer and I just measured everything out for her.

It was so simple to make and turned out to be indeed the best (and only!) granola we've ever made!

Granola

Makes about 2 pounds (1kg)

Adapted from David Lebovitz who adapted from Feast, by Nigella Lawson

• 5 cups (450g) quick cook oats
• 3 cups (375g) almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (125g) sunflower seeds
• 3/4 cup (100g) untoasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup (120g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup (180g) unsweetened applesauce (or another unsweetened fruit puree)
• 1/3 cup (100g) maple syrup (the original recipe calls for rice syrup)
• 1/4 cup (80g) honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 Preheat the oven to 300F (150C).

1. In a very large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, sunflower and sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

2. In a small saucepan, warm the fruit puree with the maple syrup, honey, and oil.

3. Mix the fruit mixture into the dry ingredients until thoroughly dispersed, then divide and spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets. (If you have ones with sides, often called jelly-roll pans, use them.)

4. Bake the granola for about 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until the granola is deep golden brown.

5. Remove from oven, then cool completely.

Store the granola in a large, airtight container. It will keep for up to one month.