Meatballs

10 minute yummy meatballs

one pan meal-easy quarter size meatballs with veggies

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef or turkey or pork
(optional)-1/4 cup rice or mashed cooked carrot
salt/pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
cinnamon
1 can 16oz chopped tomatoes
(optional)-zucchini or squash
(optional)-cooked baby potatoes

Directions:

form 20 little meatballs with meat & rice. add generous olive oil/salt/pepper to fry pan. cook on medium high until brown.

add zucchini and/or potatoes and/or carrots and saute with meatballs. add tomato and 1tbl cinnamon and salt/pepper to taste. simmer for a couple of minutes and serve.

my kids love it. you can also change the recipe and add or delete veggies as you wish. easy!

Thai Chicken Curry

Yummy and DJ safe!

Thai Chicken Curry

1 onion diced
Olive Oil
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 can coconut milk (or 1 to 2 cups milk)
3 Tablespoons yellow curry powder
5 potatoes, cooked and diced
20 mini carrots, diced
1 can pineapple (add juice until mixture is the right consistency)
Salt
Jasmine Rice

Mix it all today. Scoop onto a plate of cooked jasmine rice

Notes: You can add a lot of other items. Other veggies. peppers. Whatever. I like it with beans instead of chicken, but Tim is not a fan.

Thai Soup

Thai Tomato Soup

A great crockpot soup - thanks, Josh!

Ingredients:

1 Tbs grated ginger
2 cups chopped bok choy
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 cups stock or water
1 can (48 oz., more or less) tomato juice
3-4 Tbs soy sauce
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 Tbs lime juice

Directions:

Cook the ginger, bok choy, and basil in the stock or water in a medium stockpot for 10 minutes.

Add the tomato juice, soy sauce, and bean sprouts and cook another 10 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and lime juice and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.

Greek Lentil Soup

Thought this looked yummy and adult, while still being face for DJ.

Greek Lentil Soup

Called Fahki (fah-key) in Greek. Filling, healthy, and great for a cold day.

Ingredients:

1 pound brown lentils, rinsed and sorted
9 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup celery, sliced thin
1/2 cup baby carrots, sliced thin
2 large cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 small onion, sliced thin
1/2 small can tomato paste
1-2 whole bay leaves
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Directions:

If using a crock pot, combine all ingredients except vinegar, salt and pepper. Be sure to thoroughly mix in the tomato paste. Cook on low for about 8 hours, or until lentils are the desired softness. Before serving, add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

If cooking on the stove top, cook lentils until starting to boil. Turn down heat to a low simmer and cook for about 45 min to an hour. Add the rest of the ingredients (again, except vinegar, salt and pepper), thoroughly mixing in tomato paste. Cook on a medium simmer for about 30-45 minutes until lentils are at desired softness. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste before serving.

For non-dairy allergic, it's really, really good with shredded cheddar melted on top! Serve with warm fresh baked bread.

Chile

Most chile recipes will work for DJ. I'm looking for ways to get him to eat meat and beans without just throw meat or beans on his little plate.

Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
1 16oz can tomatoes
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
1-2 tbsp chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 can chili beans
1 can kidney beans
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef and onion in a skillet.
2. Mix all other ingredients in a pot and add meat and onions.
3. Bring to a slow boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Crock pot method:
1. Brown ground beef and onion in a skillet.
2. Mix all other ingredients in a crock pot and add meat and onions.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Chicken and Rice Stew

Chicken & Rice Stew

Gluten Free, Casein Free, Very Low Salicylate, Chicken Stew

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Rice
6-8 cups of water
3 white potatoes
3 celery stalks
5 shallots
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 head of white or green cabbage
4 chicken breasts
1 can of bamboo shoots (use the kind with just \\\\\\\'bamboo shoots, and water\\\\\\\' listed in the ingredients)
1 1/2 - 2 cups frozen peas
sea salt
handful of fresh parsley
fresh chives

Directions:

Pour 6 cups of water into a large pot. Turn the pot on high.
Add rice.
When the water comes to a rolling boil, you can turn it down slightly so that you don\\\\\\\'t burn the rice, but it should still be bubbling.
Peel and cube the potatoes and add them to the pot. Stir.
Slice the celery stalks thinly and add them to the pot. Stir.
Peel and quarter each shallot and add to the pot. Stir
Adjust the heat as necessary to keep the soup hot, but not burning the rice at the bottom. Add water as needed.
Peel and mince the garlic and add to the pot. Stir.
Coarsely chop the cabbage and add to the pot. Stir.
Cut the chicken into bitesize pieces and add to the pot. Stir.
Open the bamboo shoots and add them, undrained to the pot.
Add the frozen peas to the pot.
Add sea salt to taste.
Cook until chicken is done. (Shouldn\\\\\\\'t take too long, don\\\\\\\'t overcook.)
In the meantime, chop the parsley and use scissors to snip the chives.
Taste for salt. Add if needed.
Ladle the stew into bowls and garnish with the fresh herbs.

Black Bean Soup

Brazilian Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup dry black beans, soaked overnight.
4 Bay Leaves
Sea salt to taste
4 cups water
1 small cauliflower OR green cabbage ( 1 1/3 cups sliced)
1 teas oil
1 large Spanish onion
3 gloves garlic, sliced
1-2 teas. cumin seed
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated.
1/3 cup cilantro.

Directions:

Boil and simmer beans with bay leaves in 4 cups of water until beans are soft. Add cauliflower. Saute onion, cumin seeds, garlic in oil. Add them to the beans and simmer about 20 minutes until cauliflower is soft. Squeeze grated ginger into pot. Puree half or all the soup in blender or food processor with the cilantro. Return pureed soup to pot and mix with the remaining soup, if any. Season to taste with fresh lime wedges, salsa, or sea salt.

Note** Sometimes I omit bay leaves and cumin seeds. It does not effect the taste of the soup because the cilantro has a strong taste.

Creamy Risotto

Risotto is an expensive rice that has a creamy consistency when it is cooked. DJ may really like this since it seems milky and cheese but has neither in it. I add chicken and spinach and mix it all into the cooked Risotto. Just follow the directions on the box. Have chicken broth on hand. You can add Parmesan cheese for the rest of the family.

Italian Quinoa

Use this to spice up the Quinoa

Italian Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 tbs. olive or sesame oil
1 cup of diced onion
1 tsp. finely diced garlic (optional)
2 cups cubed zucchini
2 cups water
1 tbs. tamari
1/2-1 tsp. basil leaves
1 tsp. oregano
1 cup quinoa

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in pan. Add the diced onions, saute until translucent.
2. Add garlic, saute until clear. Mix in zucchini cubes.
3. Add 2 cups water and the herbs. Bring into a boil.
4. Mix in 1 cup quinoa and let simmer covered 15 minutes until quinoa is cooked.
Serve.

Variation: Add diced red pepper to vegetables for more colorful dish.

Tin Foil Dinners: All Clear

This might be fun for DJ. He might not notice that he is eating boring food.

Hobo Dinner

1 pound ground meat- divided into 1 /4 pound portions
1 pound package of baby carrots- divided into 4 portions
4 medium baking potatoes, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced and divided into 4 portions
salt and pepper to taste
4 large sheets of aluminum foil

Divide meat into 4 equal portions, and form into patties. Place in center of aluminum foil sheet, add divided portions of carrots, potatoes, and onion. Season as desired. Fold foil, around contents and place on large cookie tray. Bake at 375 degrees for or hour or until meat is thoroughly cooked and vegetables are tender. This dish can also be prepared over a camp fire or on a grill.