Category Archives: Kid Friendly
Turkey Meatballs with Mushrooms
Here is another version of my delicious meatballs. Everyone loved them. I took two of my daughter’s favorite pizza toppings- mushrooms and olives, and added them to the turkey meat. I also added garlic and parsley. Of course the homemade tomato sauce helps with the taste factor. This is a good one!!
- 1 pound dark meat turkey
- 1 cup Cremini mushrooms, shredded
- ½ cup kalamata olives, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs soaked in ½ cup milk (for 10 minutes)
- 2 cups tomato sauce
Transfer the tomato sauce into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer.
Transfer the turkey, mushrooms, olives, garlic, parsley and cheese into a medium mixing bowl. Mix well and add the egg, salt and panko crumbs. Mix well and form meatballs and slide into the simmering sauce. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer and cook meatballs covered with a lid for 15 minutes. Taste for seasonings and serve with pasta.
Chicken and Rice with Spinach
This is a super quick, healthy dish- oh, and it is a one pot meal. I feel like taking a bow to the applauding audience- yes, I realize no one is applauding- but I feel like they should.
It was one of those days when I had no time and no ideas swimming around in my head. I took out two chicken breast from the freezer and in order to make it really simple, I spiced them with salt and garam masala. Garam masala is made with any where between 5 to 15 spices- depending on who is making it. Since I make my own, it is super flavorful, filled with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.
I sauteed the chicken pieces and then used the same pan to cook onions and garlic and more garam masala. I added some tomatoes, chicken broth with the rice and tossed in a whole bag of baby spinach. I sliced the chicken pieces and introduced it to the rice and spinach and came up with a wonderful dish.
The busy day ended with a well-balanced, one pot meal and I had only one pot to clean after making the dinner- perfect.
Make this rice dish when things are crazy and you have no time to spend in the kitchen….
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the chicken breast and sprinkle salt and 1 teaspoon garam masala. Cook on high heat for 2 minutes and flip to the other side. Sprinkle salt and the remaining garam masala and cook for another 2 minutes. Take out and keep aside. The chicken will not be cooked through. It will finish cooking with the rice. Cool the chicken for 10 minutes and cut into ½ inch slices and keep aside.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 5 ounces baby spinach
Heat the same saucepan and add the one tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and garam masala. Saute on medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the salt and tomato sauce. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and sauté for a minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook on high till bubbles begin to form on the surface. Add the spinach, lower the heat, and place lid on saucepan. Cook for 15 minutes or till the rice is cooked. Turn the heat off and add the chicken pieces on top and place the lid back on. Leave the saucepan covered for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Make sure the chicken pieces are cooked through. Mix the rice with the spinach and chicken well before serving.
Mediterranean Meatballs
Here is another delicious recipe for one of our favorite things to eat. I am afraid, I will be running out of ideas soon for making different kinds meatballs. I realize I can use different kinds of meats, etc but I do love using turkey meat as it is so healthy to eat, especially since I am trying to reduce the amounts of red meat I feed my family.
This particular one has a mixture of sundried tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts and basil. The mixture adds a delicious flavor to the meatballs as well as the sauce. The trick to soft meatballs is the panko breadcrumbs soaked in milk. The meatballs come out melting in the mouth. The sauce is made with fresh cherry tomatoes- super simple to make and the most delicious as well.
Overall, it is a fabulous meal to make. I also made a warm spinach salad and served red wine with dinner- yum!!
- 1 pound ground turkey (dark meat)
- 4 to 5 sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup basil, chopped
Add the shallot, garlic, into a food processor and process till smooth. Add the sundried tomatoes and basil. Process till smooth and take out into a medium bowl with the turkey.
- ½ cup panko crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 15 minutes.
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
Add the soaked breadcrumbs, egg and salt into the turkey mixture. Mix with both hands. Keep aside.
Marinara Sauce
- 1 can (28 oz) cherry tomatoes (or any other)- put through the food mill
- 1 small yellow onion, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- A pinch of sugar
Heat a heavy, wide saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, thyme, basil, salt and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for at least 20 minutes.
In the meantime form meatballs (the mixture makes about 14 meatballs). Drop the meatballs into the simmering sauce as you form them. Once all the meatballs are in the saucepan, simmer covered for 15 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve with spaghetti.
1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons salt
Once the pasta is done, drain it well and place it back into the pan. Add the oil, basil and salt. Mix well and keep ready for the meatballs.
Serve the meatballs on top of the seasoned spaghetti.
Pasta with Chicken and Zucchini
I love making roast chicken for many reasons. One reason is the leftovers. I like coming up with something completely different with yesterdays leftovers.
In this case, I had about a cup of shredded chicken from the delicious roast chicken. I also always keep fresh tomato sauce in my fridge all the time. Once a week I buy fresh tomatoes and make a quick fresh sauce. I wanted to add some vegetables and noticed a zucchini in my fridge. I then remembered my daughter’s look every time I serve zucchini- so I decided to peel it, chop it and add it to the mix with some carrots- she noticed the carrots but not the zucchini. The chicken and tomato sauce mixture was delicious. I quickly boiled some pasta and we had a delicious, quick and healthy meal.
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Healthy Meat Sauce with Spinach
I continue to cook super healthy in this New Year. This one is a simple meat sauce I whipped up in no time. My daughter’s friend was coming over on a Sunday and was going to stay for lunch. Kids love pasta- we all know that. It is always hard to come up with new and interesting dishes to serve them.
I had ground turkey in the fridge and decided to make a quick meat sauce. I also had a big container of freshly made marinara sauce. Instead of serving vegetables on the side, I added it into the sauce. I love making one pot meals- especially for kids. I have also noticed they tend to eat the veggies if they are incorporated into the dish.
I sauteed an onion and garlic with the meat- added the tomato sauce and spinach. That was it- so simple and delicious.
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