Whole Wheat Pasta Bake With Mini Chicken Meatballs

Mini Chicken Meatballs

Makes 28 meatballs 

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken

1 egg

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

4 garlic cloves 

¼ cup chopped parsley 

1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

½ teaspoon Kosher salt 

½ tablespoons black peppery

2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup  water

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Oil a medium baking dish

Use a 1-inch  scoop and form mini meatballs . Place them on the prepared dish and bake for 45 minutes.

Add the chicken, egg, Italian seasoning, paprika, 2 minced garlic cloves, parsley leaves, and 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix to combine.

On a large plate, spread the remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs.

Form the chicken mixture into small balls (about 1 heaping tablespoon each). Roll them in the breadcrumbs to coat.

In a large nonstick pan set over medium heat, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan (about 3 tablespoons). Once the oil begins to shimmer, arrange the meatballs in a layer without touching. Sear, turning until each side is golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. (You do not need to fully cook the chicken meatballs at this point; they will finish cooking in the sauce.

Combine the remaining minced garlic, lemon juice, butter, and chicken stock in a microwave-safe measuring cop and heat until hot and the butter has melted,

Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cover the pan and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and are no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.

Pasta Bake

Ingredients

1 lb whole wheat rigatoni pasta, cooked according to pasta instructions.

Drain.

2 cups marinara sauce 

2 cups ricotta cheese

8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, your choice 

1 minced garlic clove

Chicken meatballs

Directions 

Season the ricotta with salt, pepper, herbs, and garlic.

Oil a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Spread ⅓ cup of marinara sauce on the bottom. Add ⅓ of the pasta. Top with half the mozzarella cy slices and then half of the ricotta. Add half of the remaining pasta. Top with ½ cup of marinara sauce, remaining mozzarella, and remaining ricotta.

Top with remains pasta and marinara sauce.

Place mini meatballs on top.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 59 minutes. Let test 10 mini meatballs before serving.

Easy Seared Sea Scallops

 

Ingredients 

1 pound large sea scallops, rinsed in cold water, then patted dry with paper towels

2 teaspoons olive oil or canola oil

1 tablespoon whipped butter

2 tablespoons finely diced shallot

1/4 cup dry white wine or champagne

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Directions 

Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat for a minute or so. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and let it heat up about 30 seconds. Place scallops in the pan with plenty of room between them so they will sizzle instead of steam.

Let the scallops sizzle until the bottom side is browned and crisp (2 to 4 minutes). Gently turn over and cook the other side until well browned (2 to 4 minutes). When you cut into a scallop, it should be barely firm to the touch and a more solid white color throughout.

Take the pan off the heat. Move the scallops to a plate and cover with a sheet of foil to keep them warm.

Return pan to the stove over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of whipped butter and the shallots and sauté for about a minute. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by about half (1-2 minutes). Reduce heat to low, stir in the parsley and chives, and continue to simmer for only a minute. Turn off the heat and add the scallops. Let sit about a minute to warm the scallops and meld flavors. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Yield:  4 servings

Pasta With Italian Sausage, Zucchini, And Peppers

 Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil 

2 large zucchini, diced

½ lb cooked Italian sausage, any kind- pork, turkey, chicken, sliced

3 bell peppers cut into 1-inch pieces 

1 large onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning 

1lb fettuccine 

24 oz Marinara sauce

1cup grayed Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat the oil in a large deep skillet. Add salt to taste. Cook the zucchini in a single layer until brown. Drain and reserve.

Add onions, peppers, and garlic. Sauté until tender. Add salt, marinara sauce, sliced sausage, and Italian seasoning.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan, and simmer while the pasta cooks.

When the pasta is al dente, scoop out the pasta into the sauce with a spaghetti fork or spider!. Let the pasta cook in the sauce for several minutes. Add the cheese and serve in pasta bowls. Add a garden salad to round out the meal.

Chicken Piccata

 Serves 2

Ingredients

2 6- to 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded until thin and even

Coarse salt

Ground white pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

⅕ cup white wine, or dry vermouth

2 lemons, each cut in half, 3 halves  juiced (1 half thinly sliced, crosswise

2 tablespoons capers

¼ cup each chopped parsley and chives 

Lemin slices

Directions

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and white pepper. Lightly coat in flour. Shake off excess.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter, swirl them around the pan, and add the chicken. Turn the heat to high and saute the chicken 2 minutes per side. Pour in the wine, swirl it around the pan for 20 seconds, and turn over the chicken. Add the lemon juice and slices, swirl them around in the pan, and turn off the heat. Add the capers, chives, parsley, and lemon slices,

Serve with Zucchini pasta

Fettuccine With Zucchini

Ingredients

1 pound medium-sized zucchini, about 6, diced

Salt

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cup minced onion

1 cup pine nuts

3 cloves garlic, slivered

1 pound fresh fettuccine

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/2 cup grated Grana Padano.

Directions

1. Place zucchini in a colander, toss with salt, and set aside to drain in the sink or over a bowl for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy sauté pan, add onion, pine nuts, and garlic, and sauté over low heat about 10 minutes, until onion is soft and nuts start to brown. Rinse and drain the zucchini and add it to the pan. Sauté about 20 minutes, until tender.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta, cook pasta about 3 minutes, and drain, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water. Add pasta to the sauté pan, cook over low heat about 5 minutes, to blend ingredients, adding pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in parsley, cheese, and additional olive oil and serve.

OKLAHOMA ONION BURGERS

 Serves 2. The recipe is easily doubled or tripled.

Ingredients 

 

1/2of a large onion, sliced 1/8-inch thick

¼ teaspoon salt and pepper

8 ounces lean ground beef or ground turkey  

1/2tablespoon unsalted butter   

1/2teaspoon vegetable oil

4 slices of American cheese

2hamburger buns, buttered and toasted

 Directions

Combine onions and salt in a bowl and toss to combine. Let sit 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Using tongs, transfer onions to a clean kitchen towel, gather edges, and squeeze onions dry. Transfer to bowl, and season with ½ teaspoon pepper.

 Divide the onion mixture into 2 separate mounds on the baking sheet. Form meat into 2 lightly packed balls, and season all over with salt and pepper. Place meatballs on top of onion mounds, and flatten meat firmly so onions adhere and patties measure 4½-inches in diameter. 

 Melt butter with oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Using a spatula, transfer burgers to the skillet, onion side down, and cook until onions are deep golden brown and beginning to crisp around edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip burgers, increase the heat to high, and cook until well browned on the second side, about 2 minutes. Place American cheese on each bun bottom. Transfer burgers to buns, add desired toppings, and serve.

 

Greek Style Codfish Dinner

 2 servings

Ingredients

2-5 to 6 oz ciabatta, about 1/2 inch thick

Greek seasoning

2 small baking potatoes, sliced very thin

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup cooked spinach

1/2 cup sliced Kala,ata olives

1/2 cuo ceumbl3d feta cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Doat a small baking dish with olive oil. Mix the potatoes with salt and pepper. Spread them evenly in the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the fish with  Greek seasoning and place them on top of the potatoes. Spread the fish with the spinach and then spread the top with olives and cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes and serve with a tomato salad.

Italian Escarole Soup

Springtime means you can find escarole in your market.

Yield:  4-6 servings 

Ingredients 

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped 

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 links of Italian sausage, cut into thin slices

8 cups chicken broth, homemade adds more flavor

2 (15-ounce) cans

cannellini beans or other white beans, drained 

1 head escarole, chopped 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions 

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to the pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, garlic, and sausage; cook until sausage is browned, stirring frequently. Add broth and beans. Cover; bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 ½ tablespoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, escarole, and thyme.  Cook until escarole is tender.

Divide soup evenly among individual soup bowls; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with fresh Italian bread.