Homemade Meatball Subs

I'm joining in this weeks recipe swap @ Life as Mom and the theme is beef.



Since I've mentioned loving meatball subs in a post over at my other blog I've had people asking for the recipe. You can make this as easy or as hard as you would like. But here is my recipe.

Ingredients for the Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef or turkey
1 egg
1/3 cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/2 tsp. sage
2 TBS. Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 TBS. garlic powder
2 TBS. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper and place in oven while preheating or coat with a couple of tsp.of olive oil.
   
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs and spices using your hands. Using an ice cream scoop if possible, form the meat into golf ball sized meatballs. Place about 1 inch apart in the hot baking dish. Press down to flatten the bottom just slightly.
3. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn them over, and continue baking for about 5 more minutes, or until somewhat crispy on the outside.
   

Don't forget you can make these ahead and freeze them for a later time. So make a whole bunch at once.

Now what you do is take your favorite hoagie roll and split it down the center. Shove as many meatballs as you can down the middle, usually 3 or 4. Now you can make your own sauce, but to make it easy I buy the Bertolli Organic Spaghetti sauce and use it and it's delicious. So you are going to take your sauce and pour some over the meatballs. Don't go crazy because you don't want a big mess, plus you can save some for dipping. Then I add a half a slice of mozzarella cheese on top, place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and put under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Usually around 4-5 mins. Watch it carefully because it can burn quickly.

There you have it. I hope you enjoy!

Quick and Easy Mexican Dish

I love the words quick and easy when it comes to dinner. Last night out of desperation I made this Mexican type casserole thing. I'm not sure what to call it yet LOL. But it was some good and the whole family loved it.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef or turkey, cooked
1 large jar of favorite salsa or the equivalent of 2 cups
1 small can of sliced olives
8 slices of Monetary Jack Cheese ( or shredded cheddar) Use what you got. That's what I did.
Tortilla Chips, crushed
Sour Cream

Directions:
Brown your meat in a pan. Drain off fat and then add your salsa.
Simmer for about 10-15 mins.
Meanwhile spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray
Add your crushed tortillas to bottom of pan to cover generously
Put your cooked meat mixture over the chips
Throw your olives over the top of that and then your slices of cheese to cover it all.
Baked in a 350 degree oven for about 20 mins.
Serve with a dab of sour cream and it's delicious.
A nice salad would finish this dinner off.

I hope you enjoy! It truly was quick and easy!

Easy Hummus

I love hummus and this is a very easy recipe to make.

Ingredients:

15 oz. can organic chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/2 cup raw sesame seeds
1 1/2 TBS. Olive Oil
Juice of 2 Lemons ( I squeeze them over a small mesh strainer)
1 clove of garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

I have been blessed by a Vita Mix Machine and that is what I use for this sort of stuff but you can try your blender or even a food processor for this.
Place all the ingredients in the above order in your machine and turn on high for 1 minute.
If you don't have a Vita Mix with the tamper then you will probably have to stop and scrap the hummus down and blend periodically to get it all incorporated. Dump in a bowl. ( Don't you love how technical I am?)
Then just grab some chips or pita bread and enjoy!

For a tasty twist you can add roasted red peppers to this mix and it adds really great flavor.
Even a little dash of hot sauce can kick it up!
Do your own experimenting and let me know what you come up with.
Enjoy!

Hamburger Minestrone Soup

This is a family favorite. Pair it up with some homemade biscuits.
I'm linking this up with Life as Mom for the Ultimate Recipe Swap and the theme is favorite soups. This is probably one of our favorites!

Ingredients:
6 cups of water
5 tsp. of Organic Better than Boullion Beef Base (now you can use beef stock if you choose to equal 6 cups. Even chicken broth would be good.) Like I said use what you have.
2 lbs. ground beef or turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen sweet corn
1 can green beans, drained

Directions:

1. Cook beef, onion and garlic in large soup pot. Drain off grease when done.
2. Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil and add your 5 tsp. of soup base mix well; add to the meat.
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until macaroni is cooked through. Approx. 15-20 mins.

Serve with Biscuits!
So quick and easy and delicious!

Pecan Pancakes

These are so delicious and a family favorite.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. flour (use your preference) I use organic white/wheat
1 1/2 TBS. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. Milk
2 eggs
4 TBS. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans

Directions:
1. In a medium size bowl mix together the dry ingredients.
2. In a small bowl mix together the wet ingredients.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix only until blended. Don't over mix. Add more milk if too thick.
4. Add chopped pecans and mix just until incorporated.
Use a 1/3 cup measure and cook on hot skillet until it starts to bubble then flip and finish cooking on other side.
Makes about 12 pancakes!
Serve with real Maple Syrup!
Enjoy!