Albondigas Soup

My husband's family makes the best Mexican food on earth, Imo, so I never try to make it for him. Yes, he complains but I just tell him, call your aunt, cousin, uncle, or Nino, have them make you something that I will only, in my attempt to replicate, destroy for both of us. Well today I decided to jump in with both feet and make the traditional meatball soup-Albondigas. I will say it turned out great, although not completely traditional in taste, it was a winner for the whole family (even the three kids). It tastes a little like meatball soup and tortilla soup together. Give it a shot, it makes enough to feed for a couple days.

Meatballs

2 lbs ground turkey or extra-lean ground beef

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup uncooked rice (I used jasmine but use whatever you want)

2 tbls chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbl chopped fresh basil

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

In a large bowl combine ground turkey/beef, eggs and rice with your hands (always fun). Add rest of ingredients and combine until thoroughly mixed (use your hands again). Form meat mixture into 1" balls, arrange on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate while preparing the soup.

Soup

3Tbl Olive Oil

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large white onion, chopped

1 large red onion, chopped

1 bunch of green onions, include green tops, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 large cans/boxes of chicken stock (35 oz each)

4 cups water

1 chicken bouillon cube

3 TBL fresh lemon juice

1 TBL fresh lime juice

1 tsp paprika

1 TBL cayenne pepper

2 TBL Kosher salt

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

2 (14.5 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, not drained

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

sour cream

grated cheese

I a large stockpot over medium heat warm the oil and add the minced garlic. Stir about 1 min, dont let garlic burn. Add all three onions and the celery and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are soften and sweet, about 10 minutes.

Add chicken broth, bouillon, water and just bring to a boil. Remove meatballs from the refrigerator. Turn soup down to a simmer and slowly add meatballs to soup, add carefully and only a few at a time. Return soup to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 more minutes. While meatballs are cooking, skim off any foam that floats on the surface with a spoon, discard.

Gently stir in lemon and lime juice, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Add beans, corn and tomatoes. Again, bring soup to a boil on high heat, reduce to simmer and simmer uncovered for about 5 more minutes.

Just before serving add fresh cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and add sour cream and cheese. Great served with warm corn tortillas and lime wedges.

Original recipe courtesy of Bob Gelb (Nordstrom's friends and family cookbook)

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Turkey Chili

I am not a big chili eater but my husband loves it and I was reading somewhere that one cup in a restaurant can have upwards of 600 calories. I decided to see if I could create one with alot less calories and have it be just as good. Well the result was a low calorie chili that he loved enough to eat three nights in a row (I am proud of myself). I made cornbread with honey butter and the meal was complete.

Turkey Chili

1 tsp veggie oil

1 large white onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, shredded or finely chopped

2 tsp of cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 TBL chili powder

2 bay leaves

2 lbs ground turkey

2 TBL tomato paste

1 oz bittersweet chocolate

1 can low sodium chicken broth

1 chipotle pepper, cut up small

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can chopped tomatoes with garlic

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

Heat oil in large pot on medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender, add garlic. Add spices and bay leaves and cook for 2 more minutes. It will seem like it is burning (it is not). Add turkey and tomato paste and cook until turkey is no longer pink. Stir with a wooden spoon. Add chocolate, broth, chipotle, & tomatoes to the pot. Turn down to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the beans and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with hot sauces, raw white onions, lime, cheese, sour cream if you desire.

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ROTW- Spicy Black Bean Empanadas

This was our ROTW for last week, I think you can still click on the link at right and it will take you there, if not then here is the link for our Spicy Black Bean Empanadas This was a great recipe, the filling was delicious, so much so that I bought big portobello mushroom caps to stuff with this recipe's filling later next week. The black beans and the cheese melded perfectly with the cumin and cilantro, I wanted to make these again immediately after we finished our last bite.

Ingredients

* 2 (17.3 ounce) packages Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (I used the new precut disk ones)
* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1/2 pound ground pork or turkey ( I used 3/4 lb ground pork, 1/2 lb was not enough stuffing)
* 1 small red pepper, diced
* 4 medium green onions, chopped
* 2 clove garlic, minced
* 1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used 1 1/2 TBL of Tomato paste and 1/4 cup water, I like the flavor better)
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper ( I used hot sauce, a dash of Franks or even the Asian chili sauce)
* 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used light mexican blend to save some calories and I love that blend)
* 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1 cup guacamole

Directions
1. Thaw the pastry sheets at room temperature for 40 minutes or until they're easy to handle. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with vegetable cooking spray. Stir the egg and water with a fork in a small bowl.
2. Cook the pork in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the pork is well browned, stirring frequently to break up meat. Add the diced red pepper, green onions and garlic. Cook until tender. Stir the tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and crushed red pepper into the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese, 1 cup of the beans and cilantro. Let cool.
3. Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll to a 16x12-inch rectangle. Cut into 10 (2 1/2-inch) rounds. Top half of each round with 1 teaspoon cheese mixture. Brush edges of pastry with water. Fold over and press the edges with a fork to seal. Place the empanadas on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry and cheese mixture. Brush with the egg mixture.
4. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole and remaining beans.

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