Meatball Souvlaki!

 Want something quick, easy and different to make for dinner? Make these awesome meatball souvlaki pitas. You can have these on the table in under 30 minutes - can't beat that on a week night. Plus, these will help you get out of that rut of having the same old week night meals. Your family will thank you!

Meatball Souvlaki
Recipe adapted from Everyday Favorites by Canadian Living

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain, fat free greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup grated baby cucumber (about 1 baby cuke)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
• 1/2 tbsp fresh mint, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 greek pitas
• shredded lettuce
• cherry tomatoes, quartered
• thin slices of red onion
• hummus

Meatballs:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup garlic and herb croutons, whirled in the food processor until finely ground
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb lean ground beef

Method:

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk egg. Whisk in the crouton crumbs, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix in beef. Roll into 1 tbsp balls - makes approximately 24 meatballs). Place on a prepared pan. Bake in 450F oven for approximately 18 minutes or until cooked through.
3. In a bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, garlic, mint, dill, salt and pepper. Spread pitas with a layer of hummus. Then spread a layer of the yogurt mixture over pitas. Sprinkle with lettuce. Divide tomatoes, onion, then meatballs. Fold each pita in half to eat. Enjoy! Serves 4.

 Easy and delish! Hope you enjoy this one. We sure did! Stay tuned for tomorrow's Daring Bakers reveal. Its a good one. :)

This post has been linked up with Fusion Fridays Link Party over at Jennifer Cooks. Head on over and check out what other fabulous dishes the blogosphere has whipped up this week.

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Picadillo Pot Pie

I love trying new recipes as you may have guessed if you follow my blog and I get sick of eating the same food all the time. I also love ethnic food and I was really excited when I came across this recipe for Picadillo Pot Pie - a classic dish with a South American twist! This is a great way to use up ground meat that you may have kicking around your freezer or for a vegetarian option, substitute a can of black beans. Serve this with a yummy salad drizzled with olive oil and lime juice and sprinkled with sea salt and fresh ground pepper and you're set.

Don't try making this on a week night after work though because it is a little time consuming to make and the last thing you want to be doing after work is spending hours in the kitchen (unless of course you're me)! You can also take the meat mixture and wrap it in calzone dough and bake it that way if you feel so inclined. Making the dish this way would be remniscent of South American empanadas. Whatever way you decide to make this yummy dish, you will enjoy the spice and new flavours it brings to your table.

Picadillo Pot Pie

Recipe adapted from the Guy Can't Cook by Cinda Chavich

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large red or yelow bell pepper, chopped (I omitted this, though it would be delicious)
• 1 lb lean ground beef (or lamb, turkey, or chicken)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp crushed dried red chili pepper or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 cups plain tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp lime juice or wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• one can black beans, rinsed and drained (the recipe called for a can of sliced black olives, but I wasn't too into that)
• one 341ml can sweet corn
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup stone ground cornmeal
• 3 cups water
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp utter
• 1 cup stone ground cornmeal
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided

Method:

1. To make the filling, heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the onion, garlic and bell pepper. Saute for 10 minutes. Add the ground beef to the pan, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until its no longer pink. Stir in the cumin, dried crushed chili, and chili powder. Add the tomato sauce, lime juice, cocoa powder, black beans, corn, raisins, and worcestershire. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then stir in the 1/4 cup of cornmeal and cook for a couple of minutes, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sample your filling - add a little more cayenne or a bit of chili paste if you'd like it hotter. Pour fillin into a shallow casserole dish.
2. To make the topping, heat the water to a rolling boil in a saucepan, then add 1 clove garlic (minced) and butter. Use a whisk and stir constantly as you slowly pour the 1 cup of cornmeal into the boiling water. Immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring for 5 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat and stir to cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, in a small blow, beat the egg with the baking powder. Quickly whisk this mixture into the cooked cornmeal, then fold in 1 cup of the grated cheese.
4. Pour the topping over the filling in the casserole dish, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes or until the top is set and lightly browned.
   

This recipe was a welcome change from all the meat and potatoes over the holiday season! What kind of recipes are you cooking in your home now that the holiday season is finished?

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Potroast Meatloaf

First off - I have to apologize - I've gone from posting almost daily to posting only a couple of times a week. I just started back to full time work and hopefully once I get in the groove of things, I'll get around to posting more. I'm hoping to get up to posting about 4-5 times per week, so please bear with me while I get settled in my new job!

Secondly, I know meatloaf isn't exactly classy and that a lot of people don't like it, but I really like meatloaf and I found this lovely recipe for potroast meatloaf in Jamie Oliver's cookbook "Jamie's Food Revolution". It is so incredibly flavourful and your house will smell divine while it's cooking. So if you're not a meatloaf fan, do scroll a little further and at least have a look at the recipe - I promise it's delicious and you won't be disappointed.

Potroast Meatloaf

Recipe from Jamie's Food Revolution

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 level teaspoon cumin
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground coriander
• 12 plain crackers
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 heaped tsp dijon mustard
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2-1 fresh red chile
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 15-oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
• 2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 12 slices smoked bacon
• 1 lemon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 475F. Peel and finely chop one of the onions. Place in a large frying pan on medium high heat with 2 lugs of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the ground cumin and coriander. Fry and stir every 300 seconds for about 7 minutes until softened and lightly golden, then put into a large bowl to cool. Place crackers in a ziplock bag and smash up until fine crumbs. Add to the bowl of cooled onions with the oregano, mustard and ground beef. Crack in the egg and add another good pinch of salt and pepper. With clean hands scrunch and mix up well. Move the meat mixture to a board, then pat and mold it into a large football shape. Rub it with a little oil. Place meatloaf into a baking dish and put into preheated oven, and turn down temperature immediately to 400F. Bake for 30 minutes.
2. Peel the other onion and chop into 1/4 inch pieces. Peel and slice the garlic. Finely slice the red chile. Place the onion, garlic, and chile in a large pan on medium high heat with 2 lugs of olive oil, the paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for around 7 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until softened and lightly golden. Add the worcestershire sauce, chickpeas, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil then turn heat down and let it slowly simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper if needed.
3. Pick the rosemary leaves off the stalks and put them into a little bowl. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and pour all the fat from the pan over the rosemary leaves and mix up well. Spoon your sauce around the meatloaf. Lay the slices of bacon over the top of the meatloaf and sauce. Scatter the rosemary leaves on top. Put the pan back into the oven for 15 minutes or until the bacon turns golden brown and the sauce if bubbling and delicious. Serve with a mixed leaf salad and some wedges of lemon for squeezing over.

And that's that! It makes a lot of food, so make sure you have enough people to eat most of it or lots of containers for leftovers! I hope this recipe can change your opinion on meatloaf - it is easy and delicious! Bon apetit!

Happy Cooking my Friends!