Chipotle Chicken Meatballs

Hello Blog Friends!  I recently saw a recipe in a Rachel Ray magazine that featured Chipotle Chicken Meatballs.  So I researched Chicken Burgers and Meatballs and I compiled this recipe.  I cooked up a few meatballs in a pan while I was adjusting the seasoning and I like how these turned out.  I know that ground chicken doesn't have much flavor, so this recipe has a lot of seasoning to make sure they aren't bland. 

Ingredients:

2lbs ground chicken                      5.98
1/2 cup finely chopped onion          .30
1/2 cup cilantro-chopped                 .35
4 Chipotle peppers in adobo           1.50
6 oz finely shredded Mozzarella    2.10
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp season salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
2 cans enchilada sauce (optional) 2.00

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl place the ground chicken.  Sprinkle all the powdered dry spices over top of the chicken.  Use a chopper or food processor to chop the onion.  If you don't have one just keep chopping until you have a nice dice on your onion.  Add to the bowl.  Roughly chop the cilantro and add to the bowl.  Sprinkle in the shredded Mozzarella.  (this will add moisture to the meatballs.  Chicken can be dry because it is so lean)  Lastly open one can of Chipotle in adobo.  Use a spoon to take out 2-4 peppers.  2 pepper will give you a hint of spice.  4 peppers will give the meatballs a spicy taste.  Use the amount you think your family will enjoy.  Place the peppers in a chopper, food processor or blender.  Process until finely chopped.  Try not to handle the peppers too much with your hands as these can be spicy! 

Scrape the chopped chipotle peppers into the bowl.  Mix the chicken with the peppers, cheese, onions, cilantro and spices by hand.

 Once well blended form 1 1/2 inch meatballs with the chicken mixture and place in 3 8x8" pans.  I was able to get 11 meatballs in each of three pans for a total of 33 meatballs.  Wash your hands well. 

If you prefer you can pour two cans of enchilada sauce over top of the pans.  I divided two cans between three pans of meatballs.  It did not add much flavor to the recipe so feel free to omit this step.  You can pour a jar of your favorite salsa over top, or a jar of your favorite taco sauce. 

Cover each pan with foil.  Label and freeze two.  Bake one pan for dinner at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  When you are ready to eat the frozen pans, put one or both in the fridge to thaw for two days.  Then bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. 

The first time we ate ours with rice and sugar snap peas.  The next time was much better over pasta with mixed with 3 Tbsp of queso sauce from a jar.  My husband loved the meatballs this way!

 

To have even more variety you can make one pan or meatballs and one pan of chicken patties.  Then once you bake them you can eat them on burger buns with tomato and avacado for some killer chicken burgers.  Yum!  I made three pans of meatballs for $4.08 a pan.  Next time I would omit the enchilada sauce and it would be even more affordable.  I hope you give these a try.  They are pretty tasty and out of the ordinary weeknight meal plan. 

Enjoy!

Christie aka Keeza

Pepper Steak

This is an awesome stir fry to make ahead and freeze.  The key to keeping a little crunch in your peppers is to add them last, just before freezing.  Then when you reheat they wont turn to mush.

Ingredients:

2 lbs sizzler steak        6.00
1 Lg sweet onion            .75
1 green pepper               .85
1 orange pepper            2.o0 (ouch!)
1 red pepper                  2.00  (yikes!)
1 bag stir fry veggies    1.98
2 cloves garlic                 .15
2 1/2 C beef broth        1.50
8oz tomato sauce           .40  (I only used part of what is pictured, I froze the rest for another day)
1/4 C reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp steak seasoning
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp of brown sugar (not pictured)

Directions:

In a large pan warm the canola oil to medium high heat.  Slice the sizzler steak across the grain into thin strips.  Try to get them to about 1/4" thickness.   Add the sliced steak to the pan and sprinkle with the 2 tsp of steak seasoning.  When no longer pink remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place the steak on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Slice the onion and put into the same pan you used to cook the steak.  Saute them in the pan until just starting to get a little tender.  Then add the bag of frozen veggies and stir well.  Do not add the bell peppers! 

Add the tomato sauce, soy sauce, ground ginger, brown sugar and crushed red pepper flake.  Stir well.  In a small bowl stir the 3 Tbsp cornstarch and the 2 1/2 cups beef broth with a fork until well blended.  When the starch is completely dissolved and there are no lumps stir it into the pan with the onions and veggies.  Bring the veggies and sauce to a simmer and stir.  When the sauce is smooth and thickened then turn off the heat.

Now add the sliced steak and pepper to the pan.  Stir well. 

Divide the pepper steak mixture into three quart size containers and freeze.

When you are ready to eat the pepper steak please thaw in the fridge for two days.  Then warm on the stove.  Try not to cook it longer than necessary so the peppers don't loose all their crunch.  Serve over rice. 

I was able to make three dinners for $5.21 each plus the cost of rice.  My husband likes more salt in his stir fries, so I have him add more soy sauce to his bowl just before eating.  If your whole family likes salty food, then increase the amount of soy sauce in this recipe from 1/4 cup to 1/2 a cup. 

Enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza

Sausage and Peppers

This is a very quick and easy meal.  The only trick is that you cannot freeze raw potatoes!  They will turn black and ruin your dinner.  So this recipe requires you to boil the potatoes before you freeze them, but the rest of the prep can be done in ten minutes or less.  This is a great meal to leave for your husband if you are going out of town.  It's easy to make and tasty to eat.  You can use any peppers that you like so make it mild or super spicy! 

Ingredients:

1 pkg Eckrich Smoked Turkey Sausage     2.00
1 onion                                                                .40
1 bell pepper                                                      .48
8 small red or gold potatoes                        1.00
1 cup Italian dressing                                      .75
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Fill a medium saucepan with water and place on the stove.  Scrub the potatoes and place them in the pan.  You do not need to remove the skins.  Turn burner on to medium high heat and bring to a boil.  Boil potatoes 15-20 minutes or until soft when poked with a fork.

Meanwhile slice the turkey sausage, peppers and onions.  Set aside. 

When the potatoes are cooked move them to a towel with a slotted spoon.  Let cool about 5 minutes.  Place half of the potatoes in two 8x8" pans.  Divide the onions, peppers and sausage between the two pans.  Sprinkle each with salt and pepper.  Pour 1/2 C of Italian dressing over each pan. 

Cover with foil, label and freeze.

Once thawed bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, remove the cover and bake 10 minutes more.  I was able to make two pans of sausage and peppers for $2.32.  These are great to have on hand for a last minute supper.  You can even open up a thawed pan, skewer the veggies and sausage and warm them on the grill.  The potatoes and sausage are fully cooked and you just need to heat the meal through.  Once baked you can scoop the potatoes out with a spoon and put the sausage and peppers on a bun and eat it as a hot sandwich.  Lots of options for this quick meal! 

Here it is after baking.  The potatoes are nice and soft.  The green peppers still have a crunch.  And the dressing turns tangy and zesty in the oven.  Yum!  My husband loved this one.  It's a nice change from the creamy sauces of other baked dishes.  Here's my dinner!

Enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza