Amazing Bison-Quinoa-Veggie Meatballs!!!

This is another recipe I adapted from the Whole Foods website. I'm always trying to sneak veggies and whole grains into my meals... and so I thought I'd give these a try. I had never made meatballs before... but I was pretty pleased with my first attempt!

These meatballs were so tender... and tasted so good. The zucchini really kept them moist. The whole wheat pasta I paired them with was excellent as well!

Bison-Quinoa-Veggie Meatballs

Serves 6-8 (depending on portion)

1 Lb Ground Bison, or Ground Beef

3/4 cup of cooked Quinoa

1 small zucchini, grated

1 small carrot, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

3 Tbsp ketchup

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined. Shape the mixture into approximately 16 balls and place on prepared baking sheet.

Roast until cooked through and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

I served these over this whole wheat flax fettucine, to add extra protein and fiber, with store bought spaghetti sauce.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and Parsley and serve hot.

Cheesy Hashbrown Chili

I recieved the March issue of Rachael Ray Magazine in the mail over the weekend....and this sounded good, and I had all the ingredients to make it already!

Cheesy Hashbrown Chili

2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 Lb ground beef
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (I used my mom's canned tomatoes, chopping them myself)
1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed
1 Lb frozen hashbrowns (shredded)
1 cup cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion, chili powder, and cumin, and saute until onion is tender. Add the tomato paste, mix, then add the ground beef, breaking up. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the ground beef until no longer pink.
2. Add the kidney beans, and tomatoes with their juices, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Combine the hashbrowns and cheese in a bowl. Spread chili mixture in a 9 by 13 inch pan, top with the hashbrown mixture, and then bake in the top third of the oven at 400 for 35 minutes.

Meat Sauce and what to do with it!

This recipe is for an "all purpose meat sauce" that can be used in several different recipes. or as taco filling, filling on baked potatoes, sloppy joes, etc. It is from the Feb '09 issue of Rachael Ray magazine. I will be using it in 2 of her recipes included in the issue, and then freezing some because it made so much! I did change a couple of things...

Meat Sauce

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup chopped Pancetta (I used about a 1/3 lb package of pre-sliced and chopped it up)
1 Onion, chopped
2 Carrots, finely chopped
2 Ribs Celery, finely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Shallot, chopped
2 Lbs. Ground Beef
1/2 Cup Dry Red Wine
28 oz. Tomato Puree (or sauce)
Salt and Pepper


1. Heat the olive oil over med-low heat and add pancetta and cooked until fat is rendered. (about 5 minutes) increase heat to medium, add onion, carrot, celery, and shallot, and cook stirring occasionally until softened about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for a couple more minutes.
(she had you add the beef to the vegetables to cook it, but i decided to take the vegetables out and set them aside, cook the beef, and then add the vegetables back in.)
2. So cook the beef either way. stir in the wine and cook until the liquid is cooked off, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce , 1 cup of water, and season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer. partially cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for the last 30 minutes, until thickened, about 2 hours. season with more salt and pepper if needed.

We really liked the sauce, I just need to remember to half her recipes for my family!

That night i used the meat sauce to make her white bean stew- very good. I did adjust the portions a bit, so I will write my version of the recipe!


White Bean Stew
4 medium sized red potatoes, cut into bite size chunks
4 small bratwurst
1 15 oz can great northern beans
2 cups meat sauce
1 cup chicken broth
3 tsp herbes de provence
salt and pepper

bring the potatoes to a boil in a pot with enough water to cover them by an inch, lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes (until fork tender) drain. My brats were not cooked so i boiled them for about 10 minutes, and then cut them into rounds, and then browned them. In the same pot, add all ingredients, and bring to a simmer, cooking until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.

This is the second recipe i will be using the meat sauce for, i thought i should add it to the same post, and will be making it tonight:

Beef and Feta Pasta Bake

1 lb cavatappi or elbow pasta (i'm using a vegetable rotini, and the box is only 12 oz)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbs flour
2 cups milk heated
3/4 lb feta
3 cups meat sauce
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350
Cook pasta until al dente, drain.
in a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat, whisk in flour for 2 min. increase heat to medium, whisk in hot milk and cook whisking until thickened about 5 minutes. Stir in feta.
In a large bowl, combine meat sauce, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and half the pasta. In another bowl stir remaining pasta with feta sauce. transfer meaty pasta to a 9 by 13 baking dish, and top with feta pasta. bake until golden about 30 minutes.

This seems like a take on lasagna....but sounded good to all of us!