Friday Recipes

It's finally Friday, time to get ready for the weekend. Here are six recipes to help you through the weekend, including High-Altitude Bison Meatballs with Marinara Sauce and Frozen Blueberry Breakfast Bars. Enjoy!

HIGH-ALTITUTDE BISON MEATBALLS WITH MARINARA SAUCE

This dinner recipe is from the September 2016 issue of Runner's World, page 80, and begins, “In a rush? Simply sauté meatball ingredients minus the almond meal and egg.”

This is adapted from Run Fast, Eat Slow: Nourishing Recipes for Athletes, by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. Published by Rodale, owner of Runner’s World.

Makes 4 servings.

This can be viewed online at http://www.runnersworld.com/recipes/run-fast-eat-slow.

Ingredients

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

1 cup finely minced kale (about 4 leaves), stems discarded (a food processor works great for this)

1/4 cup almond meal or almond flour or fine bread crumbs

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

3/4 tsp. fine sea salt

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. ground bison or ground beef (preferably not lean)

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Prepared marinara sauce

12 oz. dried spaghetti (gluten-free if sensitive)

8 fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together the egg, Parmesan, kale, almond meal, garlic, oregano, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper flakes. Add the bison (or beef) and use your hands to combine the meat. Form the mixture into 12 2-inch meatballs, rolling each meatball firmly in your hands.

In a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Place the meatballs in the pot in a single layer without crowding them, and cook, turning the meatballs so they brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot as you go. If using ground beef, pour out all but 1 to 2 Tbsp. of the fat prior to adding the sauce.

Add marinara sauce to meatballs. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, 30 to 45 minutes. Cover and keep warm over low heat until ready to serve.

While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

To serve, divide the pasta among 4 pasta bowls and arrange the meatballs on top, along with a generous ladle of sauce. Garnish with Parmesan and fresh basil, if using. Makes 4 servings.

SPICY BROCCOLI RABE AND SAUSAGE PASTA

This was in the October 2016 issue Runner's World, page 45. Makes 6 servings. It is adapted from Scratch: Home Cooking for Everyone Made Simple, Fun, and Totally Delicious, by Maria Rodale. Available in October, published by Rodale, owner of Runner’s World.

This can be viewed online at http://www.runnersworld.com/recipes/have-a-pasta-party-from-scratch/.

Ingredients

1 lb. pasta (any kind)

4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. sausage, cut into 1" pieces

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups chopped broccoli rabe or broccoli florets

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Crushed red pepper flakes or hot chili oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grated Romano cheese

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. of oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes or until browned. Add garlic and broccoli rabe, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain pasta and add to skillet with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil, parsley, and pepper flakes. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Top with cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Information: Calories per serving: 493; Protein: 23 g; Carbs: 58 g; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 3 g; Total fat: 18 g; Saturated fat: 4 g; Sodium: 503 mg

QUINOA ENCHILADA BAKE

This recipe begins, “Never tried quinoa? This enchilada bake is a great way to be introduced to the superfood.”

http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetic-recipes/general/7286-quinoa-enchilada-bake

Ingredients

1 TBSP olive oil

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/2 cup dry quinoa

2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 cup tomato sauce

2 TBSP chili powder

2 tsp cumin

Pepper to taste

1 can black beans

3/4 cup corn

Optional toppings:

Cheese, tomato, green onion, cilantro

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet. Brown ground beef.

Add onion, pepper and garlic. Cook 2 minutes.

Pour into slow cooker along with remaining ingredients, except black beans and corn.

Cook on high for 3-31/2 hours.

40 minutes before it's done, add beans and corn. Heat last 40 minutes.

Serve over chopped romaine or tortilla (optional).

Top with desired toppings.

Nutritional Facts: Servings 12; For 1/12 the recipe excluding optional toppings: Calories 170; Saturated Fat 2 g; Sodium 242 mg; Carbohydrates 15 g; Dietary Fiber 2 g; Protein 12 g

FROZEN BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST BARS

This comes from Tablespoon.com, and begins, “Get your yogurt and granola in a frozen bar that you can ‘grab and go’ for breakfast or for a snack any time of day.” Prep Time: 15 min; Total Time: 3 hr 25 min; Servings: 10

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups Cascadian Farm® organic oats & honey granola

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 containers (5.3 oz each) *Yoplait® Greek blueberry yogurt

1/4 cup fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons Cascadian Farm® organic oats & honey granola, coarsely crushed

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups granola and the melted butter. Firmly press in bottom of ungreased 8-inch square pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on cooling rack. Freeze about 5 minutes or until cold.

Spoon yogurt over crust; gently spread to cover. Sprinkle with blueberries and crushed granola. Freeze about 3 hours or until firm.

Remove from freezer 10 minutes before cutting. To make bars, cut into 5 rows by 2 rows. Wrap each bar tightly in plastic wrap. Store in freezer.

*Yoplait is a registered trademark of YOPLAIT MARQUES (France) used under license.

SPAETZLE

This is from Mark Bittman in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “Expand the concept of pasta a bit, and you arrive at spaetzle, the quickly made and rather thin dough (somewhat akin to savory pancake batter) that is often “grated” into boiling water on a spaetzle maker, a tool that looks like a grater without sharp edges. I find spaetzle makers unnervingly tricky, so I prefer to do what I've often seen done by Alsatians, for whom spaetzle is traditional: drop the batter by the spoonful into boiling water. As with all pasta, the more fragile the batter is, the lighter the result will be, so don't make it too stiff; just stiff enough to hold together.”

Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in “THE MINIMALIST; Fresh Pasta At Ferrari Speed” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

Salt

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste

3 eggs

1 cup milk, more if needed

2 to 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil

Chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish

PreparationSet a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. In a bowl, combine flour with pepper and a large pinch of salt. Lightly beat together eggs and milk, and add to flour, stirring. If necessary, add a little more milk until mixture has the consistency of pancake batter.

Scoop a tablespoon or so of batter, and drop it into water; small pieces may break off, but batter should remain largely intact and form a disk. Repeat, using about one-third to one-fourth the batter, depending on the size of the pot. When spaetzle rise to top a couple of minutes later (you may have to loosen them from the bottom, but they will pop right up), cook another minute or so, then remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl of ice water. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

Drain spaetzle; at this point you can toss them with a bit of oil and refrigerate, covered, for up to a day. Heat butter or oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add spaetzle a few at a time, and quickly brown on both sides. Serve hot, garnished with parsley or chives.

POTATO-LEEK SOUP WITH BACON

View this online at http://www.publix.com/recipes-planning/aprons-recipes/potato-leek-soup-with-bacon

Ingredients

3 large leeks, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme

2 lb gold potatoes

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups unsalted chicken stock (or broth)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped

1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Directions

Chop well-rinsed leeks (white part only; 2 cups); chop garlic and thyme. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

Preheat large stockpot on medium-low 2–3 minutes. Cut bacon into pieces. Place oil in pot, then add bacon; cook and stir 4–5 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pot. Place leeks and garlic in same pot; cook and stir 6–7 minutes or until tender (do not brown).

Stir in stock, salt, pepper, potatoes, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Remove pot from heat; puree soup with a stick blender. (Or you can use an electric blender; let soup cool 5–8 minutes, then puree in batches until smooth.) Chop chives. Stir yogurt into soup; top each serving with bacon and chives. Serve warm or chill before serving.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: CALORIES (per 1/6 recipe) 240kcal; FAT 9.00g; SAT FAT 2.50g; TRANS FAT 0.00g; CHOL 10mg; SODIUM 370mg; CARB 31g; FIBER 2.00g; SUGARS 1g; PROTEIN 10g; CALC 4%; VIT A 6%; VIT C 60%; IRON 10%