MEXICAN SWISS STEAK

Hi Tamy here filling in for Min today which works well with her theme, Try a New Recipe.  This recipe is the perfect Try A New Recipe.

I recently had a thrift store find beyond belief.  An old recipe box full of old hand written recipes.  I estimate they are from the 50-60's era when women passed around recipes at morning coffee, tupperware parties and PTA meetings.

This recipe called for either a can of diced tomatoes OR a can of cream of chicken soup for a creamy version.  I decided to amp it up a bit and added a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles and changed the soup from chicken to celery.  What resulted was an extremely tender and spicy round steak in its own gravy.

MEXICAN SWISS STEAK

2 pounds round or swiss steak, 3/4 inches thick

1 large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

1 pound can tomatoes OR 1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can ROTEL tomatoes with green chiles

1 can cream of celery soup

salt & pepper to taste

• Salt and pepper each piece of meat.
• Cut meat into serving size pieces
• Whisk together the soup and tomatoes until well blended.
• Layer meat, onion rings and soup several times in crock pot.
• Cook on low 8-10 hours.

I served it with Potato casserole and the guys wolfed it ALL down!

DON'T FORGET!

It's PARTY time here at OUR KrAzY kitchen.

Be sure to link up on the sidebar to join the party.

AUGUST 2010

Save Room for Dessert - Triple Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding

Today's post is a rich and chocolate-filled bread pudding.  I'm a big fan of bread pudding, in fact, I believe that even a not-so-great bread pudding is better than no bread pudding!  Hope you enjoy it!

Triple Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding

1 loaf stale French bread, cubed (about 8 cups)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups half-n-half

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/8 teaspoon orange extract

6 tablespoons butter, melted & cooled

1/2 teaspoon salt

Zest of one orange

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

4 squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4.25 oz Symphony bar, chopped

2 cups toasted and chopped pecans

Whiskey Sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

The bread pudding cooks in a water bath, so you'll need 13x9 for the pudding itself, and a pan large enough to hold the 13x9 pan.

Began heating a pot of water - 4-6 cups, depending upon the size of the larger pan. The water does not need to boil, but it must be hot.

Butter a 13x9 pan and set inside the larger pan.

Place the bread cubes, chopped chocolate, and pecans into the buttered pan; make sure the chocolate and pecans are well-distributed.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, vanilla, zest, and extract; beat for 5 minutes until lemon-colored and thick.

Add both creams and the melted butter. Mix well.

Pour custard over bread cubes, using a spoon to press the cubes into the custard.

Carefully, pour the hot water into the larger pan; go slowly, as you don't want the water to splash into the bread pudding.

Very carefully, place into the preheated oven.

Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Begin testing at 60 minutes.

Serve warm with whiskey sauce, if desired.

Whiskey Sauce

1 1/2 cup milk

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cool water, stir until cornstarch has dissolved.

1/2-1 cup Jack Daniels or Southern Comfort

1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt

Cook milk, butter, and sugar over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.

Add salt, whiskey, and cornstarch mixture to sugar mixture and cool for 2 minutes, or until thickened.

Serve warm over bread pudding.

YAY HOO!

It's PARTY time here at OUR KrAzY kitchen.

Be sure to link up on the sidebar to join the party.

APRICOT CHERRY GALETTE ~ As easy as YOU want it to be!

Pie Dough Ingredients*

For a 9-inch crust

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of butter, cold and cubed
• 1/4 cup ice water

Filling Ingredients**

For one 9-inch galette

• 3/4 pound fresh apricots, pitted and chopped
  
• 1/2 pound fresh cherries, pitted
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup sugar + more for sprinkling
• Juice of half a lemon

Ingredients for Assembly

• 1 egg, beaten

ASSEMBLY

• Cut butter into small cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. 
• Add butter and pulse until it resembles a coarse meal. 
• Gradually add ice water and pulse until the dough forms a coarse meal. 
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface and very lightly and sparingly, knead just to incorporate dry ingredients. 
• Flatten into a circle; wrap individually in plastic. 
• Refrigerate dough for at least an hour. 
• Remove dough from refrigerator; place on floured work surface. 
• Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rough 11-inch circle. 
• Trim the edges to a clean circle with a pairing knife. 
• Transfer the circle to a baking sheet or pizza pan lined with parchment paper. 
• Mix 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl and spread on the bottom of the dough. 
• Toss apricots and cherries with the rest of the cornstarch, sugar and lemon juice. 
• Arrange the fruit on the bottom of the dough, leaving 2 inches of dough left outside. 
• Fold up and pleat the dough over the top of the fruit, leaving the center uncovered. 
• Lightly brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle both the dough and the fruit with 1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar. 
• Place the Galette in the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. 
• Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack immediately. 
• Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

*If you are in a huge hurry, a Pillsbury pie crust  from the dairy case can be substituted.

**1 can Comstock cherries can be substituted. Just add apricots!

Veggie Tales: Beans with Envy!

As a vegetarian, it's tough making a bean salad that's more than just a bean salad. But when you add one simple ingredient (that is not so simple)- you create a dish that is flavorful, powerful, and more importantly: Easy and Delightful! 

I present: The Artichoke

Italian Artichoke and White Bean Salad

What you'll need:

1 can artichokes (rinsed and halved)

1 can cannellini beans (rinsed)

1 red onion (minced)

1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

1/4 cup freshly chopped basil

1 lemon (zest and juice)

1 garlic clove (minced)

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

What you'll do:

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy the goodness!

Happy Saturday! 
It's Veggie Tales, By Kris! Join me at Behold The Metatron everyday!

Fire Day Friday: Torta de Espinacas

Don't you hate it when you are doing a main dish from a certain country and then you are stuck trying to come up with complimentary side dishes?

Tonight I was trying out Lomo Al Trapo, a popular Colombian beef dish. When I needed to find side dishes, I knew right where I was going....to Erica's blog My Colombian Recipes. Erica lives in the states now but is from Medellin, Colombia and posts recipes inspired by her homeland. Tonight Alexis made Erica's Torta de Espinacas (Spinach Cake) on the Big Green Egg.

Torta de Espinacas (Spinach Cake)
Source: My Colombian Recipes
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
11/4 cups milk
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch nutmeg
1 garlic clove
8 oz frozen spinach, thawed
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespons parmesan cheese
Directions
In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk often until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add the milk gradually and continue whisking often until the sauce is smooth and thick, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Place the spinach and garlic in a blender and add the white sauce(bechamel sauce). Blend until smooth.
Place the spinach mixture in a plastic container and add the eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a small bowl, mix the parmesan and bread crumbs.
Pour the spinach mixture in a baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmesan mixture.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until the cake is done.

We only did a few things differently. First, we used about twice as much bread crumb/cheese mixture on top. Second, we did ours on a 375f grill set up for indirect heat for the 35 minutes.

This recipe fits perfectly inside a Weber Small Drip Pan (6" x 9", come ten to a pack). Don't be alarmed if it poofs up a bit like a souffle, it will fall back down.

We found that this recipe converted to the grill very well and will definitely make it again. It would also be good in the oven but I think the fire roasting adds a little something. Besides, you know we like playing with fire!

So Labor Day is coming up. Is that the end of the grilling season for you or are you just getting started?

It's a Red Velvet Birthday Cake!

Greetings all!

What a great time we had while celebrating my friend and neighbor's birthday.  Actually, it was the somewhere between 15th and 20th anniversary of the first time she turned 29, so this is really her anniversary of her birthday cake... but I digress.

Here it is in progress, all 4 tiers of it (special day, special cake).

I have a set of oval cake pans.  So a smaller base, but taller cake makes for a special presentation.

Just a couple of hints, the butter cream frosting I used needs to be just slightly chilled, while the cake must be completely cooled before you start frosting it.  Think about it, a warm cake will melt the frosting.  And a harder cold frosting will tear holes in the cake while you frost it.

Also, I used a full bottle of the red food coloring to get the red cake look.  The more, the merrier!

The pink frosting has a bit of peppermint flavoring added.

The clowns are made with a large tip at the end of a pastry bag.

Make the body from a big glob of starred frosting, then add the arms and legs.  the clown heads are from broken toys.

Red Velvet Cake is legendary for it's chocolate richness, buttercream icing decadence and the beauty of the red cake contrasted with the white icing.  Bobby Flay did one of his Throwdown shows about Red Velvet cake a few years ago.  A simple Google search came up with that recipe on the Food Network Website and I stuck to it...

Ingredients For the Cake  

• 3 3/4 cups AP Flour
• 3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure Vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
• The Frosting Recipe Follows

For the cake:

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line each pan with a round of parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl

Cream the butter, sugar and oil in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla, vinegar and food coloring.

Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches alternating with the buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans. Let cool completely before frosting. Slice each cake into 2 layers and frost.

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

Combine the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and the sugar is totally dissolved, about 6 minutes. Add the cold paste, a few tablespoons at a time to the butter mixture and whip until light and fluffy.

Just as good as it looks!

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!  

 ... I CAN COOK THAT! 

And so can you!

Summer Squash, Zucchini & Pea Risotto

I love risotto but I've never made it.  I've seen a ton of recipes for it and have been tempted.  But never made it.

Until now.

Peas are not a vegetable that you'll see a lot of from me. My husband hates peas.  Like, "file-for-divorce-if-you-make-peas" kind of hate. So needless to say, we don't eat a lot of peas. I happen to LOVE peas but clearly don't get enough of them.

So I saved this recipe for when he was at work! I hid the leftovers in the back of the frig and ate them for lunch the next day before he ever knew they were made.

Whew!  Marriage saved!

Luckily it was also a fairly cool day as it does take plenty of time of stirring in front of the stove.  (Ha! That's what 13 year old daughters are for!)

It turned out perfect and was delicious! 

We ate this with a Honey Mustard Chicken with Pretzel Crust which paired nicely with the risotto. I will for sure make this again. - When the husband is gone again, of course!

This is linked with Works For Me Wednesdays over at We Are THAT Family.
Also linked with Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Summer Squash, Zucchini and Pea Risotto

Adapted from 990 Square

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion

1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise and then in 1/4 thick slices

1 medium yellow squash , cut lengthwise and then 1/2 in. thick

1 quart of chicken stock

2 tbsp. butter

1 cup arborio rice

1 cup peas

juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan. heat the olive oil on high. Add the squashes, saute for 2 - 3 minutes. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over moderate heat and add the onions, sauteing them for about 3 - 4 minutes, then add the rice, stirring until it is well coated. Add 1/2 cup stock and cook, stirring constantly until the stock is absorbed.

Continue adding stock, about 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently. By the time most, or all of the stock is added, the rice should be tender but still firm, the mixture creamy. Add the reserved zucchini, squash and peas and cook until they are heated through. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Total calories = 1395 calories

6 big servings = 232 calories per serving

Honey Mustard Chicken with Pretzel Crust + Summer Squash, Zucchini & Pea Risotto = 532 calorie dinner

Check out my Honey Mustard Chicken with Pretzel Crust on Debbi Does Dinner Healthy! 

Try a New Recipe: Crepes Nutella

We had a wonderful trip to Paris and the French countryside! I know you were all wondering! I expected to come back several pounds heavier from eating everything I possibly could, but no such luck. I have a couple cookbooks with traditional recipes from the region we visited in the country, but they are in French and will take some time for me to translate and prepare.

There were so many things we ate that were delicious beyond words, and I am wishing more than anything there was a French Patisserie right here on the ranch. One of the best things about France is the bread and butter. It's just sooooo good. Our four-year-old boy, Sawed Off, absolutely LIVED on bread (no butter for him). Our seven-year-old lived on Escargot. That's right, I said snails. He LOVES snails.

The other thing we were able to get Sawed Off to eat (just to balance out his diet), and that you and I can very easily recreate right here at home, were Crepes Nutella. (and if you don't believe that carbs and chocolate are part of a balanced diet, well...perhaps you shouldn't take that trip to Paris after all...)

I really don't know how many times Sawed Off ate Crepes Nutella. Yes, crepes with that lovely chocolate hazelnut spread that you can buy right here in the States! And they are so easy to make.

I've already given you the crepe recipe, so just make a batch of crepes. While they are still hot, spread thinly (or thickly) with Nutella, fold, serve and ENJOY! Tres simple!

Don't forget to visit me at The Bad Girl's Kitchen for more fabulous recipes!

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake

Today's recipe is my first post as a new host of Save Room for Dessert from OuR kRAzy kitChEn. I am beyond excited! Baking is a passion of mine, so when I emailed Tamy about the possibility of being a part of OuR kRAzy kitChEn, and she responded with an offer to be a host, I jumped at the chance.  Just a little bit about me - I've been blogging over at my site, Louanne's Kitchen, since February, and it's been more fun and rewarding than I ever could have imagined. I'm married to Brett and I'm a mom to Andrew, and by day, I'm a librarian; we live in south Louisiana, just across Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans. My cooking style is varied - I love to try new ethnic dishes - my current favorite is curry - but I also make many dishes passed down from my Sicilian & French grandparents. I'm looking forward to meeting you all and can't wait to try out the delicious recipes I've found here!

Now, on to the reason we're all here...

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons agave syrup

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/4 cups milk

2 tablespoons cocoa

1/4 cup cold brewed coffee

2 cups mini marshmallows

Chocolate Glaze

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly grease a 9" springform pan and set aside.
• Cream butter, vanilla, sugar, egg, and agave syrup until light and fluffy.
• Stir in half of the flour and half of the milk, then stir in remaining flour and milk.
• Place half of the batter in a separate bowl, and stir in the cocoa and 1/4 cup cold, brewed coffee.
• Dollop alternate spoonfuls of each batter into prepared pan.
• Using a butter knife, swirl through the batter to make a marbled effect.
• Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven, and spread on marshmallows.
• Return cake to oven, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
• Remove from oven, cool for 10 minutes, and drizzle on chocolate glaze.
• Allow to cool for an additional 15 minutes before removing side of pan.
• While cake is cooling, make glaze by melting chopped bittersweet chocolate and butter together in a small saucepan over low heat.
• Drizzle with chocolate glaze and allow to set before serving.
• Enjoy!

PEACH BBQ RIBS

3 pounds cut spareribs
1 can Peach Comstock*
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's hickory smoke BBQ sauce**
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper 
1 tablespoon Frank's hot sauce

• Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper; rub well. 
• Place in baking dish and top tightly with foil, shiny side in.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, reduce heat to 375 degrees for an additional 30 minutes. 
• Pour off any excess liquid. 
  
• In the meantime pour peach Comstock into a food processor and puree.
• Add BBQ sauce, hot sauce and lemon juice. Pulse until well blended.
• Remove from oven, brush meat with sauce, turn, brush sauce on other side. 
• Bake at 375 degrees with foil loose and open 30 minutes.

*Cherry works great too!

**or any other favorite brown sugar based sauce - I'm allergic to mustard so Sweet Baby Ray's is about the only prepared sauce on the market I can use.  I really prepare to make sauce fresh.

Crab Salad Nigiri Sushi

I first saw this crab salad nigiri sushi that my blogger friend Pikko had made on her blog Adventures in bento making . I thought I'd give it a try for a gathering at my husband's work one evening. Pikko's are much prettier, I'll have to keep practicing. Her creation was a hit though. I put them in a deviled egg carrier to bring them in. Since we were all hanging outside behind the shop it didn't have to be fancy.

First off my rice cooker died on me. How frustrating. It would turn on and keep warm, but the cook button wouldn't work. I went to check it and there it sat, all that water still hanging out on top. I transferred it to a pan and cooked it on my stove top, forgot to time it, but it turned out fine! Once in the bowl I added the already prepared sushi vinegar while it's still warm. I don't add much sugar at all to my sushi rice (personal preference).

Using the stick version of the imitation crab. Chop up the crab and add mayo, I added a little wasabi powder to it, but not enough for it to be too much for those who don't like it. I am a wasabi fan!

It took a little while to get used to handling the sticky sushi rice, having a bowl of water on hand to help. I hand made the rice balls (I am using a rice ball maker next time, sounds like a good investment). A little adjusting on what size to make them. With scissors cut the nori sheets into strips, being careful to cut them straight because it will show if you cut it crooked.

Wrap the strips around the rice, sealing it with water. With a tiny baby spoon I filled the cups with the crab salad. Those little spoons come in handy, good thing I saved them!

I topped some with srircha, some with wasabi and left some without, because I know Maranda would like it plain. I have to tell you this it was funny. A couple showed up later, they came riding in on their motorcycles all noisy, just to make an entrance. (The owner's brother and his girlfriend). She is acting all tough in her leathers. Someone is telling them what we have to eat. Now for a few of them this was the first time they've tried sushi. He pointed out the sushi, she says "No I only like real sushi". Okay, alright then, now I was good, and I only said "this is real sushi". Then I let her do her thing. After eating some 7 layer taco dip, she did try a piece and loved it. No wasabi for her, she doesn't "do " wasabi. Then she ate another one, then said "I wish we were here earlier and didn't miss most of the sushi" She ended up eating the last one too. I just smiled to myself. Maranda and Wade did bring it up later, and we laughed about it.

Thanks Pikko it was a hit.

You can check out more of my food trials and ethnic ventures at The Tiny Skillet . Or check out The Tiny Bento for my bento lunches that are so popular in Japan!

Have a great weekend!!

Fire Day Friday - Chorizo Joes

Football season has started up. That means a lot of tailgating parties with typical hot dogs and hamburgers. But you can shake things up, because you know that the grill is capable of much more than burgers and dogs.

Once the leaves start to turn, the winds begin to actually feel chilly, and weekends are about game day entertainment, try sloppy joes on the grill for something different. And these are much better than opening a can of that....that....Stuffwich stuff.

Sloppy Chorizo Joes

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 lb Mexican Chorizo sausage

2 Anaheim peppers

1 sweet red bell pepper

1 small onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz can tomato paste

2 cups water

1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper, ground (I used my home made chili pepper blend)

1/2 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp turbinado sugar

salt and pepper to taste

8 hamburger buns

Instructions

Char the peppers over a hot grill, burner, or broiler a few minutes a side. Remove when charred and blistered, resting in a zip lock bag for 5 minutes.

Peel the charred skin, slice open and de-seed the peppers (see video). Dice.

Preheat a dutch oven over medium heat on the grill. Brown the ground beef and chorizo, then remove and drain.

Add the onions to the dutch oven with 1 Tbsp of the reserved meat drippings and saute for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes longer.

Return the meat mixture to the dutch oven. Add the roasted chili peppers. Mix the water, tomato paste, pepper, cumin, and sugar together and then add to the dutch oven. Once this comes to a simmer, cover and kill the grill heat (shut the vents or gas).

After 5 minutes, stir, season with salt and pepper to taste and remove to rest (covered) for another 5 minutes.

Serve with plain white hamburger buns.

“Colors of the Caribbean” Lemonade

We made it... safe and sound and home.  While I did indeed cook a great many dishes on the island, when we returned, we wanted to have a theme drink to serve our friends while we bored them with our stories and photographs.

Like this one…

See that beautiful color of the ocean.  This photo was taken in “the Baths” in Virgin Gorda, of the British Virgin Isles.  I just fell in love with the colors of the Caribbean waters, and wanted to recreate this color in a drink.

So, I give you the “Colors of the Caribbean” Lemonade

Start with 1/2 a pitcher (about 5 cups) of your favorite Lemonade
Add 1 cup Blue Alize Liqueur (blue Alize is a French Cognac mixture with Passion Fruit, Cherries, Ginger and other exotic fruit juices.
Fill with ice
Garnish with Lemon Slices

Serve in tall Collins size glass, and garnish with Lemon Slices

And it is just that simple.  So far, as long as we keep the drinks flowing, no one minds listening to our stories too much.

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!  

 ... I CAN COOK THAT! 

And so can you!

BBQ Cola Meatballs

Welcome to Healthy Meals on Our Krazy Kitchen.  I like to focus on real, everyday, satisfying meals that you don't have to feel guilty about enjoying!

I find meatballs adorable. They are like little mini meat loaves with a scrumptious sauce all around them. What's not to love?  I've made meatballs different ways.  I've baked them, I've pan fried them. These, I did in the crockpot. (and the oven).  They were baked first, then I threw them in the crock pot.  

Then I made a delicious BBQ sauce with a unique sweetener. COKE! I thought that was awesome when I first saw it!!  I got this recipe from Kel from Between the Lines.  I'm always looking for new ways to prepare everyday food so when I saw this, I knew I had to try it!

Doesn't that look awesome!!! They held together great so gently stirring wasn't a problem. We ended up eating every last bit of the sauce!! They were made with ground turkey so they weren't greasy at all.  I ate 7 of them and was quite full!! 

We ate this with a delicious Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese.  This was a fantastic meal!  Healthy and filling!

Barbecue Cola Meatballs

Adapted from Between the Lines

Meatballs:

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey

1 1/4 cups bread crumbs (I used panko)

1 egg

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1 (1 oz) package dry ranch style dressing mix

Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup barbeque sauce

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup cola

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup green or red pepper, chopped

1 tsp. seasoning salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a large bowl, mix together the meatball ingredients until well blended. Shape into meatball and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 turning them over half way.

Mix up the sauce ingredients in slow cooker. Remove meatballs from baking sheet and place in sauce in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, then remove lid and cook for an additional 15 - 30 minutes before serving. Mine made 40 meatballs.

Total calories = 1922 calories

40 meatballs = 48 calories per meatball with sauce

7 BBQ Cola Meatballs + Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese = 582 calorie dinner

Check out the spaghetti squash mac and cheese and more healthy recipes at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy!