cilantro cashew pesto

I made this to go over the mexican meatballs. I thinned it with a little fat free half and half before mixing it with the pasta.

Cilantro Cashew Pesto

3 heaping cups of fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves
3/4 C cashews
1/4 c fresh parmesan
1 jalepeno
juice of half a lime
1/4-1/2 c extra virgin olive oil (I just drizzle it in until it is the consistency I want)

Put cilantro, garlic, cashews, cheese, jalepeno in food processor and blend until it looks like crumbs. Add lime juice. With machine on, slowly drizzle olive oil in until it is the consistency you like. I like thicker pesto.

Mexican Turkey Meatballs

Ok, Im a little obsessed with meatballs lately....so here is a kind of different version...I was bored in a staff meeting so that is when I came up with the recipe. They are so tasty. I served them with Cilantro Cashew Pesto, but they would be great served as an appetizer with creamy salsa or sour cream.

Mexican Turkey Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey 93% lean
1/3 C milk
1/2 C bread crumbs
1/2 C oatmeal
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper
1 jalepeno, chopped fine
few dashes worchestershire sauce
1/2 C colby jack cheese, shredded
handful fresh cilantro, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

put milk in large bowl, add breadcrumbs and oatmeal and mix well. Add all ingredients besides turkey and cilantro and mix well with your hands. Add turkey and cilantro and mix thoroughly. Shape into cocktail sized meatballs. Line baking trays with parchment paper. Place meatballs on baking trays. Bake 17-20 minutes until no longer pink inside. mmmmmm

Turkey Meatballs in the Crockpot

I have to say honestly these meatballs are the best I have had. Ive really been on the search for great meatballs...the taste and texture of these are so great. Also, if you do not have the time to cook them in the crockpot, you can bake them and put them in sauce and simmer.*****I just edited this recipe to alter the amount of oatmeal/breadcrumbs...the mixture was a little wet the first time, so I added more breadcrumbs, the next time I added more oatmeal....the oatmeal was an experiment and I liked it so much that I changed the recipe. This is a sneaky way to get fiber, and you can omit the breadcrumbs all together and use all oatmeal to make this gluten free ( :

Turkey Meatballs in the Crockpot

1/2 c milk (I used 1%)
1/2 C Italian bread crumbs
1/2 C oatmeal
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C fresh grated parmesan
1 egg
1/2 C fresh parsley, chopped fine
few dashes worchestershire sauce
20 oz ground turkey (I used Jennie O 93% lean)
salt and pepper

Sauce:
26 oz jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 C white wine (I used Chardonnay....dont use red...white makes it very bright in flavor)
2 tsp sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced

line crockpot with slow cooker liner.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. soak bread crumbs and oats in milk in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Wet hands and form into balls ( I did it about swedish meatball size). Place on nonstick foil on baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. (I ended up raising it to 375 for the last 5 minutes).

While meatballs are cooking, add marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, white wine, sugar and garlic to crockpot and stir. Once meatballs are done, add to sauce mixture, give a slight stir and cook 3 hours on high. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Rum Balls

I made these around Christmas...soo easy and tasty... they are pretty strong. After a week they mellow in flavor a bit. Store these in the fridge. They will keep for weeks....if they last that long!

Rum Balls

3 1/4 C crushed Nilla wafers
3/4 C confectioners sugar (additional for dusting)
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 C chopped walnuts
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 C rum (I used black seal rum...I think spiced rum would be good too)

stir together nilla wafers, confectioners sugar, cocoa, and nuts. Blend in corn syrup and rum. Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in additional confectioners sugar.

Orange Vinaigrette

so the original recipe was from Giada De Laurentis....my aunt made it at Christmas....such a great dressing...so light and tasty...AND easy! I made a few adjustments. I served this over baby arugula with crumbled blue cheese and honey roasted almonds.

Orange Vinaigrette

zest and juice of two oranges
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar (can sub regular Balsamic Vinegar)
1 squirt balsamic glaze
2 Tbsp honey
1 small shallot, chopped
3/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
3/4 C extra virgin olive oil

add all ingredients to a blender (I used the magic bullet) and emulsify...easy as that!

Baked Clam Dip

So I made this for Christmas, and it was such a hit! I used a recipe given to me by someone and improvised a little bit. I forgot to get a picture, so I stole one from the internet. This is pretty much what it looks like. Enjoy! Oh and its pretty garlicky, so don't kiss anyone the day after ;)

Baked Clam Dip

2 (6.5oz) cans minced or chopped clams, with juice
1 and 1/2 C breadcrumbs
1 stick of butter (you read that right)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet onion, minced
juice and zest of one lemon
2 tsp italian seasoning (or you can use Italian Bread Crumbs)
tsp of sea salt

Melt butter and saute onion til soft, add garlic the last two minutes of cooking. Mix all other indredients together into saute mixture. Put into pyrex pie plate and bake at 350 for 30 min. You can broil for a minute or so at the end to really brown the top. Serve with crackers or toasted bread