A few people have asked about my recipe that I used for Noah's birthday(pictures in the next post down)... oh and while I am thinking about it someone asked how I tile pictures. So I will answer both questions!
The pictures: I upload my pics to my photobucket account and instead of using the codes provided, I cut and paste the actual photos with their frames. When it appears in my New Entry box it has a little info at the bottom like a number and something like aug2008.jpg or something like that. I carefully delete that. If you delete too far you will accidentally delete the frame on the picture. I like to leave that so you can click on the small pic and see the larger one. After I get a row of pictures I delete spaces to where two of them are side by side and end up with the tiling that I usually post. That's it!
Now for the recipes. It is actually two different recipes:
First the meatballs recipe. It is a variation of the recipe in the Eating for Life cookbook (that I use a LOT!). We avoid MSG and high fructose corn syrup so I will note what items I use to do that too.
Meatballs
2 lbs. of ground turkey
4 egg whites (or 2 whole eggs)
1/2-3/4 c. dry breadcrumbs (I really like the texture of panko, which is a Japanese breadcrumb and I have found some with no MSG added... a lot of pre-made breadcrumbs DO have MSG added as well as very high sodium content and sometimes corn syrup too!)
1/4 c. water (sometimes I have to add just a bit more to make the meatballs wet enough)
1/2 onion, very finely chopped. We use red onions... more antioxidants than white!
3-4 cloves of fresh garlic. You can use less, but we love garlic!
1/4 c. fresh parsley (fresh has a bolder flavor in herbs. If you use dried add a little more)
2 tsp. fresh organic basil
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt or sea salt
Sometimes I mix in pureed veggies... whatever kind we want: mushrooms, carrots, zucchini. We often add some organic pureed tomato and a bit of Parmesan cheese.
We mix it all together. It is easiest to do this with your hands. Make meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place them side by side on a baking sheet with a bit of space between them and broil for 10-12 minutes. I usually turn them once during this process. They are sooooo yummy!
EASY Calzone or Pizza Crust
2 1/4 tsp. yeast dissolved in 1 C. warm water
2 TBS. sugar (we use organic unbleached sugar or honey)
1 tsp. salt
2 TBS. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 1/2 C. whole grain flour
(sometimes a bit more to get the right consistency... smooth and elastic, but not sticky)
Add the yeast water to the dough and mix well to form a ball. We like to add Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, thyme, etc. and fresh garlic directly to the dough)
Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Roll out on floured surface. Do NOT allow to rise too much or it will be dry and tough. This does not do well made ahead. It is best if baked up immediately. Top pizza or calzone and bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes (a bit longer for calzones.)
The only major difference is that if it is a calzone we place a second crust on top. For pizza our family does turkey pepperoni or just veggies and cheese with pureed organic canned tomatoes. For calzones we still use the cheese and sauce, but we do meatballs instead. Sometimes we make a ricotta mixture for calzones too... similar to lasagna, ricotta, parmesan, parsley, eggs and we just dot it on and around the meatballs. That is really good too.
When we serve the calzones we top with extra sauce and serve with a side salad! YUM!
If you try this I would love to hear how your family liked it!
