Cooking Lessons for Dad

Cooking Lessons for Beginners

Easy Italian Meatballs

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Easy Italian Meatballs

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground meat (beef, turkey or chicken)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1 - 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 2 - 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  3. Shape mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs and place them on an ungreased baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the meatballs start to brown, there is no pink in the center and the juice is clear.
  5. Allow the meatballs to cool down before picking them up to prevent them from breaking apart. Serve.

Notes

Wetting your hands will make rolling the meatballs easier.

To make evenly sized 1 inch meatballs, spread the meatball mixture out on a piece of wax paper (1 inch thick). Cut 1 inch cubes and then roll each cube into a ball.

If you would like 2 inch meatballs, spread the mixture out in a 2 inch layer and cut 2 inch squares. Then roll each cube into a ball.

You can make your own bread crumbs by placing torn, firm bread into a blender or food processor. Blend on low or process to make fine bread crumbs.

These meatballs are delicious served with my Crockpot Italian Pasta sauce over pasta. You can find this recipe at Cookinglessonsfordad.com.

© Karen Breyer

 

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

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Yield: 5 servings

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

  • 5 sweet potatoes, medium
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt, Kosher
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper, ground
  • Cooking spray

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
  2. Rinse and scrub the sweet potatoes. Cut them into similar sized strips (your desired thickness and length).
  3. Put the cut potatoes in a large bowl or plastic bag.
  4. Add the oil to the bowl or bag and mix to coat the potatoes.
  5. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper to the bowl or bag. Mix/shake to evenly coat the potatoes.
  6. Spread the cut and coated potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheets.
  7. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes , turning halfway. They are done when they are crispy and have a puffed up texture.

Notes

Spread the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet so they are not touching. If you crowd them together they wont get crispy.

The sweet potato fries may get a little black and that is fine. The blackness will give them a delicious caramelized flavor.

You can flip the fries using a metal spatula. Scoop them up and quickly flip them over.

Thicker fries will take longer to cook and thinner fries will cook faster.

Adjust the spices and seasonings to your taste.

See a cooking demonstration of this Baked Sweet Potato Fries recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

Crockpot Peanut Butter and Flax Energy Bars

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Yield: 12 - 18 bars

Crockpot Peanut Butter and Flax Energy Bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt, Kosher
  • 1 3/4 cup flaxseed meal
  • Cooking spray

Instructions

  1. Spray the inside of the crockpot or slow cooker with cooking spray.
  2. In a bowl, mix together peanut butter, honey and salt.
  3. Stir the flax seed meal in with the peanut butter mixture.
  4. Press the mixture evenly in the bottom of the crockpot.
  5. With a fork, pull the mixture about 1/4” inch away from the edge of the crockpot.
  6. Cover the crockpot with two layers of paper towels and cover with the lid.
  7. Bake the bars on low about 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours or until the edges are lightly browned. The bars should be soft. The top may still be moist until it cools.
  8. Let the bars cool for about 30 minutes.
  9. After the 30 minutes, cut the bars and remove them from the crockpot to continue to cool. The bars will become more firm as they cool. Serve.
  10. Serve.

Notes

You can make flax meal by grinding whole flaxseeds in a coffee grinder or blender.

You can use another type of salt if you so not have Kosher.

Instead of paper towels, you can cover the crockpot with a clean towel (no fabric softener on the towel).

Save leftover bars in an airtight container.

You may have to cook these bars longer or shorter depending on how hot your crockpot/slow cooker cooks.

© Karen Breyer

 

Baked Falafel

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Yield: 4 servings

Baked Falafel

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 - 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 - 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup flour, whole wheat
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup parsley, diced
  • Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Sauté the onion in 1 teaspoon olive oil until the onion is soft.
  3. Add the garbanzo beans, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, lemon juice, and egg to a blender or food processor. Blend on low or pulse until everything is minced but not pureed. You want it a little chunky with some texture.
  4. Add parsley and mix on low until it is combined.
  5. Pour the mixture in a bowl. Add the flour and baking powder. Stir together to make a dough.
  6. Make 1 1/2 inch balls with the mixture and place them on the baking sheet.
  7. Flatten each ball into a thick patty with a fork.
  8. Bake about 20 to 30 minutes, turning the patties over halfway. They are done when they are slightly crisp on both sides and cooked through.

Notes

You can use Italian or curly parsley. I use Italian parsley.

These falafel are delicious served in pita bread with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and tzatziki sauce.

© Karen Breyer

 

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