Cooking Lessons for Dad

Cooking Lessons for Beginners

Pecan Meatballs

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Yield: About 30 meatballs

Pecan Meatballs

Ingredients

  • 4 cups bread crumbs, whole grain (soft)
  • 1 cup oats, quick
  • 1 cup pecan meal
  • 1 1/4 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt, Kosher
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce, low sodium
  • Cooking spray

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
  3. Mix bread crumbs, oats and pecan meal in a large bowl. Set aside.
  4. Add remaining ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend well leaving small bits of onion and celery.
  5. Stir blended mixture into dry ingredients. Mix well.
  6. Let mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes to absorb moisture.
  7. Form mixture into 1 inch balls. Press meatballs firmly together. Place on baking sheet.
  8. Bake meatballs for 30 minutes total, turning halfway (at 15 minutes). Meatballs are done when they are browned.
  9. See a cooking demonstration of this Pecan Meatball recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

Notes

Prepare bread crumbs in a blender or food processor. Blend small batches of bread on low speed (or pulse) until they are bread crumbs. Use whole grain bread or rolls.

These pecan meatballs are great served over spaghetti and topped with Crockpot Italian Pasta Sauce and Parmesan cheese.

© Karen Breyer

 

Thai Style Vegetable Curry

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Yield: 6 servings (8 - 9 cups)

Thai Style Vegetable Curry

Ingredients

  • 1 - 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 - 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 - 1 1/2 cups onion, diced
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 cup bell peppers, diced (combine 2 colors; red, yellow, green, or orange)
  • 4 - 5 cups zucchini, diced
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 cup dry-roasted peanuts (divided: 3/4 and 1/4 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons curry powder
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup garbanzo beans, canned (rinsed and drained)
  • 1 cup peas, frozen
  • Water if desired to thin curry mixture (optional)

Instructions

  1. Wash and dice vegetables.
  2. Heat large pot over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
  3. After the oil is hot, add the garlic and onions. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté for a couple minutes until the onions are soft (about 1 or 2 minutes).
  4. Add the carrots and peppers and stir. Reduce the heat to medium - low and cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir frequently.
  5. Next add the zucchini. Stir, reduce the heat to medium - low and cover the pan. Simmer about 5 minutes.
  6. While the vegetables are simmering, blend 3/4 cup peanuts, tomato sauce, soy sauce, curry powder and salt in a blender until smooth.
  7. Add blended curry mixture to the cooked vegetables and stir thoroughly.
  8. Add the garbanzo beans and peas to the cooked vegetables and stir. Stir in a little water (as desired) if you would like a thinner curry mixture.
  9. Cook curry mixture until it is hot throughout. Taste and add more salt and/or curry powder if desired.
  10. Serve curry over rice and top with peanuts.

Notes

You can vary the amount of diced vegetables in this recipe to your taste or to what you have on hand.

Adjust the garlic, curry powder and salt to taste.

You may also serve this curry over couscous or quinoa.

I usually serve the extra peanuts in a dish and let each person add their desired amount to the top of their curry.

You can add a little water near the end of the cooking time if you desire a thinner curry mixture. I sometimes add about 1/4 cup of water after I add the peas if I think the curry mixture is too thick.

See a cooking demonstration of this Thai Style Vegetable Curry recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

Garlic Egg Pasta

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I hope you are having fun learning how to cook! Please share with me your favorite easy recipe that you have tried this year. So far my favorite easy recipe is Easy Garlic Egg Pasta. It has only a few ingredients and tastes so good! I would suggest using a Teflon pot to make clean-up easier. I think Easy Garlic Egg Pasta may become one of your favorite recipes too. Below is the cooking video for this recipe in case you want to try it. Happy Cooking!

Moroccan Fiesta Chicken

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Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Moroccan Fiesta Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 - 2 pounds chicken, boneless, skinless, raw
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 3 cups salsa, chunky (mild or medium)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons cumin, ground
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 - 1 cup pine nuts, toasted or almonds, toasted (sliced or chopped)
  • 6 cups couscous or brown rice, cooked

Instructions

  1. Add the following ingredients to the crockpot: garlic, salsa, water, raisins, honey, cumin, and cinnamon. Stir.
  2. Cut raw chicken into bite-sized pieces.
  3. Add chicken to crockpot. Stir.
  4. Cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
  5. Check the chicken to make sure it is cooked. It should be white throughout.
  6. Serve the Moroccan Fiesta Chicken over cooked rice or couscous. Top with toasted pine nuts or almonds.

Notes

This Moroccan Fiesta Chicken would be great served with a steamed vegetable and/or salad.

Try my favorite Moroccan Carrots recipe for a perfect accompaniment to this Moroccan Fiesta Chicken. The recipe for these amazing Moroccan Carrots can be found at Cookinglessonsfordad.com.

To make a vegetarian version of this Moroccan Fiesta Chicken recipe, replace the real chicken with a vegetable protein chicken substitute. This “fake” or “vegetarian” chicken has a similar texture and taste to real chicken. To use this “vegetarian” chicken, take it out of the can, cut it in bite-sized pieces and add it to the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients.

See a cooking demonstration of this Moroccan Fiesta Chicken on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

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