Dinner Tonight

Dinner Tonight

Healthy Cooking for a Healthy Texas

Cranberry Orange Meatballs

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If you are looking for a great make-ahead, tasty small bite appetizer for your holiday week, these Sweet and Tangy Cranberry Orange Meatballs are festive and have all those holiday flavors we love! You can make the meatballs beforehand and freeze them until you are ready to put all the ingredients in the slow cooker to save you even more time in the kitchen and give you more time to celebrate with family!


Cranberry Orange Meatballs
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Servings
10 servings (5 meatballs)
Servings
10 servings (5 meatballs)
Cranberry Orange Meatballs
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Servings
10 servings (5 meatballs)
Servings
10 servings (5 meatballs)
Ingredients
Meatballs
Orange Cranberry Sauce
Servings: servings (5 meatballs)
Units:
Instructions
Meaballs
  1. Clean area and preheat oven at 425 degrees.
  2. Line two baking sheets with foil and set them aside.
  3. Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large mixing bowl. Gently mix with your hands until well combined. Do not overmix.
  4. Use a small scooper to portion out meatballs to ensure they are all the same size and cook evenly. Place on foil-lined baking sheet.
  5. Bake meatballs in over for 10-14 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
Meatballs & Sauce
  1. Once the meatballs have been cooked, lightly spray your slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray and add meatballs.
  2. Top the meatballs with the remaining ingredients listed for the orange cranberry sauce and stir to coat the meatballs well.
  3. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Turn heat to low until ready to serve.
  4. Note: Cooked meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes

Ingredients in Cranberry Orange Meatballs may include added sugars. 1 serving of Cranberry Orange Meatballs contains:

Total Sugars – 12.8 grams 

Added sugars 4.8 grams 

Charcuterie Boards

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Charcuterie Boards are very on-trend right now but for good reason, they make sense in a lot of situations! Whether you are looking to create a charcuterie board for a gathering of friends and family, or just looking to put out some snacks to keep hunger away, charcuterie boards are a new go-to. While the concept is fairly simple, we want to provide you with tips to balance your board.

Elements of a charcuterie board:

  • Protein – focus on lean, low sodium, and low nitrate proteins
  • Dairy
  • Fruit
  • Vegetables
  • Grains

Check out these healthy swaps to make your board for a healthy holiday season!

  • Reduce Added Sugars
    • Switch dried fruit with fresh fruit
    • Opt for sugar-free or no sugar added dips & spreads
  • Limit Sodium
    • Switch salted nuts with unsalted/raw options
    • Select lower sodium cheeses such as swiss, fresh mozzarella, or goat cheese
  • Go Whole Grain
    • Switch regular crackers with whole-grain options such as multi-grain crackers, whole wheat baguettes, or whole-grain crostini
  • Add Healthy Fats
    • Add nuts and seeds to add some heart-healthy fats to your board

Add some extra pizazz to your boards by including dips. Check out these dip recipes to pair with your fresh fruit or vegetables.

Keep your board safe!

  • Charcuterie boards can only be set out at room temperature for 2 hours or less before the food will be considered unsafe. Be sure to take this into consideration when preparing and setting the board out for snacking!

Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese

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Mac n Cheese is a comfort food classic but allow us to dress up your mac n cheese with a winter favorite, butternut squash! The butternut squash and the blend of cheeses in this dish really make for a unique mac n cheese experience!


Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese
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Servings
10 1/4 cup servings
Servings
10 1/4 cup servings
Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese
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Servings
10 1/4 cup servings
Servings
10 1/4 cup servings
Ingredients
Servings: 1/4 cup servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. Wash your hands and workspace
  2. Bring a stockpot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package
  3. Cut your butternut squash into 1-inch pieces.
  4. In a separate saucepan, add your 2 teaspoons olive oil on medium heat. Add butternut squash into the pan and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes or until it is tender with a fork.
  5. Pour squash into a blender and puree
  6. In a saucepan, add your butter and 1 Tablespoon olive oil and melt. Once melted add in your flour and whisk continually, add your milk slowly to prevent clumping.
  7. Add your cheeses, butternut puree, and spices and mix well. Incorporate pasta elbows.
  8. Pour into a 9x9 glass pan and cook at 350*F for 20 minutes
Recipe Notes

Homemade Broth

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Are broth and stock the same thing? Although the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two liquids. Both are used to make recipes such as soups, sauces, and gravies. The key difference between broth and stock is the use of meat or bones, the type of seasonings added, and the cooking time.

Making your own chicken broth is a great strategy to reduce food waste, stretch your food dollars, and control the amount of sodium.

How to Slow Cook Homemade Chicken Broth

Learning to make your own chicken broth is a great strategy to reduce food waste and stretch your food dollars! Due to its versatility as a base for soups, gravies, and sauces; broth is a pantry staple for many homes. Broth can also be used as a substitution for water in recipes such as rice, pasta, and risotto as a cost-efficient way to increase flavor in the dish. Additionally, making your own broth is an excellent way to control the amount of sodium that is often found in store-bought options.

Homemade broth is simple and only requires the following ingredients:

  • One whole chicken, skin and fat removed
  • 1- 2 Cups of Vegetable Scraps, Chopped
  • Choice of herbs and seasonings
  • Water

Directions:

  1. Select a slow cooker large enough to fit the chicken
  2. Place chicken in slow cooker
  3. Add vegetables
  4. Add 1 -2 Tablespoons of your choice of herbs and seasonings
  5. Add water until the slow cookers is two-thirds full
  6. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours. The chicken is done when the internal temperature of the chicken is 165° F as measured with a food thermometer.
  7. Separate the chicken from the broth by lifting the chicken and bones onto a large plate or bowl. Let chicken cool enough to touch in the refrigerator. Shred the meat with a fork and store in airtight containers. This chicken can be used in salads, sandwiches, or other recipes.
  8. Strain the broth by pouring into a colander over a large bowl. Dispose of the vegetables.
  9. Divide the broth into 1 cup containers, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
  10. The next day, scoop off and dispose of fat that has settled on top of broth.
  11. Label the containers of broth with the date. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Looking for ways to reduce food waste at home? Save leftover scraps from vegetables to flavor your homemade broth or stock. Roughly chop leftover or lackluster vegetables into small chunks and store in the freezer in an airtight container. Continue to add scraps to the bag until it is full or you are ready to make your homemade stock or broth!

References:

https://cfaes.osu.edu/news/articles/chow-line-the-difference-between-broth-and-stock

https://spendsmart.extension.iastate.edu/recipe/chicken-broth/

 

 

Poblano Casserole

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This recipe fits perfectly with our casserole formula!! We promise your casserole leftovers won’t last long. Add this recipe to your regular lineup!


Poblano Casserole
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Servings
6 servings
Servings
6 servings
Poblano Casserole
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Servings
6 servings
Servings
6 servings
Ingredients
Servings: servings
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Instructions
  1. Wash your hands and clean your counter tops. Wipe down tops of canned food items. Rinse produce under cool running water before slicing.
  2. Saute beef with onion until browned. Season with cumin, chili powder, kosher salt, and pepper.
  3. Saute garlic and poblano peppers with seasoned beef until softened.
  4. Add tomatoes, rice, and water and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until rice is cooked.
  5. Stir in Cilantro.
  6. Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of 6x9 casserole dish, layer half of the meat mixture, and repeat one time. Top with cheese.
  7. Bake at 350*F for 20 minutes or until the entire mixture reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Recipe Notes

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