BBQ Chicken Meatball Tacos

January 29, 2018 Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

Sometimes it’s hard to be creative in the kitchen. It’s easy (and convenient) to have your go-to meals, but I’ve learned that approach can also get boring. Have you ever had a day when you’re starving, but in the mood for nothing? I had one of those days a few weeks ago. Although I didn’t feel much like cooking, I forced myself into the kitchen and stared at the ingredients we had in the fridge. I must say, I make a mean chicken meatball that I’ve tossed in many sauces. I decided on BBQ chicken meatballs, but wasn’t sure what else I would make with them. What goes well with BBQ? Apples! And just like that, the BBQ Chicken Meatball Taco with Apples was born.

BBQ Chicken Meatball Tacos

Servings: 2-4
Time: 1 hour
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Ingredients

Meatballs:
1lb Chicken Chop Meat
1/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Egg
10 Baby Carrots
1 Celery Stalk
1 Small Shallot
2 Clove of Garlic
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp Paprika
1/8 Tsp Chicken Seasoning

Sauce:
1/4 Cup BBQ Sauce*
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Tsp Dijon Honey Mustard
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
Sprinkle of Salt and Black Pepper
*I only had about 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce left, but I recommend doubling the BBQ sauce and dijon honey mustard

Tacos:
Soft Corn Tortillas
Fresh Baby Spinach
1 Apple

Directions

Meatballs:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
In a food processor finely chop shallot, garlic, celery and carrots then transfer to medium size bowl.
Add chicken chop meat, egg, panko and seasonings to the bowl and combine well. Be careful to not overwork the meat because it can turn tough.
Carefully form balls with the mixture in the size that you like. I made 9 larger meatballs, but smaller may have been better for this dish.
Bake for 25-30 minutes then broil for 2-5 minutes.

BBQ Sauce:
When there are 5 minutes left on the meatballs, combine all ingredients in a small pot. Simmer on low for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.

Tacos:
After getting the sauce started, place corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Bake for no more than 5 minutes in the oven. The small corn tortillas can harden pretty quickly and you want to be able to fold them like a taco (side note: these tortillas make awesome chips too).
Using a slicing grater (like this – I used the orange one), very thinly slice the apples.
To assemble to tacos, brush tortillas with BBQ sauce then layer with apple and fresh spinach. Cut your meatballs into 2 or 4 pieces and add to the taco. Finish each one off with a drizzle of BBQ sauce.

Disclaimer: I am participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. All opinions/recommendations are my own.

Easy Lemon Garlic Shrimp & Spaghetti

January 22, 2018August 19, 2020 Red Rose & Honey3 Comments

Happy Monday! This weekend flew by and I can’t believe it’s time to start another work week. On the bright side, I have recently began practicing yoga more regularly. Starting my day with yoga definitely makes me feel better {physically and mentally!} Until about a year ago, I was very dedicated to my yoga practice, but it got pushed to the side during house renovations and wedding planning.

Another great way to start the week off on the right food is with meal planning. Today, I am sharing a quick and easy recipe that can be incorporated into busy week nights. Easy recipes like this one make weeknight cooking totally do-able! Just remember to thaw and marinate your shrimp ahead of time {and if you don’t put them in a zip-top bag in a bowl of cool water as you’re prepping}. You can whip up this meal for two in about 35 minutes or cut the time by skipping the spaghetti and adding more veggies.

Ingredients

15 Medium Shrimp, frozen and thawed

1/2 lb. Gluten-Free Spaghetti

1-2 Cups of Chopped Asparagus

1/8 Cup of Pasta Water

1/2 Small Yellow Onion, chopped

2 Cloves of Garlic, zested

1 Lemon, juice and zest

1/8 Tsp Black Pepper

1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

For the crunchy topping used 1/4 cup or less of gluten-free panko bread crumbs, grated Parm or Pecorino Romano and a sprinkle of oregano.

Directions

Important Note: You must use an oven safe pan to transfer your dish from stove top to oven broiler.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil for spaghetti. Cook following instructions on box.

Over medium/low heat, add about 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil to the pan and sauté onions until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Turn heat to low and add garlic. Garlic burns easily, so keep an eye on the pan. You can shut the heat off completely if you’re working to prep the other ingredients on the slow side.

Over medium/low heat add asparagus and cook for about 15 minutes until soft then add lemon zest.

Transfer asparagus mixture to a bowl or push it around the perimeter of the pan to make room for the shrimp. Then place shrimp on each side until they turn from translucent to opaque. It only takes a few minutes per side.

Once shrimp is cooked through toss them with the asparagus, onions, garlic, cooked pasta and lemon juice with about 1/8 cup of water from the pasta pot.

Sprinkle with parmesan and panko bread crumbs then transfer to the broiler for 5 minutes. Finish it off with a sprinkle of oregano.

Easy dinner = DONE!

Healthy Dinner| Zoodles & Chicken Sausage

January 15, 2018 Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

Working full time sometimes makes cooking dinner tough. When I am researching recipes, it seems as if all of the easy recipes are unhealthy. I am all for comfort meals here and there, but overall I try to cook healthy dinners. In this blog I am sharing an easy and healthy recipe that is perfect for busy nights!

In my house, we love home cooked meals. My husband and I almost always eat dinner together. On the nights that he gets home late I usually don’t cook or go to my parent’s house. Mike is my #1 taste taster and recipe critic. I always joke that his taste buds have come a long way since we started dating in college. These days he will try anything. Today I am sharing one of his hands down favorite and most requested meals.

One of my go-to weeknight dinners is zoodles with chicken sausage and sundried tomatoes. It’s a quick and easy low-carb alternative for pasta. To save time on busy nights, remove the sausage from the casing and slice the tomatoes ahead of time. You can also find pre-made zoodles at the grocery store. I find using the food processor to chop veggies is a great timesaver too. Prep and cook this meal in about 30 minutes, making 2-4 servings.

Ingredients

1 package of organic chicken sausage

5 cups spiraled zucchini (aka zoodles…they shrink, so the more the better!)

1 cup sundried tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 medium yellow onion

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

Remove chicken sausage from casing then brown over medium heat and break sausage into small pieces. I suggest using a sauté pan that is deeper than a regular frying pan.

While sausage is browning, slice sundried tomatoes into thin strips and chop onion. Once sausage is cooked transfer into a bowl. Using the same pan add a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and sauté garlic and onions (5-7 mins) then add the tomatoes (medium/low heat). Sundried tomatoes tend to soak up a lot of oil, so add a bit more to the pan and cook until they soften (5 mins).

Next, add sausage back to the pan to blend flavors together (5-7 mins).

Finally, over medium/low heat add the zoodles to the pan and mix together. I prefer to keep the zoodles on the firm side (they can get very mushy), so I won’t let them cook for more than 10 minutes. If you’re like me and don’t have a very large sauté pan you will probably need to leave the zoodles in a bit longer and may want to add a lid.