Italian Wedding Soup with Oven Baked Turkey Zucchini Meatballs and Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies

Описание: Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

·       2 tablespoons avocado oil
·       1 medium yellow onion, diced
·       4 stalks celery, diced
·       3 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
·       3 cloves garlic, minced
·       ½ teaspoon fennel seed
·       ½ teaspoon dried thyme
·       ½ teaspoon dried oregano
·       ¼ teaspoon ground sage
·       1 quart low sodium chicken broth
·       1-2 cups water
·       16-20 cooked Turkey Zucchini Meatballs (see recipe)
·       1(15-ounce) can cannellini beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
·       1 cup chopped greens
·       ¼ cup fresh parsley
·       ¼ cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until it begins to soften and become translucent. Add the celery,
carrots, garlic, and dried herbs and sauté for another 3 minutes, If bits begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, deglaze with ½ cup of water or broth and stir to loosen. Add the rest of the broth, increase heat to high, and bring soup to a boil. Decrease heat to low and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Increase heat back up to medium and add the cooked meatballs and drained beans to the broth, allowing them to heat thoroughly for 3-4 minutes.
Stir in chopped greens and garnish with parsley and parmesan. Serve immediately.

Oven Baked Italian Turkey Zucchini Meatballs

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 18-20 min
Total time: 30 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients

·       1 pound 93/7 lean ground turkey (or 90% lean ground beef)
·       1 cup shredded zucchini, loosely packed
·       1 egg
·       ¼ cup breadcrumbs
·       Optional: ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
·       1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
·       1 teaspoon garlic powder
·       ½ teaspoon onion powder
·       ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
·       ½ teaspoon sea salt
·       ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place shredded zucchini between two layers of paper towel and press down with hands to squeeze excess moisture from the zucchini.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together with a spoon or clean hands.

Form into 16 golf ball-sized meatballs and place on the baking sheet. Note:
make them smaller if using in soup.

Bake for 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through (165 degrees).


Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies

This recipe was modified from and inspired by Downshiftology’s Sweet Potato Brownie recipe on her blog: http://www.downshiftology.com .

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
·       1 cup peeled and cooked medium to large sweet potato
·       ¾ cup almond butter
·       2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, butter, or avocado oil
·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
·       ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
·       ½ cup granulated sugar
·       ¼ cup tapioca flour
·       1 teaspoon baking soda
·       ¼ teaspoon salt
·       1/3 cup mini chocolate chips plus 2 tablespoons, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper along the bottom and sides of pan. Set aside.

To cook the sweet potato, scrub thoroughly, pat dry, and poke with a fork 5 to 6 times. Place it in the microwave and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until fork tender. Allow to cool to the touch, then cut in half and scoop 1 cup of the flesh into a large mixing bowl. Mash until smooth.

Add the almond butter, oil, and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl with the sweet potato and using a hand mixer, mix the ingredients together until smooth for approximately 30 seconds.

Next, add the cocoa powder, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and mix on low speed for another 30 seconds or until fully combined. Fold in 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips. Note: the batter will not be runny or pourable, but more playdough-like.

Using a rubber spatula, scoop the batter into the prepared baking pan and top with 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 23-25 minutes. You can test the center for doneness with a toothpick.

Allow the brownies to cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then cut into squares. Enjoy immediately or store in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can follow my mashed sweet potato recipe (which uses the stove) or baked sweet potato recipe (which uses the oven).

For more information on this and other happenings at the college, visit http://www.jccc.edu