Mexican Meatball Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 small red onion, chopped
4 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
1 zucchini (about 1/2 pound), cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 quart canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups drained canned diced tomatoes (one 15-ounce can)
3/4 teaspoons salt
fresh (cut from about 2 ears) or1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning
1 teaspoon Mrs Dash Extra Spicy
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1/2 pound ground beef
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten to mix
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon lime juice


DIRECTIONS
In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and half the jalapeños and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini,1 1/2 teaspoons of the dried oregano, if using, and 1/4 teaspoon of the cumin and cook, stirring, until the zucchini starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
Add the broth, water, tomatoes, 1 1/4teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper; bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, garlic, the remaining jalapeño, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon of the fresh oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the bread crumbs, and the egg. Shape the mixture into 24 meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.
Add the meatballs and corn to the soup and simmer until the meatballs are just done, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, if using.

Pork Roast rosemary, garlic apricots, cranberries

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 16 whole peeled garlic cloves sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
• 1 (8 pound) whole boneless pork loin, patted dry, at room temperature
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Chile Powder
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary (snip with scissors), divided
• 16 dried apricots (or similar amount of your favorite dried fruit)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• Heavy kitchen string or twine
• 1/4 cup apple jelly
• 1/4 cup port wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons apple jelly
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions

• Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add whole garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; reserve oil.
• Turn pork loin fat-side down. Slit lengthwise, almost but not quite all the way through, to form a long pocket, leaving a 1/2-inch border of un-slit meat at each end. Brush cavity with some of the reserved garlic cooking oil, and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper chile powder and seasonings and 1 Tb. of the rosemary. Line cavity with sauteed garlic and apricots; sprinkle in cranberries. Tie loin together with kitchen twine or heavy-duty string at 1 1/2-inch intervals.
• Brush with remaining oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Set roast, fat-side up, diagonally or curved (so it fits) on a large, lipped cookie sheet or jellyroll pan. Warm 1/4 cup apple jelly along with the minced garlic and remaining rosemary. Brush mixture onto meat.
• Roast until a meat thermometer stuck into the center registers 125 to 130 degrees. (Start checking at about 1-1/2 hours.) Remove from oven; raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Brush loin with pan drippings, return to oven, and continue to roast until the loin is golden brown and a meat thermometer stuck into the center registers 155 to 160 degrees, about 20 minutes longer. For even more attractive coloring, broil until spotty brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Let roast rest 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to a carving board. Stir juices around pan to loosen brown bits. Pour through a strainer into a small pan, and stir in port, chicken broth and remaining 2 Tbs. of jelly; bring to a simmer. Mix cornstarch with a couple of tablespoons of cold water; whisk into sauce. Simmer until lightly thickened. Slice pork and serve with a little sauce.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1/2 pound andouille or hot link sausages, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 jalapenos, chopped
• 1 yellow or red bell pepper chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 cups long-grain rice
• 3 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning, until browned, 5 to 10 minutes in all. Remove. When the sausages are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/4-inch slices. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan.
2. Add the onion, celery, peppers, and garlic to the pan and cook, covered, over moderately low heat until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, broth, sausage, cayenne, bay leaves, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the chicken and simmer, covered, until the chicken is just done and the rice and the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for about 2 minutes.

Adobo Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 bulb garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh ginger root
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns

Directions

1. Combine the chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, bay leaves and peppercorns in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes, basting the chicken occasionally. After 30 minutes, remove lid and cook until liquid has reduced to half.
2. Remove chicken from the pot to a serving plate. Strain the liquid from the pot to remove all the food particles, and set aside. Serve chicken hot over steamed rice and drizzle with reserved sauce