Beef, Date Night couple cookin’, Daye Night Couple Cookin’, Traditions

Curry meatballs and jasmine rice- date nite cooking

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste
Curry Meatballs oven baked either beef or lamb or combo of both

Jason and I really have grown to enjoy cooking together. We share a nice glass of wine, turn up the tunes to match the cuisine, and get going with who does which job. Jason is my savior for kneading dough, mixing, and making meatballs! This was a taste of Mediterranean with cool greek yogurt, homemade Naan , and spicy curry. Naan recipe here. Our pictured was with lean hamburger but I think if you like lamb it would enhance the flavors. Lean pork with beef would be nice as well. Browning meatballs in a skillet first would enhance the color. Its your date- have fun with it! Easy and delicious!

  • 1 pound ground beef, lamb, or pork
  • 2 green onions
  • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 inch peeled and grated ginger
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbs yellow curry
  • 1 tsp parika powder
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 cup chopped zucchini
  • 1 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1 med yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt plain
  • 1 can coconut cream
  • Chopped cilantro and or mint approx 1/4 Cup
  • Rice cooker jasmine rice- cooked.
  • 2 Tbs olive oil

Meatballs. Preheat 400 degree oven. In a mixing bowl. Combine ground meat, chopped green onion (reserving 1/4 cup for garnish) , garlic powder, greek yogurt, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. 1 Tbs chopped cilantro and mint. Combine well with your hands. Then form into 1 inch meatballs using a scoop or table spoon. Bake on foil lined baking sheet for 20-25 min. While you prepare your sauce. ( have your jasmine rice cooking)

Assembling meatballs for the oven

While Jason works on the meatballs I prep veggies and seasonings. small bowl combine curry, paprika, tsp garlic powder, tsp turmeric,1/2 tsp pepper. Separate bowl chopped garlic and grated ginger.

Large sauté pan, add 2 Tbs olive oil and heat to a shimmer. Add veggies and cook until fragrant, salt and pepper lightly. Add garlic and ginger. Cook two min til fragrant. Add seasonings stirring thru. Slowly add coconut cream and 1/4 c water. Blend. Taste and salt and pepper to taste as well as mint and cilantro. ( optionalIf you prefer your curry more gravy heavy, add a Tbs corn starch to the water and incorporate. )

Golden yumminess!

Add your cooked meatballs to the curry and simmer low for 2-3 min and allow sauce to reduce slightly.

Serve over you fresh jasmine rice, wedge of lime, Naan bread on side, then I enjoy hummus is small vessels and fresh cucumber tzatziki sauce. sprinkle with chopped green herb, lime wedge, paprika for color.

This is a recipe that leftovers are amazing!! Make fresh hero with the naan, rice, meatballs, fresh lettuce, tomato and tzatziki sauce. Yum! Enjoy!

Traditions

Scallops with blistered cherry tomatoes over pasta

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste
Light and flavorful with lemon zest, white wine, and garlic

This is a easy way to add the goodness of scallops to your meal. Did you know scallops are high in antioxidants, low in calories and fat, and delicious! Hope you enjoy!

  • 1 pound fresh scallops
  • Zest of 1 lemon and wedged for garnish
  • 2 1/2 cup fresh organic cherry tomatoes
  • Four fresh garlic cloves crushed
  • Green onion chopped for garnish
  • 4 Tbs olive oil
  • 2 Tbs butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Tbs fresh thyme chopped
  • Tsp fresh rosemary chopped
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine – pinot Grigio

Dry scallops and season both sides with salt and pepper. In large skillet heat 2 Tbs olive oil to shimmer at med high heat. Add scallops and cook 2- 3 min on each side pending thickness. Remove from heat to a plate and save juices that will accumulate from resting.

Dry scallops on paper towel and season
Cook 2-3 min based on thickness. Delicious

Same pan med high heat, add two Tbs olive oil and garlic, thyme, and rosemary to pan. Cooking until fragrant and tender, slightly browning. About two minutes. Add butter and allow to start to brown pulling up all the bits left on pan. Add white wine, simmer until fully heated and slightly reduced. 2-3 min.

Garlic will brown and start to caramelize.

Add your tomatoes and cook until they start to wither and blister. You hear them pop as they dance in the heat.

The brightness of the tomato with the garlic smells incredible

Bring your scallops to the pan and remove from heat. Incorporate fully warming your scallops but not overly cooking more.

Remove from heat- as you don’t want to over cook these delights

Serve over pasta, angel hair, or linguini garnishing with lemon zest, green onion and lemon wedge on the side. A touch of fresh parmesan is a nice compliment as well.

I highly recommend adding a nice veggie like broccoli, asparagus, or small green salad. I hope you enjoy the success and tastes of cooking from home. ❤️

Breads, Date Night couple cookin’, High Protein

Naan (part of date nite cooking)

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

Naan. So fun to say, so fun to eat. Oh, so easy to make. With this being a small process it takes a bit of pre- planning but a great addition to date night help. Jason was a great help rolling out the dough as I black skillet baked the Naan. Easy ingredients.

Warm Naan
  • 2.5 c flour
  • 1 packet yeast
  • 1/2 c warm water
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 c plain greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp sugar

Mix warm water , sugar , and yeast, let stand for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.

Separate bowl mix dry ingredients and mound on a work area , creating a center well.

Mix by hand working wet into dry

Add your wet ingredients and work into a smooth dough. Here is where I struggled and improvised. I cant kneed dough anymore after an injury so I depend on my kitchen aide. Tried the board method and it was a countertop disaster! Solution!

Dumped all into the mixer. Dough hook to the rescue! Mixed well to a smooth dough. About 2 minutes. Lightly oil dough and cover with towel. Cover and place in a warm area to rest and rise 1 hour. After 1 hour cut into 8 even pieces. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness or so rounds while skillet warms to med heat. Lightly oil pan with olive oil and bake dough one at a time flipping as they cook. About 2-3 min each side.

Stack loaves and after all are done place back in plate covered skillet, off the heat, to stay warm for dinner. Even better next day.

Be creative. Add garlic powder or herbs to enhance your dough. serve with hummus or use for hero wraps. Small pizza crusts with lots of toppings is another option. Enjoy.

Uncategorized, Vegetarian

Buffalo Cauliflower bites

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste
Crispy and spicy

Im not a huge fan of cauliflower but wow! I am now. What a great alternative to chicken strips or chips and dip. These bites cook up crispy and spicy with the right garlic goodness. Jason and I gobbled a huge batch! Even reheats nicely the next day. I enjoyed with and omelette as a side. Hope you enjoy.

  • Head of large cauliflower or two smaller heads cut bit sized
  • 1.5 c panko crumbs
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 c olive oil
  • 1 Tbs garlic powder
  • 1 Tbs paprika
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • Salt to taste (1-2 tsp)
  • 1 tsp tobacco ( or more to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Parchment line a large baking sheet. Mix your oil and seasonings with hot sauce in a large bowl. Dredge chopped cauliflower in oil spice mixture covering completely.

Oil and spices
Dredge bites in oil and spices

Place panko crumbs and cheeses in a separate bowl mixed well and roll individual bites in breading. Be sure to pack in in the nooks. Assemble on your cooking tray.

Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Serve with cool ranch or a garlic sour cream. delicious!