Pasta with Healthy(er) Meatballs, Kale, Cannellini Beans and Tomato Jus

This is a yummy way to get kale into your family. I actually used collard greens, because I love them, but any dark, leafy green would work in this recipe. The meatballs are delish-- if you don't want to use ground turkey or sausage meat, use whichever minced meat you like with the same accompanying ingredients. And last, the tomato jus: So light and tasty-- perfect for this time of year.

Meatballs
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 medium leek, light green and white part only, washed well, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, peeled, minced or pressed
1 pound/425 grams ground (minced) turkey or chicken
1 pound/425 grams sausage meat
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs (homemade is better, or use crumbs of your choice)
3 tablespoons good quality, grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (I like salt and used 1/2 t)

1) Heat the butter in a saute pan and saute the leeks and garlic until just soft ('sweat' them). Now, squish everything together with your hands in a large bowl, cover and set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but up to 24 hours.

2) When ready to cook: Roll into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Using a heavy saute pan (I like cast iron), pre heat the pan over medium heat, then place the balls in the dry pan (this is if you used good 'ol fatty sausage meat in the mix-- if you used a leaner meat, oil up the bottom of the pan). The pan can be full, but the meatballs should not touch. Saute, browning the outside until all the meatballs are golden/brown, then cover and allow to steam in their own juices for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the heat, shake the pan occasionally and make sure that the pan stays moist-- otherwise add in a bit of water). Remove the lid at the end to crisp up the meatballs. Makes about 48 meatballs-- more than you will need for this recipe. Enough to serve 8-12 people. Can easily be halved.

Pasta Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped kale, collards, chard or spinach
Sea or kosher salt
1/2 cup No Cook Tomato Sauce (or good quality, thick store-bought)
1/2 cup good quality chicken broth (or vegetable broth for a vegan sauce)
1 regular size tin of cannellini beans, drained/rinsed

1) Heat the oil over mediu-high heat then add in the greens and saute until wilting, turn the heat down, season with salt and allow to cook until getting soft (for heartier greens, like kale and collards, this takes about 5 minutes-- for spinach this happens instantly).

2) Add in the tomato sauce, broth and beans, stir well and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Cook 12 ounces of pasta until al dente. Toss with the sauce and snuggle in the meatballs. Serve with copious amounts of grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 4 adults or 4 little kids and 2 adults.

No Cook Tomato Sauce

Can't believe I forgot to post this one-- I've been making it all summer, and there are VERY few recipes that I make more than once. This is GREAT on homemade pizza, as well as pasta. It also takes just minutes to make.
1 large tin plain, chopped tomatoes
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste (puree in the UK)
2-3 teaspoons dry oregano (for pizza sauce, less for pasta)

1) Whiz everything together in a blender, food processor, or immersion blender. Stash in the refrigerator until ready to use-- up to 5 days. Use as is -no need to cook- spread away on pizza dough, then cover with cheese or slather onto hot pasta, toss and serve.
Makes just shy of 2 cups

7 Minute Mexican Green Sauce for Grilled Meats

  2 minutes prep time and 5 minute to simmer; this is an easy, quick sauce that adds so much to grilled steak, chicken, pork or even seafood. I dolloped it over grilled skirt steak that I had rubbed with equal parts cumin and oregano and a good dash of thyme, then I stuck it into a resealable bag with 2 tablespoons of table sugar, the same amount of soy sauce and a drizzle of vegetable oil and stashed it in the fridge. A few hours later, I sprinkled the meat with sea salt and quickly grilled it on a scorching hot grill.







2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small jalepeno, seeded and minced
4 ounce can mild green chiles
11 ounce can green tomatoes/tomatillos, drained, chopped
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
Sea salt

1) Heat the olive oil in a pan and add in the shallot, garlic and jalepeno. Saute just until soft, about 2 minutes. Add in the tinned chiles and green tomatoes/tomatillos, and bring to a simmer-- cook for 5 minutes. Squeeze in lime juice and season with salt.

Makes about 1 cup. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Mustard Barbecue Sauce

 Simple and straight-forward-- this is a great sauce to try if you've never tasted it. It's the only one I make now for pork barbecue. Don't be put off by the amount of sugar, it's perfectly balanced with the cider vinegar and tang of the yellow mustard.


200 mls (about 7 ounces or a bit more than 3/4 cup) cider vinegar
3 X 397 gram (14 ounce) bottles French's yellow mustard (American style)
Roughly 450 grams (2 cups) packed, soft brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, minced

Place everything in a pot and set over medium-low heat. Once it begins to slightly bubble. turn it down to low and allow to cook until all the sugar is dissolved and the onion is cooked. Puree in a blender, if you like. Keeps for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Makes about 8 cups (enough for 25 people). Recipe is easily halved or quartered.

Oven Roasted Tomato and Garlic Sauce

This is not a typical tomato sauce; it is richer and more concentrated due to the oven-roasting. Mixing in the extra virgin olive oil turns this into a sort of condiment. Because there are so few ingredients in this, it is important to use the best you can get your hands on, especially the olive oil.

4 Medium, ripe tomatoes

4 Cloves garlic (the larger, the more pronounced their flavour will be), peeled and halved

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Half a lemon

1) Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Cut the tomatoes in half around their bellies and squeeze out the seeds. Place them, cut side up on a baking tray and snuggle a 1/2 clove garlic into each half. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 30-35 minutes, then allow to cool completely.

2) Once cool, puree the tomatoes and garlic with an immersion blender or food processor then, with the motor running, drizzle in about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Taste, season with salt and pepper and squeeze in some lemon juice- start with just 1/2 teaspoon- add more if you like it more tart.

Makes roughly 1 cup

Salad Dressing

Just a tip for making fresh salad dressing (quickly): Grab a packet of Good Seasons Salad Dressing, follow the directions, but use fresh lemon juice rather than vinegar and use only half the oil called for, replacing the other half with fat free buttermilk. YUM!

Low Fat, Tangy French-Tomato Dressing

This is a good one for spinach salad; sweet and tangy with just a bit of zip!


1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon hot curry powder
1/4 cup water


1) Blitz everything in a food processor, blender or immersion blender. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Makes ¾ cup

Fresh Herb Chutney

When I think of chutney I think of a thick, sweet and sour condiment, and this is the case quite often, but most of the Indian people I have come to know make this sort of thin, herb chutney. You can use any fresh herbs that you like, but most common for an Indian dish would be mint and/or cilantro (coriander). There is always a little sweet (sugar), a little salt and a little sour (lemon juice). I add cucumber to think it out, too but this is not traditional and chose not to add chilli peppers or onion—I wanted to use the chutney to cool, rather than spice up the accompanying dishes. This is great with Tandoori Chicken.


3 inch piece of English cucumber, peeled and seeded, roughly chopped
1 bunch fresh mint (leaves removed from the stem), roughly chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (a few stems won’t hurt)
1 teaspoon table sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or to taste)

1) Puree everything in a food processor or blender. Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Makes just about ½ cup

Asparagus Guacamole

This is a delicious alternative to avocado guacamole, if you are watching the fat-- or if you are an asparagus fan. Very fresh, very healthy-- it makes a great spread for sandwiches, too.

1 bunch asparagus, bottom 1” cut off and discarded, the rest of it cut into 1” pieces.
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoons fresh, chopped chives or green onion
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped cilantro
¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons chopped, fresh jalepeno (no seeds)
1 teaspoon ground cumin

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a strong simmer and carefully add in the asparagus pieces. Return to a simmer and cook for 6-8 minutes, until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water until the asparagus is no longer hot. Drain again well.

2) With a paper towel, blot the asparagus pieces until dry. Place the asparagus and all of the rest of the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.

Makes about 2 cups. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve with tortilla, bagel or pita chips. Keeps, refrigerated for up to three days.

Mmmmmmm… Marinade

I found this on Epicurious, changed it just slightly-- BOY is it good! I marinated sirloin chunks in it, then skewered and grilled them, but chicken or pork would be ever so yummy soaked in this, too.

½ cup cilantro (koriander), chopped fairly fine
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce (light salt or regular)
Zest of one orange
1 tablespoon sambal oelek
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix this all together. It is enough to marinate one pound of steak, chicken or pork. Beef and pork should marinate at room temperature for one hour, or in the fridge for up to four hours. Chicken should marinate at room temperature for up to an hour or in the fridge for up to two hours. The grill, broil or roast at 500F (250C) until just done. Serve with a big, crunchy green salad.

Wasabi Ginger Dressing

I don’t normally eat low-fat, but when I can save a few calories without skimping a bit on flavor I am all for it.

¾ cup (6 ounces or 200 millilitres) fat-free Italian dressing
1-2 teaspoons wasabi paste (1 tsp adds flavor, 2 adds some heat)
1 one inch piece fresh ginger (about the thickness of a finger), peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

1) Whiz all ingredients, except sesame seeds in a blender or small food processor. Pour into a jar, sprinkle in sesame seeds to your liking, screw the lid on and store in the fridge until ready to use (keeps for up to a week).

Try This: Drizzle over cooked and cooled beets.

Tahini Sauce

The flavor of this sauce drizzled over köftes or falafels is magic. It is also excellent on salad (or chicken) vegetable stuffed pitas. 

2 soup spoons tahini (ground sesame paste found in middle eastern and natural food stores)
3 soup spoons hot water
2 soup spoons milk
1 soup spoon lemon juice
Good pinch of salt

1) Mix everything together, thinning with more water or milk if you like.

Refrigerate until use. Drizzle over köftes or falafels. Makes approximately ¼ to 1/3 cup.

Lemon Dressing

This is a very mellow salad dressing, not too acidic. It is a nice dressing for any sort of salad topped with seafood (grilled shrimp or salmon, crab cakes or tuna steak), grilled chicken, or to use in a classic Salade aux Lardons from Lyon, France.

1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon finely minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1) Whisk everything but the oils in a bowl until salt and sugar begin to dissolve. Slowly whisk in oils until an emulsion is created-- or use a blender, small food processor or stick blender.

Makes about 2/3 cup. Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Tahini Vegetable Dressing and Dip

For the love of all things savory, if you like the flavor of Tahini, make this dressing immediately. It is scrumptious! Great on steamed broccoli, green beans, asparagus or carrots, as well as cooked shiitake mushrooms. Fabulous on salad greens.

3 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
Dash of garlic powder (not garlic salt)-- optional
¼ cup Tahini (found in some grocery stores and all natural food stores)
¼ cup water
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
Sesame seeds

1) In a blender, small food processor or by hand, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, soy sauce and garlic powder. Add in the tahini and water, whisk again. Now, whisk as you drizzle in the vegetable and sesame oils. Store in a jar in the refrigerator until ready to use-- up to a week. Sprinkle dressed veggies with sesame seeds.
Makes a bit more than one cup.

Indian Herb Chutney

I have not been to India, but adore the food that Indian friends make and share with me. So, while this recipe may not be ‘authentic’ it sure is tasty.
Dinner couldn't be easier-- marinate a few chicken breasts in bottled or powdered tandoori marinade, grill until a bit charred (but still juicy inside) and drizzle with this cooling sauce. Tastes gourmet without the effort.


½ and English or 1 whole garden variety cucumber, peel and seeds removed
20 fresh mint leaves
1 small bunch cilantro (koriander)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons plain (nature) yogurt
¼ to ½ teaspoon salt

1) Roughly chop cucumber into large chunks.

2) Whiz everything together in a food processor or blender until fairly smoothish.

3) Store in the refrigerator until ready to use (up to 2 days). Serve over spicy-hot grilled tandoori chicken or fish.