by jphilo | Oct 8, 2014 | Recipes
Being on the road doesn’t leave much time to try new recipes. But before leaving the Man of Steel on his own, I prepared several meals he can heat and eat. One of them was Balkan Meatballs, the ultimate chilly weather comfort food. Best of all, the dairy-free version (substitutions in parentheses) is as tasty as the original version.
This recipe’s been featured here on the gravel road before, but it’s so good it deserves another look.
Balkan Meatballs
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground turkey
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 – 12 ounce package of frozen Reames Noodles
2 tablespoons butter (or Earth Balance buttery vegan sticks)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (or almond milk)
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat egg with milk or almond milk. Mix in dry bread crumb, salt, sugar, and spices. Add beef, turkey and onion. Mix thoroughly. Shape mixture into balls the size of walnuts and place on broiler pan. Broil until lightly browned. Cool.
Cook noodles according to package directions. At the same time, melt butter or buttery vegan stick in large skillet. Add flour, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk, stirring constantly. Heat to boiling and stir one minute until mixture is thick and smooth. Add meatballs; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Serve meatballs over the noodles.
Note: I usually make a double batch of meatballs and use 1/3 for supper, then divide the remaining meatballs into two quart freezer bag and put in freezer to use later.
by jphilo | Nov 13, 2013 | Recipes
The past week and a half have been chock full of grandma duty and other family fun. So much fun, blogging is on the back burner. Therefore, for the next few days Gravel Road will reprise popular posts from the past. Today’s post first appeared on October 3,, 2012.
Turkey hash is one of the few recipes handed down to our family by Hiram’s mom, Elsie Philo. She was, by her own admission, a reluctant cook. Part of that reluctance may have stemmed from learning to cook in the territory of Alaska in the 1950s–on a wood stove, with limited provisions, while raising three very active little boys, and teaching school.
Fresh milk was hard to come by, even though her husband was a dairy farmer, and she added canned evaporated milk to almost every main dish. Turkey hash was no exception, and for years I made it according to her recipe. Not too long ago, I finally worked up the nerve to try it with almond milk. To my surprise, it tasted delicious. It even received Hiram’s coveted seal of approval. So here’s the non-dairy version (dairy ingredients are in parentheses) of the ultimate Philo comfort food, turkey hash.
Elsie Philo’s Turkey Hash
1/4 cup margarine (1/4 cup butter)
5–6 medium potatoes, peeled, washed, and sliced in thin rounds
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1 1/2 cups unflavored, unsweetened almond milk (1 large can evaporated milk)
1/4 cup flour (omit for dairy version)
Set a large frying pan over medium heat. Add margarine and melt.
Put sliced potatoes in the pan. Cover and cook for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in onions and cover again. Cook for 5–10 minutes more, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to avoid burning, until potatoes are soft. Stir in turkey. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes, until turkey is warmed through.
Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the flour on top of the meat and vegetable mixture. Stir until flour is absorbed. Repeat until all flour is absorbed. Pour 1/3 cup of almond milk and stir well. Repeat until the milk is gone. Continue cooking until the hash begins to bubble and the milk thickens.
Salt and pepper to taste at the table.
by jphilo | Feb 13, 2013 | Recipes
Mashed potatoes is one of those foods that makes winter palatable. But Mom’s version of this comfort food is made with lots of butter and milk.
Which makes them very buttery and smooth.
Which is what makes them comfort food.
Which doesn’t jibe with my new dairy-free diet.
Which made winter rather unpalatable.
Until I discovered a secret ingredient that gives dairy-free mashed potatoes the buttery, comfort flavor I love so much. What is the secret ingredient? Yukon Gold potatoes!
Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes
4–5 Yukon Gold potatoes
2 tablespoons margarine
1/4–1/2 cup almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, or chicken broth
salt and pepper
Peel, cube, and wash potatoes. Put in sauce pan and add water until the bottom half of the potatoes are covered. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Turn down heat to maintain a low boil and cover. Boil 15–20 minutes until tender.
Drain off water. (You can save water and add it to gravy or use it as liquid in homemade bread.) Add margarine to potatoes. Use a hand potato masher or electric hand mixer to mash potatoes and margarine together. Add milk or broth a few tablespoons at a time until potatoes are the consistency you like. Keep mashing until lumps are gone. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
by jphilo | Oct 9, 2012 | Recipes, Top Ten Tuesday
For the past week, a chill’s been in the air. Hot suppers jumped to the top of my what-to-cook-tonight list. So I opened the recipe file and came up with this list of top ten favorite chilly weather foods. Please, leave a comment about your favorite hot meal and a link to the recipe if you like. The more recipes to try this fall and winter, the better!
10. Uncle Ben’s Sausage and Rice is super easy and always receives Hiram’s coveted seal of approval.
9. Crockpot Applesauce is a big winner at our house during apple season. It makes the house smell yummy while it cooks and tastes great.
8. Skillet Spaghetti Carbona is sinfully rich and so delicious. So just make it for special occasions. And if anyone has a dairy-free version, please send the recipe!
7. Some might argue that Turkey Tortilla Soup should be ranked higher, but since the Man of Steel doesn’t give it the seal of approval, it only makes it to #7. It’s a very tasty and low-cal soup.
6. Turkey Hash isn’t photogenic, but it sure tastes good in either the regular or dairy-free version. The recipe, passed down by Elsie Philo, is a family favorite.
5. Balkan Meatballs land firmly in the comfort food category. This week, I’ll try converting it to a dairy-free recipe. Watch for an update on how that goes.
4. Hearty Cheeseburger Chowder is another family favorite. It’s another one that needs converting to dairy-free. Winter won’t be bearable without the stuff!
3. French Stew is daughter Anne’s favorite and can be cooked in the crock pot. I always make a double batch and freeze half.
2. Joni’s Cashew Chicken is so good, it gets made all year round at our house. The veggies vary depending on availability. Sometimes it gets topped with peanuts or almonds instead of cashews. However it’s made, it’s always good.
1. Turkey (or chicken) Tetrazzini is the number one chilly weather food at the Philo house. The kids loved it when they were young and still like it. And it’s really easy to make a small, dairy-free pan for me along with the regular recipe for everyone else.
Which recipe tempts you the most? What would you add to the list? Leave a comment.
by jphilo | Oct 3, 2012 | Recipes
Turkey hash is one of the few recipes handed down to our family by Hiram’s mom, Elsie Philo. She was, by her own admission, a reluctant cook. Part of that reluctance may have stemmed from learning to cook in the territory of Alaska in the 1950s–on a wood stove, with limited provisions, while raising three very active little boys, and teaching school.
Fresh milk was hard to come by, even though her husband was a dairy farmer, and she added canned evaporated milk to almost every main dish. Turkey hash was no exception, and for years I made it according to her recipe. Not too long ago, I finally worked up the nerve to try it with almond milk. To my surprise, it tasted delicious. It even received Hiram’s coveted seal of approval. So here’s the non-dairy version (dairy ingredients are in parentheses) of the ultimate Philo comfort food, turkey hash.
Elsie Philo’s Turkey Hash
1/4 cup margarine (1/4 cup butter)
5–6 medium potatoes, peeled, washed, and sliced in thin rounds
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1 1/2 cups unflavored, unsweetened almond milk (1 large can evaporated milk)
1/4 cup flour (omit for dairy version)
Set a large frying pan over medium heat. Add margarine and melt.
Put sliced potatoes in the pan. Cover and cook for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in onions and cover again. Cook for 5–10 minutes more, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to avoid burning, until potatoes are soft. Stir in turkey. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes, until turkey is warmed through.
Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the flour on top of the meat and vegetable mixture. Stir until flour is absorbed. Repeat until all flour is absorbed. Pour 1/3 cup of almond milk and stir well. Repeat until the milk is gone. Continue cooking until the hash begins to bubble and the milk thickens.
Salt and pepper to taste at the table.
