Thursday, May 16, 2013

Moroccan Flare

I love love love ethnic food.  Mexican, Indian, Thai, Greek, Morrocan, you name it I like it.  Tonight I got out my Moroccan spices and spent 3 hours in the kitchen while my 9 month old slept (the entire time!).  I had two things to work with a butternut squash, and ground buffalo.  I was being creative, which takes time, and I get easily distracted.  Should you decide to make these recipes I doubt it will be anywhere near that long, so don't be discouraged yet!

Our Thursday night gluten free, dairy free, egg free menu would consist of:
Moroccan Meatballs (GF)
Tomato & Beet Sauce 
Moroccan Butternut Soup
& Spinach Salad 
(recipe not included...it's just spinach & homemade dressing!)

Here goes:




moroccan meatballsMoroccan Meatballs

  • 1lb grass fed beef
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seed
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper



  1. To make the balls preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grab a large bowl to mix the meat in.
  2. Add your meat and all the spices above and mix thoroughly. Once the spices are all incorporated, shape your balls into your preferable size. Big, small, medium. Whatever makes you giggle.
  3. Set balls on a cookie sheet and into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes. (mine took 20)

Tomato & Beet Sauce** yes there are a lot of ingredients cause I just kept adding stuff!  Sorry :)

  • 2 freshly peeled tomatoes
  • 1 beet, peeled, chopped, boiled till soft-ish
  • ½ yellow onion, finely diced
  • 3/4 cup re-hydrated sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup full fat organic coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup organic low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon fat, I used olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  1. While the balls are heatin up, let's make the sauce!
  2. In a food processor pulse together, boiled beet, sun-dried tomatoes, & fresh tomatoes.  Consistency is up to you, I like mine not entirely smooth but a little chunky.
  3. Pull out a saucepan, put under medium heat and add olive oil.
  4. When the saucepan is warm, add your minced garlic and onions to cook down. Once the onions are translucent, add the rest of the ingredients. Taste to see if you want to add a bit more of any of the spices. The cumin is the strongest/best flavor so you may want to add a bit more of that. Lower heat and let the flavors meld.
  5. When the balls are finished cooking, add them directly to the sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup*** you should get this going first, as the squash need to be cooked before you can deal with it! 

  • 1 (2-pound) butternut squash, cooked
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
  • 1/2 cupfull fat organic coconut milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Fresh chopped cilantro  
      1. Preheat oven to 375.  
      2. Cut squash in half length wise and remove the seeds with a spoon.  Place on non-stick surface (I use parchment paper for everything), on a cookie sheet.  And bake for 45 minutes, check to see if it's done before you add more time.  Should be soft and sweet (yes, taste it).
      3. In another food processor mix all ingredients well, until nice and smooth.  Transfer to a sauce pan and heat it up before serving. 

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