Kefta

• 2 TBS chopped parsley
• 3 sprigs mint, chopped
• handful baby spinach, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dash of cayenne pepper
• dash of allspice
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 14 oz ground beef

Preheat grill on high.

Mix all ingredients by hand in a bowl.  Shape into 8 patties.

Oil grill pan.  Grill on medium-high 5 minutes on each side.

Serve in pitas (1 patty per pita half) with baby spinach and yogurt sauce or tzatziki.

Beef and barley soup

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb beef (london broil or similar), cut into 1" chunks
• 2 quarts water
• bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• sprinkle of garlic powder
• celery flakes
• carrots, chopped
• 1/2-3/4 c. barley

Saute onion and beef until onion is softened and beef is somewhat browned.  Add all other ingredients except barley.  Simmer for 2 hours.  Add barley.  Cook for 1 hour or until barley is soft.

Tortilla soup

(makes about 4 servings)

Soup:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3/4 serrano pepper, finely chopped (entire pepper should be fine)
• 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
• 32 oz box low salt chicken broth
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 2 c. cooked chicken breast
• 1/3 c. frozen corn (more is fine)

Toppings:

• tortilla strips, toasted in a skillet
• grated cheese
• cilantro
• lime
• avocado would be fine too

Saute onion and pepper until softened.  Add tomatoes and some of the chicken broth.  Blend until somewhat smoother.  Add rest of broth and spices.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Add chicken and corn and heat through.

Serve with desired toppings.

Slow cooker chicken teriyaki

(drastically modified from https://www.framedcooks.com/2015/01/slow-cooker-chicken-teriyaki.html)

• 6 chicken breasts
• 3/4 c. low salt soy sauce
• 1/4 c. rice vinegar
• 1/4 c. mirin
• 1/8 c. shaoxing
• juice of 3 medium oranges
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 3 TBS brown sugar
• 1.5 TBS honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tsp corn starch

Put chicken breasts in slow cooker.  Mix together all remaining ingredients except corn starch in a bowl.  Pour over chicken.

Cook on high for 4 hours, stirring and rotating chicken partway through.

Remove chicken from cooker and turn cooker to high.  Mix corn starch with a little cold water and stir into cooking liquid.  Meanwhile, shred cooked chicken with two forks.  Return chicken to cooker.

Notes:
This makes a very large quantity (i.e., a double batch), at least 9 servings.  Halve for a more reasonable size.

This amount of corn starch didn't thicken the sauce much--it was barely noticeable.  Maybe double corn starch next time.

Bourride

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 medium fennel bulb, chopped
• EVOO
• white wine (1/2 a small bottle)
• 1 bottle clam juice (8 oz?)
• 2 c. Penzey's seafood broth
• sprinkle of pepper
• sprinkle of salt
• sprinkle of dried parsley
• sprinkle of dried thyme
• diced potatoes
• 0.8 lb cod (more is fine), cut into chunks
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• toast (e.g., French bread), rubbed with a cut garlic clove (1 toast per serving)
• fried or poached eggs (1 per serving)

Saute onion and fennel in olive oil until softened.  Add wine, clam juice, seafood broth, seasonings, and potato.  Cook until potato is softened.  Add fish and cook until done (just a few minutes).  Stir in lemon juice.

Serve each bowl of soup topped with a slice of toast and a fried egg.

Notes:  I could probably increase the wine.  Fresh parsley might be nice.  Consider adding a bay leaf.  Don't use too much potato since this is served with bread.

Saag chicken

(modified from https://slate.com/culture/2013/09/palak-or-saag-paneer-recipe-the-best-way-to-make-spinach-non-watery-and-delicious.html)

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TBS fresh ginger, minced
• 5 dried chilis
• 1 TBS coriander powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (not salt-free)
• 16 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 c. plain yogurt
• 1/4 c. heavy cream

Saute onion until soft (about 10 min).  Along the way, salt it lightly, and add and saute cumin seeds, garlic, and ginger.  At the end of sauteing, add chilis, coriander, paprika, and turmeric and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Meanwhile, salt and pepper chicken thighs and fry in a nonstick pan until cooked through.

Add tomatoes to onion and cook for 10 min.  Add spinach and cook for another 10 min.  Add garam masala and cayenne and cook for 2 min.  Stir in yogurt and cream.  Blend somewhat with stick blender.

Cut chicken into chunks and stir into spinach mixture.  Heat thoroughly.

Notes:
I think I used closer to 20 oz spinach.  That was fine.  (A little less might be fine too.)  Cream was closer to 1/2 c.  Next time, try blending onion-tomato mixture before adding spinach, and then blend a little more after the spinach has cooked.  Obviously, dried chilis should be removed before blending.

Turkey pot pie

Sauce:

• 4 TBS butter
• 1/4 c. onion, minced
• 6 TBS flour
• 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• sprinkle of garlic salt
• 2 c. bouillon

Melt butter and saute onion.  Add seasonings and flour.  Slowly add bouillon and stir while sauce thickens.

Crust:

• 1 c. flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• sprinkle of garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 c. shortening
• 1/3 c. milk

Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in shortening and add milk.  Roll out on a floured surface to a 9" square.

Assembly:

• 14-16 oz. package California vegetables, precooked
• 2 c. turkey or chicken

Place turkey and precooked vegetables in a buttered 8" square baking dish.  Pour sauce over turkey and vegetables.  Top with crust.  Prick crust with a fork.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes.