Pork Meatballs

This is another delicious addition to my collection of meat patties/meatballs that work so well as summer meals.  They're delicious and convenient.  They would also be great as the meat in a Bahn Mi Sandwich.

Difficulty: Easy
Category: Freezer to Pan
Column: EI

Head over to The Garlic Diaries for the meatball recipe.  The only change I make is that I use soy sauce instead of fish sauce as I am not a fan of fish sauce. Make the meatballs, but don't cook them.  You'll freeze them raw, and cook when you're ready to eat.

To freeze:
Place the raw meatballs on a sheet pan lined with parchment.  You can do up to two layers on a tray, separated by parchment.  Freeze them until solid, then transfer to a container or bag for storage.

To serve:

Coleslaw
1 bag coleslaw mix
10 basil leaves, sliced
5 mint leaves, sliced
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 green onion sliced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
5 tbsp mayo
4 tsp sweet chili sauce (available in the Asian section of the grocery store)

Sweet chili sauce
Lettuce leaves (romaine or butter lettuce)
Lime wedges

1. Combine the coleslaw mix, basil, mint, cilantro, green onion.  Combine the vinegar, mayo and sweet chili sauce.  Toss the dressing and vegetables together.
2. To cook the meatballs heat a frying pan over medium heat and coat with a thin layer of oil.  Add the meatballs to the pan.  Cover the pan with a lid to help the meatballs cook.  Flip the meatballs occasionally, so they brown evenly. Cook the pork until reaches 170 degrees.
3. Drizzle some sweet chili sauce over the meatballs and toss to coat.
4. To serve, make lettuce wraps by filling the lettuce leaves with coleslaw and meatballs, and squeeze the limes over everything.

Meatloaf Patties

A while back I wrote about the possibility  of making meatloaf patties instead of the traditional loaf shape.  I finally got around to it, and it's way, way better than the loaf shape.  

Reasons patties are more convenient than a loaf:

1. No thawing - When I made meatloaf in a loaf form the loaf needed to thaw for 48 hours before cooking.  Patties can be taken from the freezer and go directly in the pan.
2. Cook faster - The loaf shape takes at least an hour to cook.  These were done in less than 30 minutes.
3. No oven - These are cooked in frying pan.  The oven doesn't need to be turned on, which is especially nice in the summer.
4. Easy portion control - A full sized meatloaf is enough food for my family for two meals, and we'll still have leftovers.  With individual patties it is easy to make as much as we will eat in one night.  

Thai Chicken Patties

Between the gyro patties, black bean burgers, Southwest chicken patties, falafel and now Thai chicken patties my summer freezer meals are becoming a variety of patties.  I'm okay with that.  As evidenced by the list above, patties come in a variety of flavors and proteins, so even though the shape is the same they can be vastly different meals.  Patties are also easy.  They're easy to make.  More importantly they're easy to cook.  They require no thawing and can go straight from the freezer to the frying pan.  Plus they cook quickly.  I'm even thinking the next time I make meatloaf I will try making meatloaf patties, so they won't require a long thaw and cook time like meatloaf.  I can also cook just a couple patties for dinner instead of having a large meatloaf we eat for a couple days.

Anyway to these specific patties.  They're delicious.  I made a quadruple batch and wished I had made more.

Difficulty: Easy
Category: Freezer to Pan
Recipe Column: DU

Gyros

The last thing I posted was about all the time I spent making freezer meals.  It was a lot of work, and I'm guessing it seemed like too much to some.  I intended to make a list of things I was able to do because I had the freezer meals, but... I didn't.  I forget to document stuff.  So I don't have a comprehensive list, but I will say that I find life a lot easier when I have freezer meals.  It's easier for to find the time and energy for other things when I don't have to worry about dinner, and it's easier for me to keep up on cleaning the kitchen and other housework when I don't have cooking messes all the time.  I didn't keep a written record, but from memory here's some of the things I did now that dinner was taken care of:

Green Vegetable Tart

This tart is delicious and packed with nutritious green vegetables. It is one of my husband's favorites and to my surprise my kids really liked it and ate it all up.  I usually post recipes for single batches, so everyone can multiply it to fit their family's needs. This is a quadruple batch.  I post this as a larger batch because it works easier with the amounts some of the ingredients are sold in.  Leeks are generally sold 3 to a bundle, and this utilizes all of them. It also uses a 32 oz container of ricotta cheese which is one of the two sizes it's sold in.

Adapted from: Savoring Appetizers
Difficulty: Moderate
Category: Freezer to Pan
Recipe Column: U

Yields 4 pies.  Each pie serves 6

Chicken Potstickers

I love potstickers and now my daughter has declared them one of her favorite meals as well.  They are a bit time consuming to make, but they cook quickly straight from the freezer.  They'll definitely be a regular in our freezer meal rotation.

Difficulty: Difficult - They aren't difficult to make, but they are time consuming.
Category: Freezer to Pan
Recipe Column: DM

Yields about 50

Falafel

These tasty falafels are very easy if you have a large enough food processor.  They are also inexpensive and they are very convenient as they can go straight from the freezer to the pan.

Difficulty: Easy
Category: Freezer to Pan
Recipe Column: AA

Get the recipe here. Form the falafels, but do not cook them.

To freeze:
Freeze the uncooked falafels on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.  You can do up to two layers of falafel on the same pan.  Separate the layers with parchment paper.  Once the falafels are frozen, transfer them to a bag or container for storage.

To serve:
Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large frying pan.  When the oil is hot, add the frozen falafels in a single layer.  Do not overcrowd the pan.  Cook until brown on both sides.  You may cover the pan at the beginning to help the falafels heat through.  Remove the lid towards the end of cooking to give the falafel a chance to crisp before serving.  Serve with tzatziki or other sauce and a salad.

Tzatziki Sauce
1/2 cucumber
1 cup Greek yogurt
pinch of garlic powder (optional)
dash of lemon juice
sprinkle of dry dill

1. Coarsely grate the cucumber.  Gather up the grated cucumber and gently squeeze excess moisture out of the cucumber before transferring it to a small mixing bowl.
2. Combine all the ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chicken Strips

These chicken strips were tasty and a big hit with my kids.  They gobbled them up, which is unusual for them.

Adapted from: Once Upon A Chef
Difficulty: Moderate
Category: Freezer to Pan
Recipe Column: AC

Pupusas

I uploaded an updated spreadsheet.  Go here to download it.

I enjoyed eating pupusas regularly when I lived in New York.  Unfortunately, I've had trouble find good ones anywhere else, and I have missed them.  Finally I have learned how to make them.   It took some experimenting because none of the recipes I found online tasted like the ones I had in New York.  All of those recipes called for the dough to be made with only instant masa and water.  This resulted in a dry, tough exterior not the soft exterior of the pupusas I remember.

Some internet research led me to believe that the difference is made by using instant masa instead of fresh masa.  I don't know of a place to purchase fresh masa and I don't have the equipment or inclination to make it myself.  After some experiments in adding butter and baking power to the dough with the instant masa I got very close to the soft pupusas I enjoyed so much in New York.  I realize this may not be an authentic way to make them, but they taste pretty authentic and delicious!

Pierogi

These potato pierogi were a staple for us last summer.  They were my first freezer to pan meal.  Last summer when I was tired or forgot to thaw something for dinner, I would throw a few of these in a pan and have a quick and easy dinner.  They are time consuming to make, but they're cheap and super convenient once they are made.  I think these could also be tasty with up to half the potatoes replaced by cauliflower.  I was going to give it a try last time I made them, but the cauliflower was looking pretty sad when I went to the store.

Difficulty: Moderate
Category: Freezer to Pan
Recipe Column: AK

Black Bean Burgers

These black bean burgers are inexpensive and tasty.  Plus they can be cooked straight from the freezer, making them very convenient as well.

From: Veganomicon
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Freezer to Pan
Recipe Column: BR

SW Chicken Patties and Summer Freezer Meals

Summer is fast approaching and we have finally finished eating our hearty, winter meals.  The freezer is almost empty, and I have been cooking for summer this week.  Summer is tough for freezer meals.  Most of my initial ideas for freezer meals were thick soups, stews and heavy casseroles.  All of those things are perfect for the cold days of winter, but I prefer lighter fare in the summer.  I also avoid turning on the oven as much as possible.  I have come up with some summer freezer meals, so stay tuned.  I'll be posting those recipes in the weeks to come.

First up is Southwest Chicken Patties.  I used to make these fairly regularly, but they are a little labor intensive as there is a fair amount of chopping involved and then the forming of the patties.  They fell out of my regular rotation.  I happy to say that these are back in the rotation due to the fact that they freezer very well and can be cooked straight from the freezer, making them very convenient.

This meal was a major freezer meal win today!  Like I said I am doing the bulk of my freezer cooking this week and it is always a large undertaking.  I've also had other stuff going on, so today I didn't cook at all.  My kitchen was a complete disaster, so as dinner approached I really didn't feel like making anything.  I hadn't thawed anything either, and I was on the verge of packing up my kids and heading for a drive-thru.  As I was considering getting ready to leave, I decided that I really need to eat what we have on hand instead of paying for fast food and decided on these since they can be cooked straight from the freezer.  We had some spring mix on hand for a salad.  I am so glad I did.  These were so easy to cook up.  They just required one pan and a few minutes.  They were delicious, and they ended up being so much easier and cheaper than taking my kids out for fast food.  This is why I do the freezer meals.

A Collection of Pancakes

Pancakes are great for freezing, and it's easy to make a huge batch of them.  Plus, they heat well straight from the freezer, which is convenient if you're short on time and forgot to thaw something for breakfast.  We have pancakes at least once a week, so I make a triple or quadruple batch when I make them.

As I've stated before, I like a hearty breakfast.  My day is so much more enjoyable and productive if I start the day by eating something substantial.  Unfortunately, as delicious as traditional light and fluffy flapjacks are, I don't find that they stick with me and keep me going until lunch.  As such I am always on the hunt for more filling pancakes.  Below are a few pancake recipes I freeze that are filling as well as delicious.