Meatballs- Endo Diet Friendly Version

Here's the Endo Diet Friendly version of my meatball recipe.

1 1/2 lb turkey

3/4 cup oatmeal (gluten free)

3/8 cup alternative milk

Worcestershire sauce alternative:

  1 tsp tamarind paste

  1 tbsp gluten-free tamari

  1 tsp cloves

  1/8 onion

  3 drops lemon juice

  1/4 tsp molasses 

1 small onion

1 tbsp flax seed

3 tbsp water

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Mix Worcestershire sauce alternative ingredients in small food processor until finely ground.  Mix flax seed with water in a cup or small bowl and let stand for 2 minutes.   Combine all ingredients and shape into meatballs. Place in 9x13 pan, making sure to leave room between the meatballs. Cook 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

Makes about 12 meatballs.

Meatloaf- Endo Diet Friendly Version

I modified my meatloaf recipe to make it Endo Diet Friendly.


1 1/2 lb ground turkey 

2/3 cup alternative milk (almond, etc.)

Worcestershire sauce alternative:

  1 tsp tamarind paste

  1 tbsp gluten-free tamari

  1 tsp cloves

  1/8 onion

  3 drops lemon juice

  1/4 tsp molasses 

1 tsp fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 cup gluten-free oatmeal

Flaxseed egg alternative:

  2 tbsp flax seed

  6 tbsp water

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp Dijon mustard

pepper

Sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 tbsp agave nectar

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp sage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix Worcestershire sauce alternative ingredients in small food processor until finely ground.  Mix flax seed with water in a cup or small bowl and let stand for 2 minutes.  

Mix loaf ingredients and place in loaf pan. Mix sauce ingredients in small bowl and pour half over top of loaf. Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 F.

Pour remaining sauce over meatloaf before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings

Shepherd's Pie

I based this off of the Simply Recipes's Easy Shepherd's Pie.  I used half ground turkey (for me...to make it Endo Diet-friendly) and half ground beef (to make it husband friendly) and put cheese only on his half.  It was good but the meat could have used a bit of sage, thyme and/or rosemary since I didn't use Worchestershire sauce (I was pretty much out and I looked at the ingredients...and decided not to buy it).  I definitely add some of those next time.  You can add additional or different vegetables depending on what you like and have around.

1 1/2 lbs ground meat (lamb, beef, turkey or any combination)
3-4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 head of broccoli, chopped
2-3 shallots, chopped
2 lbs. potatoes (I used red), scrubbed and quarted, but not peeled
4-6 tbsp olive oil
1 cup almond milk (or other alternative milk)
Shredded cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Put potatoes in a large pot of cold water, bring to a boil and continue to boil for 20 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking, saute carrots, broccoli, and shallot in about 2-3 tbsp olive oil for 5-7 minutes, then add meat and brown meat.  Remove from heat, add spices and mix throughly.

Place meat and vegetable mix in a baking dish or large casserole.  Drain potatoes and place them back in the hot pot they were cooked in. Mash potatoes, adding remaining olive oil and alternative milk.  Spread mashed potatoes on top of the meat and vegetable mix.  Add cheese if desired.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6.

Enchiladas

This recipe is based off a recipe in the Sneaky Chef book.  I used pinto beans and chicken (both are Endo Diet-friendly), but you could use ground beef or turkey like the recipe in the book.  My husband and I liked it but I should have add just a tad more cumin.

1 lb chicken breasts, ground beef, ground turkey or 2 cups cooked beans (or any combination of these)
2 cloves garlic, chopped or about 1 1/2 tbsp of garlic powder
1 onion, chopped
1 10 oz can tomato puree
1/4 cup Orange Puree
1/4 cup White Puree
1/4 cup White Bean Puree
1/2 cup Green Puree
at least 1/2 tbsp cumin
at least 1 tsp oregano
at least 1/2 tbsp pepper
at least 1 tsp coriander
shredded cheese (optional- not Endo Diet friendly, but I put it in the ones for my husband)
at least 8 small tortillas (corn are Endo Diet friendly most of the time)

Mix spices, tomato puree and other purees in a medium bowl to make the enchilada sauce.

For ground meat, cook onions and garlic for about 5 minutes over medium heat, then add in and brown ground meat.  Then mix in half the enchilada sauce.

For chicken, put chicken breasts in a small sauce pan with half the enchilada sauce.  Simmer for 1 1/2 hours and then shred chicken.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After filling is cooked, light grease the bottom of large casserole or baking dish with olive oil and then coat with half the remaining enchilada sauce.  Fill with filling and cheese (if using) and roll enchilada, placing seam side in dish.  After all enchiladas are rolled, spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese (optional).  Bake for 20 minutes or until light browned.

Serves 4-6.

Spaghetti Sauce

I use this spaghetti sauce recipe for spaghetti and lasagna. This recipe is based on what my parents make. It can be made either as a meat sauce or plain tomato (which I use for spaghetti and meatballs).  The plain sauce or with turkey is endo diet friendly.

4 cups homemade tomato sauce or 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce and 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 cup wine (I use white wine)

1/2 to 1 whole onion (depending on how onion-y you like your sauce), diced

5-6 cloves of garlic, diced

basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram (I don't actually measure it but you probably need at least 1/2 tbsp-1 tbsp dried of each)

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil (if you are not making meat sauce)

1 1/2 lbs ground beef or turkey (for meat sauce)

Heat a large pan over medium heat. If you are making meat sauce, add the ground beef or turkey and brown throughly. For plain sauce, add the olive oil to the pan. Add the onions and garlic and saute for about 6 minutes or until onions are tender. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (if using), tomato paste, wine (you can just pour it in the empty tomato paste can to measure) and spices. Let bubble then reduce heat. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Taste about 20 minutes into simmering for spices and add more as necessary. Use for spaghetti or lasagna.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Lasagna

I make my lasagna without ricotta cheese because that's how my parents made it.

Spaghetti Sauce (I use meat sauce for this)

2 cups shredded Italian 5-cheese blend

2 cups shredded Mozzerella

1 package of lasagna noddles

Optional: 1 zucchini, sliced into circles

Boil the lasagna noodles as directed on package, if necessary. Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the pan or casserole dish (depending on the size of your dish this recipe makes 1 9x13 pan or 2 smaller pans). Alternate layers of noodles, sauce, (zucchini) and cheese. Top with the remaining cheese. You can refrigerate for a day before cooking if necessary. Bake 350 for 30 minutes uncovered plus an additional 15 minutes covered (30 minutes if previously refrigerated).

Makes 6-8 servings

Pumpkin Pasta with Turkey Meatballs

This is a Rachel Ray recipe except I use meatball instead of sausage.

Here's the meatball recipe.

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

6-8 fresh sage leaves, shredded, or 1/2 tbsp sage

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie mix)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb pasta of your choice

Make meatballs and start baking in oven. Start sauce and pasta water while meatballs are cooking.

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Put meatballs in sauce, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute.

Makes about 4-6 servings.

Meatballs

I use this recipe for any meatballs I make. Slightly adapted from Betty Crocker. Just like in my meatloaf, I use oatmeal as the binder instead of bread crumbs.

1 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey

3/4 cup oatmeal

3/8 cup milk

1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce (you can just do this by sight if you like)

1 small onion

1 egg

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Combine all ingredients and shape into meatballs. Place in 9x13 pan, making sure to leave room between the meatballs. Cook 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

Makes about 12 meatballs.

Meatloaf

I combined a couple different meatloaf recipes, and came out with one I like. The oatmeal is healthier than the more commonly used breadcrumbs. We have this about once a month.

1 1/2 lb ground turkey (or beef or pork)

2/3 cup milk

1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce

1 tsp fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 cup oatmeal

2 eggs

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp Dijon mustard

pepper

Sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp sage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix loaf ingredients and place in loaf pan. Mix sauce ingredients in small bowl and pour half over top of loaf. Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 F.

Pour remaining sauce over meatloaf before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings