Empanadas

These empanadas remind me of the ones I had at a little stand in D.C. a few years ago. They have a sweet yet savory and spicy meat filling with a hearty whole wheat blend dough. Older kids will love them. They're a little time consuming, but you'll save time later since the recipe makes 8 and they freeze and reheat perfectly. To cut down on the prep time, I cooked extra ground beef when making taco salad earlier in the week. I set aside 1 lb of the meat, unseasoned for this recipe. And this dough is super easy to work with.

Empanada Recipe
Dough--pulse together in food processor until a soft dough forms. Knead dough 2-3 times on lightly floured surface, then roll into a ball, cut in half and then quarters. You should have 8 balls of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest while you prepare the filling. When ready, roll out each ball into an 8" circle.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup cold water
  

Egg wash: 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Filling: Cook the beef and add all ingredients to the pan. Simmer until well blended. Remove from heat. Toss in cheese and cilantro once slightly cooled.

• 1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey, cooked
• 1/3 c. chopped raisins (I prefer golden)
• 1/4 c. chopped stuffed green olives
• 1/2 of one jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and diced finely
  
• 2 tbsp. tomato sauce
• 2 TB brown sugar
  
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1 3/4 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

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• 1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
• 1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Let filling cool. Divide between all eight dough circles. Brush water on one side of the dough and fold over. Seal with the tines of a fork. Brush each empanada you're going to bake then with eggwash. (I use a microwave safe bowl and set aside any excess egg to microwave for scrambled egg for the baby for dinner). Wrap the rest individually in plastic wrap and freeze in a gallon-sized freezer bag for later. Bake empanadas on a parchment lined pan at 400' for 35-40 minutes. Serve hot with a side salad.