Beef or Turkey Empanadas (Flaky Meat Pies)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef, turkey, or vegetarian ground “meat”
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup raisins or 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2 ready-made refrigerated pie crusts (the kind you unroll, such as Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts)

Instructions

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. 2
   In a large heavy skillet, brown the meat and onions over medium-high heat. Once the meat is browned (about 5 minutes) add the salt, garlic powder, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, vinegar and raisins (or pine nuts), and simmer it for about 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat.
3. 3
   Unroll and cut each of the pie crusts into 4 even quarters. Put each section of the crusts on the baking sheet, fold it gently in half to find the middle seam, and put a small scoop of the meat mixture along the seam. Fold it over and seal the edges with the tines of a fork to make a pocket. Bake the empanadas for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the empanadas to cool for a few minutes before serving.