herbed turkey meatballs
Y’all, these meatballs are so good! I can’t believe how well they turned out. The inspiration was a recipe from Dr. Mark Hyman’s cookbook Food, What the Heck Should I Eat? I glanced at the recipe and keyed on the words ‘cilantro’ and mint’. Days later, when I went to the market to get the ingredients, I remembered ‘mint’ but couldn’t remember the other herb, so I decided that parsley would go well. Parsley is good for digestion and a relatively neutral flavor that melds well with other flavors. Do you remember the days when parsley was relegated to being a garnish on a plate? (I’m probably dating myself with this ‘70’s tradition!).
These meatballs have a bit of a Mediterranean taste to me; I think it’s the mint in concert with the slight sweetness imparted by the dates. Don’t like dates? Sub a tablespoon of local honey.
Anyhoo….I hope y’all will give these a try. As always at the Helpful Plate, I encourage you to play with this. If you don’t like mint, sub cilantro or even chopped rosemary. If you don’t have ground flaxseeds, omit them, or add a tablespoon more of the oats. Additionally, these can be served a variety of ways. I’ve included some suggestions at the end of the recipe.
A note about texture. These are REALLY STICKY when you roll them, or rather pat them into shape. So don’t be alarmed or discouraged; that is exactly the experience I had. But it is SO worth it. When these are baked, they are firm and hold their shape beautifully. The recipe calls for 1/2 lb ground turkey, but obviously, to feed a crowd, you can use a whole pound of turkey and double the rest of the ingredient list.
Ingredients:
1/3 c. rolled oats
2 dates
1 Tbs coarsely ground flaxseeds
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder OR smoked paprika + a dash of cayenne pepper
1/4 c. almond flour
1/4 c chopped, packed Italian parsley
1/4 c. chopped mint
1/2 Tbs flaxseed or avocado oil
1 egg, beaten
1/2 lb organic, ground turkey
Instructions: Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl (with your hands). Break off chunks of mixture and roll or pat into 2 inch ‘balls’. These won’t be perfectly round because the mixture is super sticky.
Bake on a cookie sheet or pizza stone at 350-degrees for 30 min. This recipe makes about 9 2-inch meatballs.
Serve over Zoodles with red pepper flakes, pasta with tomato sauce or pesto, or toss with roasted veggies or gnocchi.