Meatball Mayhem...

Don't you just love Meatballs?  I mean, seriously, how creative are they....  Asian, Southwestern, Italian..you name it!  Not too mention the variety of meats you can use for your meatballs; ground turkey, chicken, pork, beef, venison, lamb, and even salmon.  I have been in a meatball making mood (say that 3 times fast, Lol) in our kitchen.  They freeze so well and are so flexible as being anything from appetizers, lunch, or dinner.  I love making up a large batch of meatballs and storing them in the freezer for a rainy or super busy day.  I can serve them on an Udi's hot dog bun for a sandwich, toss into a fresh salad, serve over rice, or the quintessential pasta..  The other day, I surprised my daughter by making an asian-style sandwich for her lunch box, topped with a quick asian salad.  It looked so good that my son wanted one as well.

Asian-Style Meatballs
I used 1 lb of organic ground turkey
1 healthy tbs of my garlic-ginger paste (recipe idea I got from Aarti's Party on Food Network)
3 dashes or to taste of Try Me Tiger Sauce (available at WalMart)
1 egg
1/4 cup Glutino Bread Crumbs
2 dashes or to taste of Coconut Secret Soy-Free Soy Sauce
1 green onion minced
Millet flour - as needed to make mixture dry enough to handle...

Place all ingredients in a large bowl, remove rings, push up sleeves, and get to mixing with those hands!  When mixture is just combined, add Millet flour as needed to allow mixture to be dry enough to roll into the ball size of your choice.  I place all on a platter and put in refrigerator at least 20 minutes to firm-up.  To my large skillet I drizzle my roasted garlic oil and turn to medium heat.  When skillet is hot, I add my meatballs.  Brown on both sides, turn skillet to low heat (almost off), and cover with lid.  Let the meatballs finish their cooking process by steaming to maintain their tenderness.  They steam for 10-15 minutes or so, and then you're ready to serve however you would like.  I used my Udi's hot dog buns for a sandwich, topped with a quick asian slaw of daikon, carrots, cilantro, a touch of sesame oil, fresh sesame seeds, and a little rice wine vinegar.  Toss really well and serve on top.

I also love experimenting with different sausages to make meatballs.  There are a lot of allergy-friendly options out there, you just gotta search for them!  How about a jalapeno cheddar chicken sausage for southwestern style meatballs served with rice and black beans?  Or a greek-style lamb meatball tossed into your favorite greek salad; the family really enjoys this.  I'm getting them to eat salad for dinner and the meatballs add a bit of fun and fullness to their meal.