Maybe it's the Italian in me, but when I think about food, I think of friends, family, laughter and good times (OK, and a nice glass of red...for those of you who know me)! Or, maybe I'd like to credit my heritage on this thinking, but really I know that it's because food brings people together, no matter what the culture. It has since the very beginning, and it will until the end. When we share the experience of food with others we connect on a deeper level, with all of our senses engaged, and through this our memories of times together are enhanced and last longer. It is the celebration and the nurturing of a loved one. It is the engagement of our common ground, where it is abundant and where it is scarce. It is for these and many more reasons, that food is the one thing I never forget to be grateful for.
This recipe for turkey and quinoa meatballs began with the idea to make a healthy meatball, and ended with a collaboration of ideas from a sister and friend. Once again...food bringing people together! Thanks to Lisa and Amanda for their input on this recipe.
Turkey and Quinoa Meatballs
Serves 6
1 lb of ground turkey breast
3/4 cups of cooked quinoa - What the heck is quinoa? Click it.
2 cups of baby spinach
1/4 cup of pine nuts
1 egg
1/4 cup of onion, finely diced (pulse diced onions in a food processor to make them fine)
1 tbsp of minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
1 tbsp of miso tamari, or soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp grape jam * What, you ask? This is what happens when you look around the refrigerator for ketchup, you don't find it and then you start to get ideas. Trust me, you won't taste grapes and you won't want to roll your meatballs in peanut butter! The jam adds a bit of depth to the meatballs while balancing out the savory flavors.
Preheat oven to 425
1. To cook quinoa, bring 3/4 cups of water to a boil. Rinse 1/2 cup of quinoa and add to pot with a pinch of salt. Cover and reduce to low, simmering for about 12 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. Becuase it can be tricky to cook very small amounts of quinoa, this amount makes extra. Just measure it to 3/4 cups after it's cooked and then you get leftovers!
2. To cook the spinach, put it into a steamer basket and rest it over the quinoa during it's last 2 minutes of cooking with the cover on. Or simmer in 1/2 cup of water over meduim/low heat for 2-3 minutes or until wilted.
3. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium/low heat for about 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
4. Chop the spinach into small pieces and squeeze out excess water. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spinach, cooked quinoa, pine nuts and all other ingredients. Mix well.
5. Line a small baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil, coating a thin layer of oil over the entire surface. Form mixture into approximately 15 meatballs and lay out on baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
