Turkey Pesto Meatballs

Photo Courtesy Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen - Recipe is NOT!

In my quest for the new and different and non-boring dinner... in the quest to make my meals a bit trimmer and healthier and in my quest to have a warm, comfort meal while I decided that I would try to make a pesto turkey meatball. (I almost always use non-fat or low fat items as a substitute for their full-fat counterparts and never feel as though I have sacrificed taste, quality or consistency.)

Yes, I know this has been done. I did not go to any recipe. I winged it and made it mine. My goal was flavor, texture and healthy. These will be on our dinner table again, for sure! Truthfully. They were amazing!

What made them even better was that I turned them into meatball subs!


Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (though you could use ground chicken)
1 egg
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 water
1 cup pesto
1/4 - 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper -- a couple of dashes!

Preheat oven to 350

You can either make your own pesto (I have several recipes here on the blog) or use a good quality store bought pesto.

In a large mixing bowl mix all ingredients together until it is all well blended.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil
Roll into about 1 1/2 inch sized balls
Place on baking sheet
Bake in oven for 15 minutes, then with some tongs flip the meatballs over and cook for 15 more minutes. Repeat one more time, flip and cook for 10 minutes so that they get a nice golden brown.
When done remove from oven and set on paper towel to drain.

To make the meatball subs.
Take a nice roll like a ciabatta (I look carefully at the labels. Some have about 150 calories while others have 250. I stick to the lower versions!)
Slice the bread in half and place under the broiler so that it toasts to a nice golden brown.
Add mozzarella (low fat, part skim) if desired to the tops of the rolls, place back under broiler to melt. Watch closely so they do not burn!
Add Pesto Mayo to the other half.
Cut meatballs in half and arrange onto the rolls.
Place tops on and mangia!


Pesto Mayonnaise

I add equal amounts of pest to mayo (Hellman's Light) and mix well.
I use pesto mayo on all sorts of sandwiches from turkey to chicken salad. It's a great way to kick up a sandwich!

Pardon my absenteeism ... Corn salad and another Book Review

I haven't been in the kitchen much over the past week or so. I do miss it, but our lives have been so crazy with the end of school madness and parties and sports and try outs for next year's sports teams. Not only have I not been in my kitchen, I have barely been home. Add to that, that our grill is broken and needing to replaced and I must admit that I have lost the desire to create in my kitchen. It's been awfully hot and humid lately and even with the air on full blast lately, I just don't feel like turning on the ovens.

We've been dining on lots of salads -- luckily the children don't mind -- with bread and cheese and fresh fruit. The above collage was from one of our Memorial Day meals. We ate outdoors, picnic style... kids love picnic foods. Toss some fresh pesto on some ripe tomatoes... add some artisan cheeses and fresh bread from a local bakery and what more could you possibly need? Fresh cherries and strawberries!

I did make the above corn salad -- a recipe that I adapted from The Barefoot Contessa. Her corn salad is one of my favorites. I substituted the basil for cilantro... added a couple of  tablespoons of lime, a teaspoon of local honey. The result was that it was a spectacular hit and something a little different than our favorite.

Corn Salad:

6 ears of corn, cooked on the cob, peeled from the cob
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, Julienned
1/2 of a medium to large red onion, finely chopped
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs fresh lime juice
1 tbs good honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook corn about 5 minutes, remove from heat and cool by running under cold water or placing in an ice water bath. Using a sharp knife, gently slice the corn away from the cob. (This can get a bit messy!)
Place kernels in a bowl. Into bowl add cilantro and onion. Whisk together vinegar, lime juice and olive oil and pour over corn. Add salt and pepper if desired. Chill for an hour or two. Or leave overnight. This is fabulous the next day.

I've been on a foodie memoir kick lately. After I finished A Homemade Life I had to run out and pick up The Sharper the Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Quin. Another fabulous, exciting page turner. Without giving the story away, told in vignettes, recipes included, I will tell you that girl gets fired from the Corporate World and uses her savings to follow her love of cooking and enrolls at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. This book is a feast for all the senses!

Pesto di Christoforo

My little 9 year old loves to cook. He has a natural knack for flavors and aromas. He has a lot to learn, but he's got what it takes to be a great cook one day.

I had to have an MRI done on my shoulder today. I was given a cocktail of medicines to prevent an asthmatic/allergic reaction. The medicines left me in a very relaxed state. Verrrry relaxed. The injection of contrast dye and MRI went smoothly. The only odd sensation was what felt like 5 extra pounds of fluid in my left arm. I was not to drive due to my meds and I was not to lift anything heavier than my remote control.

I was taken out to lunch and dinner was made for me.

Christopher made a most amazing (everyone had seconds!) pesto that we served with angel hair pasta.

We will certainly be making this again!

Ingredients:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 large bunch of pesto (about 2.5 cups) rinsed, trimmed and stems removed
2 cloves of garlic
4 Tbs of Parmesan
1 cup of Olive oil
1/4 tsp of salt

(We used a mini food processor and made this in two batches --can be made in one batch in a regular food processor)

In food processor bowl place basil leaves, add olive oil, lemon, garlic, parmesan and salt. Blend well until all smooth.

In a large pot boil water for pasta. Follow directions on box of pasta.

When pasta is ready drain water, reserving about 1/2 cup of liquid. Keep in pan with pasta. Mix well.
Pour in pesto sauce and mix well. Add extra Parmesan for garnish.

NB. This recipe is Nut free

 

Chef Christoforo!