Chicken Veggie Meatballs with Pesto Zucchini "Noodles"

I made this tasty little dish for dinner last night.  Isaac went back for seconds and Marin actually had a few bites-- which is a major accomplishment these days. Major.

Now, just to get one thing straight... this is a "paleo" recipe. I'm not normally into this kind of thing, but have been trying to make healthy dinners for Isaac and I (mostly so I won't gain a million pounds while pregnant) and this yummy dish popped up in Pinterest. Thank you, Pinterest. It made quite a few meatballs and I thought we'd have enough left over for dinner another night this week, but Isaac ate them all. They were small meatballs, so I guess I'll give him that. They are actually the perfect size for kids, in my opinion. So if your kids won't eat veggies, like my little one, then this is a good way to secretly squeeze some in! 

There were a few things I didn't have on hand and I used some other ingredients instead. For instance, I only had 1 zucchini and opted to use it for the noodles, instead of in the meatballs. All my changes/substitutions are noted below in bold. They were very easy to make, just for the record. 

Ingredients:
Chicken Veggie Meatballs

• 1 cup zucchini, chopped (about 1 zucchini) (I used half a bag of broccoli slaw I bought at the store in place of the zucchini. It included broccoli, carrots and cabbage, so I also omitted the extra carrots below)
• 1 cup carrots, chopped (about 2 medium carrots)
• 1 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cup blanched almond flour (I used oat flour, I'm sure any flour would do) 
• 1 egg
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used ground chicken, made it so much easier) 
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 teaspoon chili powder (optional... I did NOT use this)

Paleo Spinach Pesto

• 2 cups fresh spinach (I had a bag of spinach/kale blend. Worked great)
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Zucchini Noodles

• 1 to 2 large zucchini's (I just used 1, wish I would have had 2 for this)
• 1 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Chicken Veggie Meatballs

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a food processor, pulse together the zucchini, carrots, parsley and garlic.
3. Add almond flour, egg, chicken and pulse.
4. Then add salt, pepper and chili powder and process until thoroughly combined.
5. Drop tablespoon size balls of the chicken mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake 23 to 28 minutes.

Paleo Spinach Pesto

1. In a food processor, add spinach, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Turn food processor on and add olive oil while processing.  Pulse until blended thoroughly.  If you need to add more olive oil add 1 tablespoon at a time.

Zucchini Noodles

1. Cut zucchini with a mandoline into "noodles".
2. In a skillet heat 1 tablespoons coconut oil, saut zucchini with minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste until soft or resembles noodles.  Toss noodles with spinach pesto and heat for about 1 minutes.

Its been a while since someone posted on here, so let's end the silence with this fantastic dish, shall we?  I think most people will like this. It was delicious and fairly easy.

Do you ever get bored with chicken?  I do. Sometimes I can't handle it. So, I made this last night  to shake things up and much to my surprise Isaac loved it. I thought for sure he'd scoff at the mashed cauliflower bit. But no. He did not. He liked it. A lot. And so did I. Enjoy. You're welcome.

Smothered Crispy Pork Cutlets with Cauliflower Mash

YIELD: SERVES 6-8

The pork can be made ahead of time and kept in a single layer in a baking dish in a warm oven (set to about 170 degrees) for up to an hour. Also the cauliflower mash can be made several days in advance, stored in the refrigerator, and warmed in the microwave or in a baking dish in the oven for serving.

INGREDIENTS

Pork:
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin(s), trimmed of excess fat
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
Sauce:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, stems removed and discard, mushrooms halved
• 1 medium shallot, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups low-sodium beef broth or stock
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Cauliflower Mash:
• 2 heads cauliflower, florets
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. For the pork, slice the tenderloins into ½-inch pieces. Lightly pound with a mallet or the bottom of a small saucepan inbetween pieces of plastic wrap or inside a thick resealable Ziploc bag until each pieces is about ¼-inch thick.
2. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge each piece of pork in the flour mixture on both sides. In a large, 12-inch skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until hot and shimmering.
3. Add the pork in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches), leaving a bit of space between each piece, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until just cooked through (will register 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining pork (adding a little extra butter and olive oil if the skillet is dry). Cover the pork lightly with a lid or aluminum foil to keep warm.
4. Once the pork has all been cooked and transferred out of the skillet, return the skillet to medium heat and add the 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter for the sauce. Add the mushrooms, shallot and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have softened and are beginning to brown, about 6-8 minutes.
5. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. The flour should take on some brown color and the mixture should sizzle a bit. Gradually pour in the stock, about ½ cup at a time, deglazing the pan and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Continue adding the stock, whisking constantly to avoid lumps and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the half-and-half. Simmer for 5-6 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
6. Transfer the pork to a platter and pour the sauce over the top (some can be reserved to be served separately). Sprinkle with the fresh parsley. Serve the smothered pork over mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash.
7. For the cauliflower mash, clean and trim the large stems off the heads of cauliflower. Cut the florets into pieces. Boil the cauliflower in a large pot of water until very tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain off the water and lay the cauliflower pieces on several layers of paper towels. Pat dry until very little moisture remains (do so quickly as you want the cauliflower warm when blending). Add the cooked cauliflower to a food processor, blender or use a large bowl and an immersion blender. Toss in the butter, sour cream, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste (start with ½ teaspoon each and add more if needed). Process until thick and smooth.

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe