Baked Turkey Meatball

So you have made your own tomato sauce, but you aren't sure of where you can use it. Of course you can use it in pasta dishes, but I like to mix things up. What better way than delicious baked meatballs? Doesn't everyone love meatballs?

Sometimes I just don't want to serve meatballs over pasta. What else is better than pasta? Potatoes!! Add some kale to that and you have a well rounded meal! I am starting to come around to kale. Although, my doctor said eating excess amounts of kale can cause kidney stones!!! So just be cautions of your intake.

I used my homemade red sauce for this recipe. You can find that recipe here!!

Okay, lets make dinner!

Baked Turkey Meatballs over Kale & Potato Hash
GF/DF

Meatball Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup GF breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 sweet onion
1/4 cup parsley
1 T tomato paste
1 clove garlic
1 t black pepper
1 t salt
tomato sauce (homemade or your favorite GF store bought)

Kale & Potato Hash Ingredients:

3/4 bunch of kale
3 T olive oil
1 shallot
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
1/4 t salt
2 T dijon mustard (Publix is GF)
2 cups shredded potatoes (I used frozen that I defrosted)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Add all of your meatball ingredients except for the tomato sauce into a large bowl.

Mix well.

Using your hands, form even sized meatballs and place 1-2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown and no longer pink in the middle, about 20 minutes.

While your meatballs are cooking, lets work on the potato kale mixture. Wash the kale well, and remove the leafy part, discarding the hard stems.

Finely dice your shallot. It appears I forgot to take a picture, SORRY!!

Heat your olive oil over medium heat in a non stick skillet.

Add in your kale and allow to wilt for about 5 minutes.

Add in the shallot, black pepper, salt, dijon mustard, and potatoes.

Stir everything together. Spread evenly into the pan and allow to cook for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes begin to brown. Be sure to stir the mixture every few minutes to ensure even cooking.

Serve your baked turkey meatballs over the Kale & Potato mixture and top with your tomato sauce.

Thanks Y'all!
-Wise Wife 

Watermelon & Cucumber Salad

Summer season means watermelon is always in my fridge. It has just the right amount of sweetness and is a great low calorie snack full of vitamins A and D.

When hubs was growing up, his mom would always make melon balls and keep them in the fridge. I know, my mother-in-law is amazing!! I have picked up this trait from her and Hubs is quite happy. 

Turing watermelon into bite sized balls is just the perfect healthy, pop in your mouth, snack. Melon balls are so easy to make and can also be made from honeydew and cantaloupe!!

Okay, to make watermelon balls, you will need a melon baller like this one here. 

Go ahead and slice your melon in half. I chose to use a seedless watermelon which I would highly recommend. If you are balling cantaloupe or honeydew, be sure to remove the seeds. 

Press your melon baller into your fruit and spin the baller around completely. Just like magic, its a melon ball! 

Then you are left with this. Don't worry, I had myself a snack by eating a few bites of the leftover insides.

Now of course, I had to create a salad with some of my melon balls. That recipe is below!

printable recipe here! 

Watermelon and Cucumber Salad

naturally GF/DF

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh watermelon balls (or bite size pieces)

1 cucumber

2 green onions

2 T fresh basil

2 T lemon juice

1 T olive oil

1 T agave nectar (or honey)

1/4 t salt

dash of ground white pepper 

What to do:

Peel your cucumber. I like to leave some of the peel for the color and it just makes it look fancy! :) 

Slice your cucumber in half, lengthwise.

Line your halves up and slice in 1/4 inch slices.

Chop your basil.

Chop your green onions. Only use the white and light green parts for this recipe. You want that strong onion flavor because it mixes so well with the sweetness of the watermelon. 

Place watermelon, cucumber, green onions, and basil in a medium bowl. Stir together.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, agave nectar, salt, and white pepper.

Right before serving, pour the olive oil dressing over the watermelon and give it a toss. 

Thanks Y'all!

-Wise Wife

Gluten Free Fried Green Tomatoes

As often as I can, I purchase my produce from local or state farmer's markets. You always know it is fresh and at the same time support our local farmers. They have wonderful life stories and are genuinely happy when you want to buy their products. We are lucky enough to have a farmers market every single day. However, my favorite market is only Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I try to hit that one as often as I can, but of course I don't always make it there. I am very thankful for my backup framer's market!

This week I came across some beautiful green tomatoes and I knew they had to go home with me.

I decided right away that we would turn these beauties into fried green tomatoes. I have all of the ingredients on hand so it was super easy to throw together. Also, I was able to use another one of my farm fresh eggs because of course they make everything better!

Lets get to frying!

Gluten Free, Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 large green tomatoes
1 /2 cups almond flour
1 t salt, divided
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
1 fresh egg
2 T cold water
canola oil for frying (or coconut oil if you prefer)

What to do:

Slice your tomatoes about 1/4 of an inch thick.

Lay out on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

Lay another paper towel on top. This process removes some of the excess water so the batter will stick better. Don't skip this step!!

Add oil into a skillet, I prefer cast iron for frying. Pour about 1/8 inch of oil into the pan. Heat the oil to 375°.

While your oil is heating up, add almond flour, 1/2 t salt, and pepper, into a shallow baking dish.

Mix together.

In another small dish, add your egg and cold water and scramble together.

Once your oil is ready to fry, dredge your tomato one slice at a time into the egg wash.

Straight from the egg wash, transfer the tomato into the almond flour mixture and completely cover the tomato.

Place right into the hot oil.

Fry for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel covered plate to drain the extra oil.

That's it!! Hope you love them!

Thanks Y'all!
-Wise Wife