Baked Coconut-Basil Turkey Meatballs

Remember that lesson on combinations and permutations in math class back in the day? That one where you had to figure out how many different combos you could make from a list of items? {Yeah, me either. Math never was my thing.} That's what I think of sometimes when I'm grocery shopping and cooking each week.

If you look in my fridge or pantry, I will almost always have the same staple ingredients from which I make our weekly meals and anything else I'm inspired to cook up. One of the benefits of cooking at home often is that you start to build a well-stocked pantry with items that can be used in various ways. For the most part, certain things like spices, dry goods and condiments last a while, which can be a good thing if you're up for a challenge in creativity... but a bad thing if you can only think of a handful of ways to combine them in a recipe. {"What the HECK am I supposed to do with the rest of this jar of poultry seasoning?!"}

Even though I'm always coming up with new things to share on the blog, the truth is that we get into eating ruts just like everyone else. Ground turkey meat is almost always on rotation in our house because it's inexpensive, relatively healthy and liked by all who live here. BUT, there are only so many variations of sloppy joes, chili and meatballs I can make before we all want to say a permanent goodbye to the gobbler.

The more ingredients you have on hand, the more combinations you can make so that will help you use up ordinary ingredients in extraordinary ways! {Your taste buds and family members will thank you.}

I often look up recipes for different types of cuisines and figure out how to use every day ingredients in exotic new ways, and these Coconut-Basil Turkey Meatballs did not disappoint. I found the idea for the recipe while flipping through an old Cooking Light magazine, and substituted some of my own pantry items for the ingredients I didn't have. {Yes, I totally used puffed rice cereal in meatballs. That's called ingenuity, folks.}

Since I already had this stuff in my pantry and fridge for every day cooking, all I had to do was combine the flavors in different ways to create something new, fresh and really good! I loved how the coconut added another layer of flavor to the spicy meatballs. The sweet and sour tang of the honey and citrus juices made a perfect accompaniment for dipping, too.

You don't have to use basil strictly for Italian cooking, or coconut flakes explicitly for baking. The honey you drizzle over your morning bowl of oatmeal doesn't have to stay in the breakfast category. Like I said, even a box of cereal came in handy since I rarely have bread crumbs around!

I challenge YOU to look at the ingredients you buy every week with new eyes and see how many ways you can combine them into something original! Now THAT'S a lesson on combinations that's worth remembering... and eating! :)

Coconut-Basil Turkey Meatballs 
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, January 2011 

1 pound ground turkey {or chicken}
2/3 cup crisp rice cereal {or panko bread crumbs}
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 tablespoons chili paste {like Sambal Oelek}
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 egg, beaten
Pinch of salt


For Sauce:
Juice of half a lime
Juice of one small orange {I used a blood orange, but any will do}
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon vinegar {preferably rice vinegar}
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
Pinch of red chili flakes

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a large baking pan by lining with a piece of aluminum foil and brushing lightly with olive oil. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the meatball ingredients until well combined.

3. Using a standard ice cream scoop, scoop out the meat mixture and shape into balls. {You should get about 10 medium-large meatballs.} Place meatballs a few inches apart on the prepared baking pan.

4. Brush the top of each meatball with a drop or two of oil. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

For Sauce: Place all the sauce ingredients in a lidded jar. Secure the lid tightly and shake vigorously to combine.

Serve hot meatballs with a side of dipping sauce.

These make a great appetizer or a good dish to serve alongside rice or asian-style noodles.

Sriracha-Honey Glazed Broccoli Meatballs

I'm a few weeks behind, but Happy New Year!

Our year has gotten off to a jam-packed start, and I've definitely been struggling with getting back into the blogging routine. It happens. {More often than I'd like to admit.}

While I've hardly been home during the first few weekends of the new year, I've spent my weekdays at home cleaning, purging and organizing in order to get a fresh start on 2016. I'm talking open those junk drawers, throw out old underwear, eliminate expired makeup, toss chipped dishes, down to the nitty-gritty cleaning, folks. Few things make me happier.

I've seen a lot of bloggers and friends set "intention words" to focus on for the year, which is very evolved, mature and introspective of them... but I can barely decide on what I'm going to eat for lunch let alone choose one major life area to focus on for the entire year.

It's no secret that I'm nowhere near concise when it comes to words. So I guess if I had to choose just one word, it would be, "Do." Ok, maybe that's a bit broad. How about, "Engage." {Am I doing this right?} What I mean is, I would like to make this the year of "Less Talk, More Action."

So, yeah... that right there is pretty much why I don't participate in this activity.

Though I haven't intentionally been, you know, intentional until right this second, I think I've done a pretty good job of "doing" in the past few weeks. For example, I've FINALLY started cutting up old college t-shirts that have been living in a bin in my closet for the past :::slurs number::: years, waiting patiently to be turned into a t-shirt quilt. {I don't quilt, but I plan on sending out the project to someone who can complete it for me.}

I've tried to be better about taking action on things immediately so they don't pile up, like emails, snail mail, dishes and laundry. I've taken lots of time to sit down on the floor with my little guy and play hard instead of waiting for him to get cranky because I'm not paying enough attention to him. {Hence the radio silence on the blog.}

I still have a lot to work on, specifically when it comes to professional goals that I keep putting on the back burner or planning to get to "down the road." It's time to get going! How do you take it one day at a time while springing into action??? A bit of a paradox, but I'm hoping to figure it out sometime. {Sooner than later, please.}

If part of your goals include cooking up easy but enjoyable food this year, then I'm here to help you take action with these Sriracha-Honey Glazed Broccoli Meatballs. If you can chop, mix, and turn on an oven {and stove top burner}, then you can make these in less than 30 minutes.

I always make meatballs with ground turkey since I don't eat red meat, but you could use whatever meat you'd like. The glaze {which I adapted from an old Martha Stewart Everyday Magazine recipe that I found during my organization overhaul} would make pretty much anything taste good, from vegetables to styrofoam. {I'm not responsible for anyone who decides to try it on styrofoam.}

These turkey meatballs are great to serve alongside rice or quinoa, or to set out as a fairly healthy bize-sized snack during sports-watching and parties. They're a little sweet {thanks to grated carrot and honey}, a little salty, and a hint spicy.  They even contain broccoli to up the veg factor. Basically, they've got it more together than I do.

{Note: If you don't already use a spring-loaded cookie scoop-type contraption for portioning out your meatballs and other items that need to be approximately the same size, then I highly recommend adding one to your shopping list. They make this task easy peasy.}

I won't use the "R" word that rhymes with "schmezolutions", but what kinds of things are you focusing on going into 2016?

Sriracha-Honey Glazed Broccoli Meatballs
Makes about 24 1inch meatballs

1 pound ground turkey{or ground beef}
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli florets

For Glaze:
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger {or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger}
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon water
1 heaping teaspoon cornstarch

Optional: Sesame seeds or green onion

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil and spray lightly with oil. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients and stir together with a fork until the mixture is somewhat uniform, but try not to mash it down or overwork it.

3. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the meat out and roll it into meatballs. Place them on the prepared baking pan an inch or two apart. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

For Glaze:

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together all the glaze ingredients over medium-high heat.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together about a tablespoon of water and a teaspoon of corn starch until completely smooth.

3. Add the cornstarch slurry to the saucepan and whisk for about 30 seconds. Let the mixture come to a bubble, whisking while the glaze thickens. Cook for another minute or so, then remove from heat.

4. Pour into a large clean bowl. When the meatballs are ready, remove from the oven and place them in the bowl with the glaze, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or green onion if desired.

Serve as an appetizer or alongside rice or quinoa for a complete meal.