Asian Turkey Meatballs with Sesame Dipping Sauce

After all the desserts I've posted lately, I thought it was time to post something healthy and, of course, delicious.

A while back I received this recipe in my Google reader from Gina's WW Recipes. Gina posts corresponding Weight Watcher points and calories for all of her recipes. Since I am not an expert on Weight Watchers nor can I verify the accuracy of her data, I am not including them here. You can visit Gina's blog for those details.

However, I can verify that these meatballs are simply delicious.

I've already made this recipe twice. The photo is of the larger, dinner sized meatballs. I served them with a sauteed cabbage with a hoisin/soy sauce glaze. I also made the meatballs in a smaller, individual appetizer size, put a toothpick in each one and set the dipping sauce nearby.

The original recipe calls for an additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I left it out. I think soy sauce, even the low sodium type, is salty enough. The recipe also included 2 tablespoons of lime juice in the dipping sauce which I left out, too, and I liked it without the additional acidity. In addition, I increased the amount of sesame oil in the meatballs and dipping sauce.

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Sesame Dipping Sauce
Adapted from Gina's WW Recipes
Makes 12 large or 30 appetizer size meatballs

Meatballs:

• ¼ cup panko crumbs
• 1¼ lean ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon ginger, finely grated
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 green onions, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Dipping Sauce:

• 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 green onion, finely minced

Preheat oven to 500ºF.

In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the meatballs and mix with your hand until well combined.

For larger, dinner size meatballs, shape ¼ cup of meat mixture at a time into a ball and transfer to a baking dish or sheet pan that's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake until cooked through, approximately 15 minutes.

For appetizer size meatballs, use a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon size portion and shape into meatballs approximately 1-inch in diameter. Bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

While meatballs are in the oven, whisk the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.

When the meatballs are done, transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of the dipping sauce. Serve the meatballs with the remaining sauce.
PRINT THE RECIPE HERE

“I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit.” ~ William Shakespeare

When I first started cooking on my own, I thought Chinese food just had too many weird ingredients and was too time consuming to make. It definitely was not my mom's pot roast and mashed potatoes.

Luckily, the more dishes I tried, the easier that style of cooking became. What I came to appreciate it that the ingredients are simple and almost always fresh. For instance, Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry only takes three main ingredients and you probably have everything else in your pantry. How easy is that?

This recipe is quick, easy to prepare, fairly light and delicious.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
by Terri Powers for Terri's Table

2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1 egg white
1 to 1-1/4 pounds boneless round steak, cut into thin strips approximately 3 inches in length (putting the steak in the freezer for about 30 minutes before cutting makes it much easier to slice thin
4 cups broccoli florets
6 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger



Put the sliced beef in a bowl, add the egg white and stir with your hands to coat. Sprinkle the meat with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, add the beef and stir fry until beef is cooked to desired doneness. Remove to a bowl and keep warm.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the garlic, cook, stirring constantly, until hot. Do not burn. Add broccoli and stir fry for 4 to 5 minutes. Add green onions and stir fry another minute. Add the beef back to the pan with the broccoli mixture.



Stir the soy sauce and water mixture until smooth, then add to the pan. Stir fry for another minute to heat all ingredients through.

Serve over steamed rice, fried rice or Chinese noodles. I served this over Chinese noodles that were cooked by boiling the water with 1/4 cup of soy sauce.

I just love Chinese food. My favourite dish is number 27. ~ Clement Atlee

When we first moved out to the country to our 10-acre farm, there was very little there. We'd either have to drive to Little Rock or Conway to eat.

After several years, people starting spreading out from the cities and into the countryside to live. What followed was an influx of different places to shop and eat.

When we lived in California, we ate Chinese food often. It is one of our favorite types of food, but really good Chinese food is hard to get here. So, when a small Chinese drive-thru/eat in diner opened about 10 miles from our house we thought we'd at least give it a try. It was amazing! Everything was fresh and made on the premises. Nothing was overly sauced. We enjoyed meals from Dragon Express at least once a month.

Then we moved into Conway a year and a half ago. Jade China, a small restaurant in Conway which used to have pretty good food, was extremely disappointing the last two times we ate their food. The sauces were very heavy and the vegetables and meat were drowning. We tried another place. Same thing.

So I have been craving Chinese food, but the 45 minute drive back to Dragon Express seems a little far for Vegetable Egg Foo Yung. So when I came across Nic's posting for Cashew Chicken, I decided to try it, with some little changes of my own.

It was delicious. Light, just the right amount of sauce and very flavorful.

What follows is the recipe which includes the changes I made. You can see Nic's original recipe at the link above. I deleted the salt in her recipe because I used some oyster sauce, which is pretty salty. I also added mushrooms and onions instead of her bean sprouts. I wanted fresh bean sprouts, but they looked gross so I left them on the shelf and opted for mushrooms instead. Finally, rather than plain brown rice, I served it with Chinese Fried Rice made with cooked brown rice.

Cashew Chicken
adapted from "Nic in the Kitchen" by Terri Powers for Terri's Table

1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch slices
3 medium stalks celery, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
1/2 of medium onion, cut into quarters, the layers separated and the layers cut into 1-inch slices
6 medium mushrooms, sliced
1 cup of dry-roasted cashews
2 cloves of garlic, minced fine
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1-1/2 cups chicken broth, divided into 1 cup and 1/2 cup portions
4 tablespoons peanut oil

Put the cornstarch into the 1/2 cup portion of the chicken broth, mix well to dissolve any lumps and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Do not allow to brown. Add the chicken and stir-fry until cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.

Add the last 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and heat. Add the celery and cook for about 1 minute. Add the onions to the celery and cook for about another 1 minute. Add the mushrooms to the celery and onions and cook for about 2 to 3 more minutes. The celery should still be just a little crunchy.

Add one cup of the chicken broth, then the soy sauce and oyster sauce to the pan. Stir the cornstarch/chicken broth mixture well, then add to the pan and stir quickly. Bring it all to a boil. When the sauce starts to thicken, add the chicken back into the pan. Then add the cashews. Mix well.

Serve over plain or Chinese Fried Rice.

Szechwan Pork Curry

About 30 years ago (oh, yes, I was merely a child), I copied this recipe from a co-worker. At that time, I used to type recipes out on lined paper on an old typewriter and keep our favorite recipes in a binder. Obviously, this recipe is one of our favorites. Now protected in plastic sheeting, you can see it has been very well used.



We have since moved most of our collection to our laptop, but we still have binders full of recipes and recipe cards that still need to be converted.

This dish is spicy, but extremely flavorful and very quick from wok (or large frying pan) to plate. It does not taste like an Indian curry dish, as you might expect. Cooking the spices prior to adding to the sauce brings out the medley of flavors in the curry powder.

Warning! Your kitchen will smell like this dish for a minimum of 24 hours, but it is worth it.

Pork Curry
by Terri Powers for Terri's Table

2-1/2 lbs. pork chops
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 egg white
1 medium sized red pepper
1 medium size green pepper (since we don't care for green peppers, I use orange or yellow)
1 onion
4 large cloves garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons tomato paste
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sherry
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Carefully cut the meat away from the bone and cut meat into 1/4 inch slices about 1 inch long. Put in a large bowl. Add the cornstarch and egg white. Stir well in one direction with your hand so that you have coated the meat thoroughly. Refrigerate while preparing the vegetables.

All vegetables should be cut the same size as the pork for even cooking.


Cut the peppers into 1 inch pieces. Separate the onion halves into their natural layer divisions, then cut into 1 inch pieces. Smash garlic; peel and roughly chop. Place the vegetables, separated, on a platter.

In a small cup or dish, mix the sherry, sugar and soy sauce. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan. Stir in curry powder and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir 1 minute. Be careful not to burn. Add the tomato paste and mix quickly. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok. Add the pork. Stir-fry over high heat about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan to bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok. Stir fry garlic (do not brown). Add peppers and stir-fry over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes; add onions and stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the wok.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the work. Stir in curry mixture. Add the sherry/sugar/soy sauce mixture and stir well. Return the meat and vegetables to the wok. Stir-fry thoroughly until sauce has covered the meat and vegetables and the mixture is hot. Serve with hot white rice.

Note: We really like the sauce for this dish and I usually double the sauce recipe except for the red pepper flakes, i.e., 2 tablespoons oil (for the curry and red pepper), 4 tablespoons curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 4 teaspoons tomato paste, 4 tablespoons sherry, 4 teaspoons sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce.