Eating Healthy: Asian Meatballs

Eating Healthy: Asian Meatballs

 

We always start the New Year with the best of intentions including eating healthy. During the holidays there is so much good food around and it’s so hard to avoid it all together! As we head toward the middle of the month my focus is on healthy recipes. For the next few weeks I will be sharing recipes that are better for us. The recipe today is adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe I discovered years ago. It is actually an appetizer recipe but I have to admit I have never served it as an appetizer, rather I serve it with some brown rice and it makes an excellent dinner. Mix up a salad and you’ve got a well-rounded meal! If you are looking for recipes to help you with eating healthy this is one to add to your collection!

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does. The great thing is that you can mix it up ahead of time and just keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. It reheats wonderfully in the microwave. This recipe can be halved. It makes about 16 appetizer servings or feeds 6 for dinner.

 

Asian Meatballs

 

Ingredients:

 

Package of ground turkey (about 20 oz)

1 green pepper, seeded and minced

8 scallions, thinly sliced

2/3 cup dried bread crumbs (sometimes I used seasoned)

4 Tbsp minced water chestnuts (almost the whole small can)

2 egg whites

2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

½ cup sweet and sour sauce

1 cup unsweetened applesauce (preferably homemade)

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a nonstick jelly roll pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, lightly combine the turkey, pepper, scallions, bread crumbs, water chestnuts, egg whites and soy sauce.

Shape into meatballs, about 1” in diameter ( I make them slightly larger when serving this for dinner). Place on the pan and bake until cooked through and browned about 15-25 minutes.

Meanwhile in a 2-quart microwavable dish, combine the sweet and sour sauce and applesauce; microwave on high until hot and bubbly, 2 minutes.

Stir in the meatballs and serve with toothpicks. When I make this for dinner, I place the meatballs in my casserole and pour the sauce over. When ready to serve I heat it briefly in the microwave until hot and bubbly, then serve over rice.