So we've noted in the past my aversion to ground beef.
But, the more into cooking I get, the less inclined I seem to be to murmur "ewww," in the grocery store whilst selecting ground sirloin.
Nonetheless, I still prefer ground turkey in some dishes. And while I certainly cannot boast the healthiest of lifestyles, I do tend to eat in a somewhat balanced fashion during the week (until Friday afternoon, usually, when I deem approximately fourteen beers between 3PM and midnight my "dinner"). These made for a delicious dinner, and a great light lunch stuffed in a pita with greens the following day.

I've always loved turkey meatballs, and I usually like to add some sort of crumbled cheese and veggies of some persuasion (chopped spinach is always a good call). These, I constructed from lean ground turkey and diced bell peppers, and stuffed with feta cheese in the center. Served with some dill-yogurt sauce and cous cous, they were met with rave reviews.





(~10 mins prep, 40 mins cook time
Makes 12 decent-sized meatballs)

What they're Made of:

• 1 package lean ground turkey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3rd cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup of bell pepper (I used green and red, but whatever you want), diced very small
• Half a small yellow onion, diced small
• Handful of parsley, chopped
• Salt, pepper
• Feta cheese
• Flour
• Olive oil
• Chicken broth

How they're Made:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, peppers, onion, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl
• Work meat into 2-3" balls, place on parchment paper as you form each ball
• Using one finger, push a hole into center of each meatball
• Fill hole with feta cheese and re-form meat to close
• Coat bottom of a cast-iron skillet or dutch oven with olive oil
• Dredge meatballs through flour very lightly
• Drop meatballs into hot oil one at a time, brown on all sides (~1 minute/side)
• Add enough chicken broth to the pan to cover the meatballs about halfway
• Place pan in center rack in the oven, cook, turning occasionally for ~30 minutes, until cooked through
• While the meatballs are cooking, whip up some yummy yogurt sauce and cous cous

The cous cous wasn't much of a recipe: Toast Israeli-style cous-cous in olive oil first, adding some diced tomatoes and then chicken broth and cooking through. Season with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder and crushed red pepper, should you like.

The yogurt sauce, however, that I can lay out a recipe for. And a good one, at that!



What it's Made of:

• 1 small container fat-free or reduced-fat plain Greek yogurt
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 an English cucumber, grated
• 3-4 sprigs dill, chopped
• Salt, coarse ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for a bit before serving. This made a great alternative to salad dressing when making the aforementioned meatball-and-greens-pita, by the way.

Drizzle yogurt sauce over meatballs (I served mine on a bed of mixed greens, baby spinach would have been great, too; but neither is totally necessary) and serve with cous cous. Enjoy!