Meatballs and Alternative Slaw

I feel as though I don’t have much to talk about this week, but, being a woman, talk I will. We aren’t still in Florida, so there aren’t comparisons to be made between Montana and Florida flora. It’s a long time until spring returns, no matter what that groundhog (he’s a rodent, for heaven’s sake, not a meteorologist) says.

The seed catalogs are showing up in droves in my mailbox, but I haven’t opened a single one. It’s much too early to start dreaming of days spent mucking in the dirt of my garden.

I do have one more older amaryllis in bloom. Those poor bulbs desperately need repotting. I’ve kept a Mother of a Thousand Babies too close. The babies drop off the leaf margins of that Mother at the slightest touch. They readily sprout and are happily taking over the amaryllis planters. That Mom is aptly named, and she’s prolific, needing no father in order to propagate. Should anyone wish to also host a Mother, I can supply babies! They’ll rapidly mature and start reproducing for you.

So... On to (mostly) WLC-compliant cooking. I made these meatballs not long after our return from Florida, and found them to be quite tasty. Of course, the recipe got tweaked a little. I used a pound of hamburger mixed with a pound of ground pork. The parsley I used was grown in my garden and dehydrated. Therefore, I used much less than what the recipe calls for. And I used much more garlic.

WLC-Compliant Meatballs

2 lbs. ground pork

1 clove garlic

1 C fresh parsley, chopped

1 egg

1 tsp grainy mustard

1 Tbl pepper

1 Tbl caraway seeds

1 Tbl paprika

1/2 tsp salt

Mix all together. Shape into tablespoon-sized meatballs. Place 1/2” apart on rack placed above a rimmed baking sheet. (You can line the sheet with foil for easy cleanup.) Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes.

To go with the meatballs, I whipped up a batch of an alternative to coleslaw. Mayonnaise is a no-no on the challenge. Ditto for miracle whip. I could have subbed in Greek yogurt, my go-to, but I really wanted a fresher take on slaw. I have enough of this vinaigrette to make another batch soon. Sometimes I’ll use a different tart apple. The carrots came from last summer’s garden. They were particularly delicious this year. (Mental note: check out which seed variety I used last spring.)

Apple/Carrot Slaw

2 large carrots, julienned

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and julienned

1/4 C vinaigrette

1/4 C slivered almonds

Combine carrot and apple. Toss with vinaigrette. Serve topped with almonds.

Vinaigrette for Slaw

2 Tbl apple cider vinegar

6 Tbl EV olive oil

1 Tbl honey

1 clove garlic, crushed

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine and whisk. Save extra in fridge.

I was out of slivered almonds, so used sliced. I’d sprinkle some on top just before serving to prevent them softening. This recipe will keep for a week in the fridge, so it’s good for multiple meals for just me. You didn’t think Dennis ate this, did you? We also had quinoa with the meatballs. I added home-canned stewed tomatoes to mine, he added catsup.

I’ve been enjoying more salads lately, too. During the winter, I take the easy way out and purchase bagged pre-chopped mixed lettuce salads. I’ll add a chopped hard-boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, chopped nuts or seeds, sometimes olives and/or pickled artichoke hearts to dress it up. If I have leftover chicken, that will get chopped and added. Water-packed tuna is great. Raisins add a bit of sweet. Get creative. Salad is so much more than a bowl of lettuce.

For dressings, I’m avoiding commercially made ones. They have unnecessary added sugar, or chemicals to keep them mixed. It’s very easy to make your own. I happen to love vinegar, so these are a couple of my favs:

Healthy Greek Salad Dressing

1/2 C EV olive oil

1/2 C red wine vinegar

1 large lemon, juiced

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Put all in an airtight container. Shake vigorously to combine. Refrigerate leftovers.

Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 C EV olive oil

1 C red wine vinegar

1 small lemon, juiced

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Put all in a jar. Shake well to combine. Refrigerate.

The olive oil will set up, coagulate, turn to gel when refrigerated, so be sure to set the dressing out to warm up and return to liquid form long before you plan to eat your salad. Or zap a small amount of it for a brief time in the microwave if you are a veteran procrastinator like me.