Chicken Ricotta Meatballs - Baked

 Makes about 25

Ingredients: 

1 lb ground chicken (90-95% lean)
1 cup ricotta cheese 
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 small egg (or 1/2 large egg - beaten)
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup raw spinach, finely chopped
1 TBS olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder, or one fresh clove, finely minced
salt & pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tsp grated lemon rind

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C).

2. Stir all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Mixture will be soft.

3. Use a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop to make small meatballs. 

4. Place them on a greased, or parchment lined cookie/baking sheet. 

5. Bake for 15 - 17 minutes until the meatballs are a little brown, but do not overcook. 
  They will continue cooking a bit, once out of the oven. 

Notes: 

With no breadcrumbs in this recipe, the texture is very soft and great for toddlers as a snack just the way they are. 

You can add tomato sauce and serve them over pasta, or have them plain as an appetizer with toothpicks. 

Broccoli and Chick Pea Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing

 

This crunchy broccoli salad is perfect for a quick and easy side salad that is healthy too! 

Ingredients: 

4 cups chopped broccoli, small pieces 

1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans, chick peas, drained and rinsed 

1/4 to 1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds, or 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds, pepitas 

1/3 cup diced red onion 

salt to taste 

Maple Mustard Dressing:

1/3 cup olive ol 

1 TBS pure maple syrup 

1 TBS apple cider vinegar 

1 tsp dijon mustard 

salt & pepper to taste 

Instructions: 

Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl and mix until combined. 

Add all the dressing ingredients to a small jar and whisk or shake until combined. 

Pour over the salt and mix again until combined. Season with sale and pepper if desired. Salad can be served immediately or refrigerated for up to 4 days. 

Notes: 

To roast the sunflower seeds, you can add them to a hot frying pan (dry) and toss/stir them till. they turn a light brown color. You can also bake them at 350F and mix them till they are lightly toasted. It will make them nutty and crispy and give a nice texture to the salad.

Carrot Muffins

This is a delicious recipe from Prettysimplesweet.com. 

I have reduced the sugars, using 1/2 cup of coconut sugar and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. 

I grated the carrots using my food processor on the larger disk, not the superfine one and they were perfect. 

https://prettysimplesweet.com/carrot-muffins/