Oh hello everyone and happy Saturday!
I love to make sure I still feel like it’s the weekend during the lockdown to keep some sort of normalcy. Normally I like to post blogs on the weekday but I didn’t get around to it. I have this nagging desire to share this recipe because it’s that good.
I found out about this flavour combination from America’s Test Kitchen one pot cookbook and adapted it for my paleo clients. It’s one that I got so used to cooking for them I forgot that it was one worth sharing! Here it is below, hope you enjoy it as we transition out of winter veggies but before we start getting local asparagus and radishes :)
Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Leek Sauce
Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Low Carb
Serves 6 with a side dish
Meatballs
2 lbs ground chicken from Ferme Reveuse
1/4 cup ground almonds (or breadcrumbs if not sensitive to em)
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (aka red pepper flakes)
0.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
Leek Sauce
1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into 1” pieces
3 large leeks, green parts trimmed off and discarded, white part split in half and washed between layers well, cut into 1/2” slices
1/4 cup butter or olive oil
1 tbsp arrowroot flour or corn starch
2 cup cashew milk (find my video tutorial here) or 10% cream
juice of 1-2 lemons (3-4 tbsp), to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 pt cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 large red pepper deseeded and cut into 1” pieces (optional)
chives for garnish
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a tray with parchment paper. Brush 1 tbsp olive oil over the surface of the parchment paper. Set aside.
Set a medium pot over heat half full of water. Add 1 tsp salt.
Meanwhile mix all of the meatball ingredients together using a wooden spoon or your hands until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Using a medium cookie scoop or your hands, roll the meatball mixture into 18 balls. Place them beside eachother on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
Add butter to a large skillet over medium low heat and add sliced leeks. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook down for 10-15 min careful not to let it get too brown, sauteing occasionally.
Once the water in the pot has come to a light boil, add peeled and sliced parsnips and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Check the meatballs for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer. The meatballs are done when temperature reaches 165F.
Mix lemon juice with arrowroot or cornstarch and set aside. Once leeks are cooked through and tender, pour in cashew milk or cream into leeks and stir to incorporate. Re mix lemon juice slurry and drizzle into leek mixture stirring leeks. Stir and bring up to a gentle simmer. Add parsnips and optional tomatoes or peppers. Stir until heated through.
Top with cooked meatballs and optional chopped chives and serve.
Find out how to make cashew milk below! It’s so easy…
I love this recipe because I use it for everything milky a recipe calls for whether it be cream or plain milk. When you cook cashew milk in something, it thickens up all on its own. Here's the video tutorial!