Turkey Meatballs in a Non Dairy Basil Cream Sauce

Perhaps not the best presentation of this meal but, you'll have to take my word for it that it was not only delicious, but very healthy to eat.

Pictured below is the end result accompanied by a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. The meatballs are turkey and pork, served up with steamed purple sweet potatoes and steamed Swiss chard (heirloom variety). A balsamic vinegar and olive oil was drizzled over the Swiss chard.

Making the meatballs

I used equal amounts (roughly) of ground turkey and ground pork-perhaps a pound each. In a large bowl, combine the ground meats with some freshly chopped parsley (flat or curly), one beaten egg, breadcrumbs or rolled oats (about a half a cup), salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, freshly chopped basil (or the dried herb), and some garlic (fresh or powder-I used powder since that is what I had on hand). How much of the seasonings is entirely up to you and your taste buds!

Mix all of this thoroughly and form into balls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake them in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes-be sure to turn them over halfway through. When the juices run clear, they are done. If you're still not sure, use a meat thermometer and it will need to read 160 degrees.

Basil Cream Sauce

In a blender, combine approximately 3 cups of coconut cream (not coconut milk!), some chicken broth base-which is a concentrate (I use the "Better than Broth" brand and I used 1 tablespoon-if you don't have this, then omit it and add more salt to taste), some freshly chopped basil, parsley, fresh black pepper and garlic. Since I have a Vitamix, I used the 'hot soup' program and let it run until it was done-giving me a sauce that was already heated. If you don't have this, just be sure to blend everything together well and then transfer the liquid to a saucepan and heat it up until just before a boil. If you want a thicker sauce, use your favorite method of thickening technique (I myself will do a roux but I didn't use anything at all in this recipe). This is a good point to correct your seasoning by tasting it and seeing if you need to add any more salt or pepper.

Coconut cream and fresh basil and parsley

Preparing the Swiss Chard and the sweet potato

Nothing complicated about either of these-they were both steamed in a steamer on the stove! Just make sure to wash everything well before steaming. I prefer steaming the potato instead of baking it-not to mention that it cooks faster since it is cut up into large chunks.

Swiss Chard-the heirloom variety

Steamed purple (Molokai of aka Okinawan) sweet potatoes

And, there you have it! A scrumptious dish that is better for the heart and waistline!