Chicken Meatballs with All the Greens

Though I won’t, I could easily turn this blog into one only about greens. It’s the category of vegetable I most crave when I want something healthy, and they can improve just about anything. I also happen to love stretching out meals that normally rely entirely on meat with a strategically added vegetable, and these meatballs can handle a surprising amount of greens. They are easy, flavorful, and adaptable, which are the three attributes most important to me in a recipe.  There are a lot of greens packed into these meatballs, which does make them more delicate, but since they are small and cooked quickly under the broiler you really don’t need to handle them much.

My share this week included lots of lettuce, perpetual spinach, yokatta na, Red Russian kale, French radishes, Hakurei turnips, pea greens, dill, parsley. I used some lettuce, and pickled radishes and turnips to go into tofu banh mi. Though beets aren’t around yet, this kale salad would be great with sliced turnips and/or radishes, and this kale salad is always a good idea (turnips/radishes could also be substituted for the broccoli stem). If the meat in this recipe turns you off, I’ve made and loved these Green Falafel Bowls.

Chicken Meatballs with All the Greens

28 meatballs, or 6-8 servings

Adapted from Molly Yeh

This recipe can go a lot of different directions. I changed up the spices to my liking, as can you, and see the inspiration recipe linked above for another take. These could also be made into burgers and grilled. Turkey, pork, or beef could all be substituted for chicken. I served them with the tahini sauce in the original recipe (which I didn’t love) and a salad alongside with lettuce, radishes, salad turnips, and parsley. These would go great with tzatziki or a similar yogurt sauce.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the baking sheets
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups/8 ounces)
• 10 ounces of finely chopped greens (I used a mix of perpetual spinach, yokatta na, and turnip greens)
• 1 handful of parsley, chopped (½ cup)
• ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3 cloves of garlic, grated
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 ½ lbs ground chicken (preferably ground thigh meat if you can get/make it)
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat (it needs to be large enough to fit all the greens). Once hot add in the oil, then the onion. Saute for 5-10 minutes, until translucent and beginning to brown at the edges. Add in the greens, in a couple batches if necessary, and stir. Cook for 5 minutes, until the greens have wilted, and let them cool slightly.

Put all of the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, then add in the cooled onions and greens. Mix until just combined (use a light touch, otherwise you will have tough balls).

Coat 2 baking sheets with olive oil, then form the meat mixture into golf-ball sized meatballs (you should have about 28). Space them evenly on the baking sheets, then broil each sheet for 5-7 minutes, until they are nicely browned. Break one apart to check doneness, and pop them back in the oven if the meat in the middle isn’t opaque.

 

 

Red Lentil Coconut Stew with Greens

Hello, summer! This is the second year that I’m writing recipes for Potter Hill Farm‘s CSA. Each week the CSA members will get a bag full of awesome and varied vegetables, and I’ll post a recipe using those exact vegetables. Because I can’t help myself, I’ll throw in some other ideas for what to cook as well. To make the recipes easy to find, they are all tagged Potter Hill. If you weren’t lucky enough to get a spot in the CSA, you can still buy Potter Hill vegetables at Monday pick ups or at the Grafton Farmer’s Market. If you don’t live near Grafton, you can shop at your local farm or farmer’s market.

If you’re new this year, a little bit more about me can be found in last year’s intro post. The short version is I’m a home cook who loves vegetables. I’m not a vegetarian, but I am passionate about all of us finding more ways to incorporate great produce into our diets. Even if you aren’t a CSA member, I hope you come here to find interested and delicious ways to put vegetables on your plate. While it’s great if you want to follow my recipe exactly, I’m just as happy inspiring you to adapt my recipes with what you have or tweak them to your preference. Besides here, you can find me on Instagram and Facebook.

This week my share had spinach, radishes, Red Russian kale, Yokatta Na, lettuce (mixed), and perpetual spinach (left to right, top to bottom). Besides this stew, I made Priya Krishna’s Saag Feta (using a mix of spinach, perpetual spinach, kale, and Yokatta Na), used lettuce in Tofu Shawarma Pita Wraps, and made a simple salad with lettuce, dill, and radishes to accompany a frittata. This is the time of year to embrace recipes that use an absurd amount of greens that you would balk at buying the rest of the year. Spanakopita is high on my list, plus old favorites beans and greens and greens with eggs, garlic yogurt, and chili butter.

For this stew I riffed on Alison Roman’s Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric. I didn’t have chickpeas, so I used red lentils which could quickly cook in the coconut milk/broth mixture. Cooking the lentils in the broth cut out the initial frying step, so this comes together in about 30 minutes. Though it’s called a “stew,” it is most definitely not a heavy affair.

Red Lentil Coconut Stew with Greens

Serves 6

• 1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 15-ounce cans full fat coconut milk
• 4 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
• 2 cups red lentils
• 1 lb greens, chopped and washed (I used a mix of spinach, perpetual spinach, and Red Russian kale)
• Salt
• 1 cup fresh soft herbs (such as basil, mint, or cilantro)
• 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced (about 1 cup total)
• Lime wedges

Put a large pot over medium heat (remember all the uncooked greens need to fit in the pot too). Add in the oil. When the oil is hot, add in the onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute for 5 minutes, until the onion begins to soften.

Add in the turmeric, red pepper flakes, and a big pinch of salt. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute (it should be wonderfully fragrant). Add in the broth/water, coconut milk, and lentils. Bring to a simmer and cook (covered) for 20 minutes.

Taste the lentils to ensure they are cooked through, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add in the chopped greens, stir as best your can, and cover. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until wilted (stirring once to help all the greens get in the stew).

Serve with herbs, radishes, lime wedges, and extra red pepper flakes.