I recently made a huge life decision and left my job. In this new-found time between that and what’s next, I’ve been traveling a lot. I wanted to see friends, family, potential new cities to live in, and enjoy myself a little bit! It’s been an invaluable time of self discovery. In less than three weeks. I have found mounds of clarity on what’s next.
I just came back from a great trip in Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado. The Denver restaurant scene impressed me in that most every restaurant we went to had gluten free (vegan and raw) options. While gluten free does not = paleo, it’s much easier to modify, order, or find paleo friendly options from gluten-free ones. I also loved that every coffee shop we went to had the option for almond milk! Milk and soy are the most common “milks” available in coffee shops, but dairy and soy are not paleo. So the almond milk availability was amazing. It made it much easier to stick to paleo while traveling.
This recipe was inspired by my favorite dish from a small plates/ tapas place we had with our friends in Denver. The original dish was bison, cranberries, curried butter, sage pesto and a porcini jus. Using many of the same flavors, I hope you enjoy what I came up with!
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon tumeric
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 lb ground turkey (93% lean - 7% fat)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 cup white wine
- ½ a green apple, diced very finely
- 3 sage leaves, minced
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- In an large bowl add pine nuts, raisins, green onions, cumin, paprika, oregano, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Add the turkey and mix well.
- Form turkey mixture into meatballs, just larger than the size of a golf ball. Should make about 16 meatballs.
- Heat coconut oil in a high sided skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs. Turn occasionally to brown about 5 minutes.
- Add the white wine and lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Take the meatballs out and place in a serving dish. In the pan, add the apples and sage, sauté for 2 minutes. Add the ghee to melt and stir to combine.
- Pour sauce over the meatballs. Serve over Curried Ginger Parsnip Puree.
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 medium parsnips, peeled, diced into small pieces
- ½ inch cube fresh ginger, skin removed
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium size pot over high heat.
- Add the parsnips and ginger. Boil for 10-12 minutes until fork tender.
- Reserve about 1½ cups chicken broth before straining. Strain parsnips.
- Add parsnips back into pan. Add curry powder.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the parsnips, slowly adding some of the reserved broth little by little as needed to help the process. (If you don't have an immersion blender, do this process in the blender.)
- Excellent served with Moroccan Meatballs with Apple Sage Butter.
Great pairing. Love the unique flavors of both the meatballs and the puree.
Thanks, Michelle!