NANCY'S VEGGIE MEATBALL MEDLEY
14 ounce bag frozen stir-fry vegetable mixture, thawed and drained *
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped, 4 ounces
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped, about 8 medium
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum, optional
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
Meatballs (recipe follows)
In a large nonstick skillet, sauté the onion, mushrooms and celery over medium heat until very tender. If using the xanthan gum, sprinkle it over the entire surface of the mushroom mixture and stir in well. Add the remaining ingredients except the meatballs and stir-fry vegetable mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook until the sauce has reduced slightly and thickened. Adjust the seasoning as needed then add the meatballs and vegetables. Bring back to a simmer and cook over low heat, uncovered, 20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
Makes about 4-6 servings
Do not freeze
* I used a mixture of broccoli, sugar snap peas, green beans, carrots, celery, water chestnuts, onion and red bell peppers. I recommend thawing the vegetables in the refrigerator the night before.
Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1 ounce
1 teaspoon dry minced onion
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with your hands until well blended and the egg no longer feels slimy. Roll into small meatballs and place on a large foil-lined and greased baking sheet. Bake at 375º 10-15 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Dump into a collander and rinse off any egg that has leaked out of the meatballs.
Per 1/4 Recipe: 516 Calories; 39g Fat; 29g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 10g Net Carbs
Per 1/6 Recipe: 344 Calories; 26g Fat; 19g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs
I got this recipe from my good friend, Nancy, and she took the above photo. I followed her recipe as far as the ingredients, but tweaked the cooking method and quantities a little. This makes a very nice one-pot dinner and could be thrown together relatively quickly if you make the meatballs ahead of time and remember to thaw the veggies the night before. If you can't find the stir-fry vegetable mixture where you shop, you could substitute any frozen vegetables of your choice as long as they're low in carbs. A mixture of frozen cauliflower, broccoli and carrots would be good. Nancy's version only called for 2 cups of the vegetable mixture, but I decided that I might as well use the whole bag, about 4 cups.