Recipe of the Day... Mmmm Mediterranean

So night before last I made a pretty fun dinner. I made Turkish Meatballs with Tzatziki and paired that with Broccoli Couscous and Greek Salad. It was like a little tour of the Mediterranean on a plate and very fun to eat. Breaks up any dinner time rut, that's for sure. But....my kids complained the whole time I was making it. 


"Ewwww you're putting bulgar in those meatballs?"
"Oh what is that green stuff?"
"Bulgar sounds like booger..."
"I don't think I like couscous."
"What is that dressing you put on the salad? That's not Ranch!"


And so on and so forth.


I tried to ignore them. I kept reminding them "Try it, you'll like it!" even imitating the Yo Gabba Gabba song. No dice. Then we sat down to eat. And they ate....and wanted seconds...and then thirds of the salad. Mother 1, Kids 0....flawless victory. Jason loved every inch of it. He said it was like Mexican food  in the way that everything goes together perfectly and even if you mixed your plate together, it would taste just as good. 
So without further adieu, here is the recipe for the meatballs and dipping sauce. Parent loved, kiddo approved. (Be sure to check out my tips at the bottom!)


Turkish Meatballs and Tzatziki Sauce


(For the Meatballs)
1/2 cup(s) uncooked bulgur
1/2 pound(s) uncooked 93% lean ground beef   
1/4 cup(s) scallion(s), sliced  
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/4 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground allspice


(For the Tzatziki Sauce)
1 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt  
1/4 cup(s) cucumber(s), finely diced
1 Tbsp dill, fresh, chopped
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp Ground cumin
1/4 tsp table salt
1 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped


Cook or soak bulgur according to package directions; drain any excess water and let cool.
Place oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat baking pan with cooking spray.
Put beef, scallions, 2 tablespoons of cilantro, 1 teaspoon each of garlic and cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, paprika, allspice and drained bulgur in a large bowl; combine ingredients with your hands until well-mixed.
Roll meatball mixture into twenty-four 1 1/4-inch balls; place on prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make dipping sauce, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, tablespoon of cilantro, and 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic, cumin and salt; mix well.
To serve, place meatballs on a serving platter with toothpicks and spoon sauce into a small bowl. Yields 2 meatballs and about 1 1/2 tablespoons of sauce per serving


Tips from the Healthy Preggie:
Alrighty, this recipe was originally written as an appetizer\party food dish. I doubled this recipe and got 36 small meatballs out of it instead of 48. This was fine with me though since we were having them as part of dinner and didn't use toothpicks anyway. I baked them for 15 minutes, just in case and they were still crispy on the bottom but tender on the inside. 


(The WW PointsPlus value on the specified serving of 2 meatballs and 1 1\2 T tzatziki is only ONE point. It's just that lean. I'm not counting points in my pregnant days, but I do watch my portion sizes with an eye on the calories.)