The Happy Coconut
 
*Note:This is not a vegetarian recipe

I, by far, am not a chef. My idea of dinner is toast with peanut butter or instant rice; lately though, I've been trying to eat a healthier diet, so I've had to learn to cook - a little. I will never be the person who spends hours in the kitchen, so whatever I make has to be simple, healthy, and quick. I always loved my moms homemade meatballs, so I decided to try and make a healthier version of them, and came up with the idea of vegetable meatballs-hiding a serving of veggies inside meatballs. A  great idea for those moms who can't get their kids to eat vegetables: hiding them in a delicious meatball!

Now, as I said, I'm not a chef, so all amounts of ingredients can vary, just do what feels right to you. I use about a cup of finely chopped veggies per 10 kg of beef.

What you'll need:
~Extra lean ground beef (or turkey, whichever you prefer)
~Fresh broccoli, an onion, a carrot, green peppers, zucchini, dill pickles( gives it a great taste, but not neccessary), and any other vegetable you'd like to add.
~Extra virgin olive oil.
~Garlic spice or powder, sea salt, pepper, and steak spice if you wish.
~Tomatoe sauce (store bought is fine, I like the garlic kind)

Step 1
~After cleaning vegetables, chop up a small amount into very small pieces. You can even grate them if you want them to be more invisible.( If using pickles, only use about one-you don't want it to overpower the meatballs, just add nice flavour) Remember, you'll want about a cup per 10 kg. The tips of the broccolis can just be cut off so you can put just the "tree parts" in, which makes it easier to hide.
~Put lean beef in a bowl and mix in spices and then vegetables. Mix together with hands.
~Letting this mixture sit covered in the fridge over night or at least for a while allows the flavours to blend, but is not neccessary.

Step 2
~Have tomatoe sauce simmering in a pot. Add a small amount of chili flakes if you like spicy sauce. (Bonus: chili flakes boost metabolism).
~Roll beef mixture into medium sized meatballs. I usually get about 10 meatballs out of this.
~Fry meatballs in a pan with a tsp of extra virgin olive oil until not pink in the middle. Transfer them into the tomatoe sauce and let them sit and gently simmer in there for about 20 minutes to soak in the taste.
~Let cool and serve! Add parmasan cheese if you'd like. Also great to freeze to reheat on days you don't want to cook. For an extra health boost, serve on spahgetti squash, or can be eaten alone or on pasta.

This recipe is just a basis and can be modified to suit your tastes, but I thought it was an easy and delicious way to get a serving of protein, healthy fats, and vegetables all in one for people who hate cooking huge meals, don't love vegetables, or don't have a ton of time to put balanced meals together.



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Enjoy!

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