A Step into the German Kitchen- Koenigsberger Klopse

After the previous blog post German Apple Cake  it's time to post one of my favorite german dishes. While it reminds me of comfort food it fits the quick, easy and healthy categories!
The german name sounds a bit intimidating- Koenigsberger Klopse- which in English means plain and simple meatballs with gravy. Now, I am not going to explain all the history that's tied in with the name - there are plenty of blogs out in the blogosphere that do. Most recipes you will find use ground beef or ground pork or a mix.When you look for similar recipes you will find variations of the meatballs with the lemon tasty gravy using anchovies,white wine or heavy cream. I have been using for years the lean ground turkey meat which makes it a lighter version. And as long as you have the basic ingredients at home you can create this dinner within 20 minutes. It's also great to be prepared ahead for an even faster dinner. So enjoy a bit of German cooking.



For the meatballs:
1 lbs turkey ground meat (93% lean)
1 slice of bread soaked in water
1 small onion chopped
2 tablespoons of mustard
1 egg white( save the yolk)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the gravy:
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
2 1/2 cups of broth from the meatballs
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons of milk
1 tablespoon of capers
juice from 1 lemon

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. While waiting for that add ground meat, onions, mustard, egg white and the bread (drain the water first), salt and pepper and mix all together with your hands.Then form small meatballs and add to the boiling water. Reduce to medium heat. It takes about 10 minutes until done.
Meanwhile mix egg yolk, milk, capers and lemon in a small bowl.

2. After the meatballs have been boiled take about 2 1/2 cups of the broth the meatballs are in and run it through a strainer. In a larger pan or pot add butter and flour and stir until nicely melted. Then add the broth and bring to boil. Stir. Add the egg-milk-lemon-caper mix and stir again. Let simmer. Finally add the meatballs to the gravy and let them "soak" in it for at least 5 minutes.

Serve with boiled potatoes.

Healthy, Easy and Juicy - Barbeque Turkey Burger

Craving for a burger? This one is for sure a great healthy alternative to a beef burger. I found this recipe a while back in a Cooking Light book and adapted it. Served with some broccoli and steakfries you get dinner ready in 30 minutes. The burgers or meatballs like I call them are great as a snack the next day as well. It's easy to skip the bread and just eat teh meatballs.
One thing to consider- do not use the 99% fat free free meat- otherwise you end up with a really dry burger. Look  for the 93/7 version!






Barbeque Turkey Burger

1 lbs ground turkey meat - 93/7
2 tablespoons of plain bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup of barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt

1. Add meat and all other ingredients in any order into a bowl and mix together with your hands.

2. Form meat patties. I usually make them smaller, more like a flat little meat ball so I get about 8 out it. Or you make four large patties.

3. Preheat the grill pan on high, then turn to medium heat and place the burgers in the pan. Grill from both sides until done.(approx. 5-7 minutes on each side)

Nutritional information and the original recipe I found on my recipes.com


Tip 1: I usually cover the pan. This keeps the meat really moist and juicy.

Tip 2: Instead of using regular burger buns I use dinner wheat rolls. They are smaller and have less calories. More room for cheese.

Tip 3: Sometimes I prep the meat the day before and have the patties ready to grill. This way I can have dinner ready within 20 minutes without any stress.

Tip 4: As a side I use steak fries which take about 20 minutes in the oven and grilled or cooked asparagus.

Healthy Recipe-Turkey Beef Taco Meat

One thing I learned when reading Jilian Michael's book Master your Metabolism – stay a way from processed food. In the past I always enjoyed the different spice mixes ready to go. Especially with fajitas and taco meat. So I started looking for a recipe that makes Taco meat from scratch , is low fat and still easy to cook .