Bison Pesto Meatballs with Zucchini Ribbons

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OK. So it may be a stretch to call this a "recipe". I mean, it is so simple and I didn't make everything completely from scratch (gasp!). However, this combination of flavors is just too good not to share. 

The zoodle craze (zucchini noodles, for those not in "the know") has really taken over. I had yet to jump on the zoodle train, merely because I couldn't justify spending $50 on a kitchen tool that could do just one task: spiral slice vegetables. However, the more and more I saw new recipes involving zucchini noodles, the more I really wanted to try them. Enter: my mandoline slicer. 

THIS kitchen tool has many uses, and I find myself using it more and more lately. I set my mandoline to the thinnest setting and sliced my zucchini length-wise. The result were these delicate and elegant zucchini ribbons. The thought of weighing these down with heavy marinara meat sauce seemed just wrong. These noodles needed something lighter and vibrant. Zucchini is a summer squash after all, they needed a summertime flavor profile! 

The pesto still allows their zucchini ribbons to keep their shape, unlike a heavy tomato based sauce which would weigh the ribbons down. The lemon zest really sets this dish apart, in my opinion! It adds an element of brightness and awakens all the flavors. 

This dish is simple, elegant and light - try it tonight!

Bison Pesto Meatballs with Zucchini Ribbons

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes 

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground bison (if you want to make this extra lean use 93/7 ground beef but I highly recommend bison)
• 4 zucchini
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 oz pesto, pre-made or homemade
• Zest of one lemon
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Prepare your zucchini ribbons. Slice all 4 zucchini length-wise on the thinnest setting of your mandoline. You could also use a spiralizer or in a pinch, you can thinly slice your zucchini.  Once you have your ribbons, thinly slice your asparagus into 1" pieces (not with the mandoline), cutting the thicker parts in half length-wise. 
2. Heat your cast iron (or metal) skillet over medium heat.
3. Mix together bison and 1/3 of pesto. Form into 12 meatballs.
4. Evenly space meatballs in hot skillet. Brown for about 2 minutes each side, turning until all sides are cooked and a nice crust has formed. 
5. While meatballs are cooking, sauté garlic in the olive oil in a separate pan over medium heat until garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and asparagus and toss. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add remaining pesto and mix thoroughly. Turn off heat to skillet. 
6. Zest lemon over the vegetables and lightly toss. Plate your zucchini mixture and top with meatballs and additional lemon zest, if desired. 

Nutritional info (1 serving = 1/4 of vegetables and 3 meatballs)

370 Calories - 28 g Protein, 12 g Carbs, 23 g Fat

*This may seem to be high in fat but these are healthy fats! Remember, we need to be sure to include enough in our diets. This is a great meal option for when you are eating low carb for a day. 

Coconut Cream of Asparagus Soup

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Annnd we're back! Sorry for the gap in posting, I had the brilliant idea to leave on vacation for 2 weeks and move immediately after I was back. I managed to pack and move within a 3 day time period - thank goodness for movers! Now I am finally getting settled AND I have a kitchen that I can call my very own...which means plenty more delicious creations to come!

I'm the type of person who will go out to eat at a restaurant, order a dish I end up loving, and decide that I can make the exact same dish at home. This recently happened at a restaurant called Reverb here in San Francisco. I had the Asparagus Soup, which had a lemon coconut ice cream with grilled asparagus. I loved the flavor profile and made a note to create my own recipe with these same flavors.

My recipe isn't exactly the same, as I didn't include the lemon coconut ice cream. I did, however, use coconut as the cream base to the soup as opposed to using heavy cream like most cream based soups. 

While the name suggests that this is a heavy, creamy soup it is actually quite the opposite. The base of the soup is asparagus and chicken broth, with just 1/3 cup of coconut milk added to the entire recipe, along with plenty of fresh squeezed lemon juice.

This soup is ridiculously easy to make. There are only 7 ingredients and the most challenging task is sautéing onions and asparagus. The recipe makes quite a bit of soup, but it freezes nicely. You can have this hot out of the pot or you can chill the soup and enjoy on a hot summer day!  

Coconut Cream of Asparagus Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 7 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 cups asparagus, chopped (2 bundles)
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (full fat, shake can before opening)
• Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Sauté  onion and butter in a large pot over medium high heat until onions begin to soften, 5 minutes.
2. Add asparagus and salt and continue to sauté for another 3 minutes.
3. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once at a full boil, cover pot with lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. 
4. Once soup has cooked down, transfer in batches from main pot to blender and blend until liquified. Be VERY CAREFUL at this step! The soup will be extremely hot. I also advise that you have a good, powerful blender and make sure it is large enough to handle all of the soup. If it isn't - blend in batches.
5. Transfer soup back to pot and stir in lemon juice and coconut milk to combine.

Nutritional info (1 serving, approximately 1 cup)

97 Calories - 3 g Protein, 9 g Carbs, 5.5 g Fat