Healthy and Delicious Mini-Chicken Meatballs

1 small onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
1/4 cup crushed bran flakes cereal (or similar) or almond meal
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (only use fresh)
3-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan Romano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground chicken
3 tablespoons olive oil 26 ounces Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce

These are really, really good. I adapted Giada De Laurentiis' recipe to make it healthy. (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_24916,00.html)

You can make half a batch of stuffed zucchini and half this recipe and next night, and use all the same ingredients.

If you're going to make the sauce from scratch start on it now. If doing, add the left over zucchini from the stuffed zucchini.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with Pam.

Add the onion, garlic, egg, flake cereal, ketchup, parsley, 3 tablespoons (or less) of Parmesan, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Use a fork to mix in the chicken. Shape the chicken mixture into 1 inch-diameter meatballs. Place on baking sheet. Sprinkle 1T shaved parmesan on the tops of the meatballs. Bake the meatballs for 10-12 min.

For extra flavor, transfer the meatballs a large sauce pan on the stove and add the marinara sauce, about 3 cups. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve with steamed broccoli.

Simple Tomato Sauce:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce. (Sometimes I skip this and go with chunky sauce.)

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Yield: 6 cups Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes Ease of Preparation: Easy

HEALTHY ADDICTIVE CHICKEN FINGERS

-These are delicious and oh so good for you.

Almond meal (looks like whole wheat flour)
1 egg white
dijon mustard
honey
chicken tenderloins

Preheat the oven to 375.

Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with pam. Place egg white in a bowl and add a rounded teaspoon of mustard. Add about a tablespoon of water and salt and pepper. Whip egg white to incorporate ingredients. In a plate sprinkle enough almond meal to bread the chicken. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and mix. Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture and then in the almond meal--press the meal into the chicken to ensure that it sticks. Bake for about 15 minutes. If you want, flip over after one side browns a bit.

Serve with honey mustard sauce (mix about a teaspoon of honey with 3 teaspoons of dijon mustard).

Options:
-Spray the top of the fingers with pam, so the tops become golden brown.
-Mix Texas pete into the egg mixture to make spicy chicken fingers.
-Mix garlic powder, parsley flakes, red pepper flakes, etc. in to the almond meal.
-Very lightly sprinkle kosher salt on the top of the chicken fingers.