I know it's been a couple of weeks since my last post so for that I apologize. With a birthday party for baby A, my sister visiting from Hong Kong and all sorts of distraction, it was easy for me to procrastinate. But, here I am again and I promise I will try to keep this a little more regular.
Now that baby A has just turned one, we have the unenviable task of introducing her to solid foods. This really is a game of patience with a good dose of old fashioned trial and error. Some days are better than others but we've resolved to pretty much feed her what we are eating at the table. That also means better meal plans so we stay within reason of what's acceptable to feed a one year old.
This turkey meatball soup was made with that in mind. We wanted to sneak in as many green vegetables as we can, and make it nutritious and tasty for both baby A and mommy and daddy. We were able to sneak in some herb and spices that weren't overly powerful but just enough to start training that young palette. The verdict - she loved it and so did we :-)
Turkey Meatballs
1/2 ground turkey
1 egg
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 small handful of cilantro, finely chopped (about 3 tbsp after you its chopped)
1 table spoon of olive oil
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 tsp of cumin, crushed in pestle and mortar our through a spice grinder
salt and pepper
Heat olive oil on medium heat and add garlic - let it sweat a minute careful to not let it brown.
Remove from heat and let it cool down.
Mix all ingredients including garlic olive oil together.
Mix well, but try to keep it loose and not overwork it.
Form small meatballs (about a small teaspoon worth of meat) and set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
Soup Base
2 celery stock, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 bunch of leeks, finely chopped (clean this well - leeks tend to carry a lot of soil/dirt)
1/4 head savoy cabbage, finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leafs
2 liters of chicken stock (I use my own, but you can always use 2 cartons of store bought low sodium stock to make life easier)
In a large stock pot, saute celery, carrots, cabbage and leeks on medium heat - let this saute and sweat for 5-10 minutes, letting veggies slowly release sugars but don't let it burn.
Add chicken stock, thyme and bay leaves and bring this to a boil and then lower heat to medium low.
Let stock simmer for 30 minutes.
Add uncooked turkey meatballs into the soup and let it cook for another 20 minutes
Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
