Mama's meatballs

I inherited a meatball recipe from my mother, but have tailored it to my own tastes: less beef, less salt, less chili sauce (ketchup is cheaper!). I have to say, these are fantastic. During non-fasting periods, and when it's not 90 degrees outside (or even sometimes when it is, much to everyone else's chagrin), this is a Sanchez casa weekly staple.

Prep: about 15 to 20 minutes
Cook 45-60 minutes

2 lbs ground turkey (or 1 lb turkey and 1 lb ground beef)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 ground black pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
To add veggies, I often add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated carrot, and a few chopped mushrooms. I would bet that crated zucchini would work too.

Mix above ingredients together. Form into balls, about 28, and place in a 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a separate bowl mix:

6 oz (1/2 bottle) chili sauce
approx 1/3 to 1/2 cup ketchup (I've never measured this, I just squirt it right in, hence the lack of precision)
2 heaping Tbsp brown sugar (more if desired)
2 Tbsp lemon sauce
approx 2 Tbsp water (sauce should be spoon-able, but not watery)

Spoon sauce mix over meatballs in pan. Cover and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

I serve these on top of rice, just like my mom did. See the recipe below for my favorite rice recipe.

If you're lucky, you can squeeze two meals out of this; just freeze the leftovers. Even if I can't get two full meals from the above (these tend to disappear around our house), I freeze the meatballs so that they won't stick together and then serve these for the boys' lunch.

Lime-Cilantro marinade/topping

(From Parents magazine, but I sure can't remember which issue.)

Whisk together 2 Tbsp each seasoned rice vinegar, lime juice, and soy sauce with 1 Tbsp chooped cilantro and 1 tsp grated ginger. Whisk in 1/3 cup canola oil. Makes 2/3 cup.

For 12 or fewer ounces of meat, reduce recipe by half.

The recipe says to use this with fish or pork. I haven't tried it with pork yet, but I have put it on salmon a few times and it is so tasty. Just pour over salmon prior to baking at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes (salmon is done when it flakes when pressed with a fork, evidently).

You can also bake or grill your salmon as desired and top with this after. That way the cilantro isn't all wilted. However, letting the salmon bake in this really helps the fish absorb the flavors from the lime.

I've also omitted the ginger a couple times, as I don't typically have ginger just laying around the kitchen. The ginger makes it even tastier, but is by no means necessary.

If I haven't made it clear how tasty this is, let me share this anecdote: I made this recently for a friend who had gotten food poisoning from salmon years ago (I didn't know!) and so only ate a couple bites of salmon off of others plates; she couldn't stand to eat a whole fillet herself. She liked it so much that she asked for the recipe and in doing so inspired me to revive Kuchenspiel. Thanks, Lexie!