Hummus with Turkey & Zucchini Meatballs

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Hummus with Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs ~ creamy hummus topped with healthy meatballs made with ground turkey and shredded zucchini.

Ingredients

• hummus
• 2 cans Chickpeas (drained and WELL rinsed)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 juice of lemons
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup Tahini
• toasted pine nuts and olive oil for garnish
• meatballs
• 1 lb ground turkey (I used white meat)
• 2 cups grated zucchini (about two small)
• 3 onions (very thinly sliced)
• 1 large egg (beaten)
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• oil for browning
• yogurt Sauce
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 4 tbsp Tahini
• juice of lemon
• water to thin

Method

1. Make the hummus first. Put the chickpeas in a food processor, along with the garlic and lemon juice, and puree until very smooth. You will have to scrape down the sides of the machine occasionally. Let the machine to its work for several minutes to get a smooth puree.
2. Add the tahini and salt and puree again. I add water at this point to thin the hummus down a bit, maybe 1/2 cup. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Refrigerate until needed.
3. For the meatballs put the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Break it apart as you put it in.
4. Wrap the shredded zucchini in paper towels and squeeze the moisture out. Add it to the bowl, along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix with your fingers until well combined, but don't over work the meat.
5. I use a 1 1/2 inch scoop to scoop each meatball and then roll it lightly with my hands. Set on a platter while you finish them all. The mixture will be very wet and loose, but will firm up as it cooks, so don't worry. I like the cover and chill the meatballs for about an hour, but that's optional. You can proceed right away if you like.
6. Heat oven to 400F
7. Coat the bottom of a skillet with oil and heat until quite hot. Brown the meatballs, in batches, for a few minutes so that all sides get brown.
8. Transfer the meatballs to a baking pan and carefully thread about 3-4 meatballs each onto skewers. Set the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. You can check with a thermometer if you like, the interior should be at or close to 165F.
9. Serve the meatballs warm on top of the hummus, and drizzle with sauce.
10. For the sauce, mix the ingredients together and add enough water to thin it to a drizzling consistency. Taste to adjust the flavors if you like.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island