Buffalo Balls on the Healthy
I absolutely love Buffalo wings, but I usually avoid them because of the frying and the high fat content. Here I created a flexible recipe that is significantly healthier than the normal tasty treat. In my research of Buffalo balls, I found people often use ground chicken. I personally favor ground turkey BREAST. Ground turkey is generally leaner than ground chicken, and opting for ground turkey breast cuts out even more fat than regular ground turkey meat. My recipe also sneaks in some extra veggies.
See below for your healthy enjoyment....
INGREDIENTS:
1-1.5 lb. of ground turkey breast or chicken.
1/2-1 Red onion, thinly chopped
1 handful Shredded carrots (chopped)
1 handful Riced Broccoli
1 Egg (or two egg whites)
1 handful Bleu Cheese (or opt for gorgonzola or FF feta)
1-2 tbsp. Almond Meal (or breadcrumbs if you're not concerned about wheat. You just want a binder for the ingredients to stick)
Pinches Salt/Pepper--I go generous on the pepper/light on the salt
Splash Hot Sauce--I also go heavier on the hot sauce. I like the spice
Drizzle Buffalo Sauce
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees.
Wet hands and combine all ingredients except for Buffalo sauce in a large bowl. Wetting your hands will prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands.
Roll the mixture into balls. If you find that they aren't taking shape, you can always add more almond meal to the mixture. My balls are generally 2" in diameter. You just want to be sure that they're about the same size so they'll cook evenly.
Place the balls onto a greased baking sheet (lined with foil if you wish). I generally use coconut oil spray or a really thin layer of algae oil. Place them about an inch apart.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, turning them over halfway through baking.
Drizzle with Buffalo sauce before serving.
NOTE: I like mine to be a little crispy, so I let mine singe a bit on the surface.
The first time I made these, I ended up eating way more than I should have because they came out really tasty. I got a total of 24 balls for 1.5 lbs of meat. I froze the leftover balls in the freezer for those nights when I don't feel like cooking. I couple these balls with some burnt broccoli, a bed of sautéed kale, or some roasted string beans.
I hope you enjoy!