Turkey Meatballs in Broth

My friend is taking part in a four week 'boot camp' diet and fitness regime. She lives in Singapore, but asked me to join her in attempting to follow the diet guidelines. We started on Monday. For week one you are only allowed to eat green vegetables and protein. I think this is similar to the Dukan diet or Paleo (aka 'Caveman') diet. The list of foods allowed is below:

Protein	Greens	Fats
Bacon / Ham / Pork	Asparagus	Almond Oil
Beef (any kind)	Avocado	Coconut Oil
Chicken	Bok Choy	Fish Oil (capsules)
Duck	Broad Beans	Flax Oil
Eggs (whole eggs)	Broccoli	Olive Oil
Fish (Mackerel, Salmon, Tuna etc – any fish)	Brussels Sprouts	Peanut Oil
Lamb	Cabbage	Sesame Oil
Shellfish (Scallops etc)	Celery	Walnut Oil
Turkey	Cucumber
Whey Protein Powder	Green Beans	Sauces
	Green Chillies	None at all – only a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Vegetarian Protein Options	Green Peas
Cheese (any kind, but try to stick to goat’s cheese)	Green Peppers	Drinks
Chickpeas	Herbs (Basil, Parsley etc)	Green Tea
Eggs	Kale	Water (aim for 3L per day)
Flax Seeds	Lemongrass
Lentils	Lettuce
Mixed Beans	Olives
Nuts (Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Cashew Nuts, Walnuts – must be raw with nothing on them and no more than 10 per day)	Spinach
Pumpkin Seeds	Spring Onions
Sesame Seeds	Sugar Snap Peas
Soya Mince	Any other GREEN vegetable not listed above
Sunflower Seeds
Tofu (ensure it contains to MSG)

The week started well - I made a couple of casseroles packed full of organic ingredients from the Alexandra Palace Farmers' Market. I love avocados so happily ate lots of them. I had a couple of omelettes. I made more salads than I usually would. I abstained from coffee and wine - drinking only water, sparkling water or hot water with lemon. But, then I went out for dinner last night and had all of this:

We had champagne to start and wines to match each course as well. Oops! Talk about falling off the wagon! I only lasted 3.5 days. Not the greatest willpower. However, I think I will get back on track and try to stick the diet out for the next couple of weeks. I have decided it isn't very realistic to keep it up when I am back in New Zealand and on holiday so I am not aiming to do the full four weeks.

I am not really a fan of diets and tend to never go on them. The minute I think that I will go on one I tend to start obsessing about food. I can't even look at Pinterest as most of the people I follow tend to pin recipes and cocktails! However, I think I can definitely incorporate more salads into my diet and avoid the bad habits of snacking continuously and finishing off my daughter's uneaten meals.

Using a selection of ingredients from the list above - here is what I made for dinner tonight. It was quick to make and light, tasty and filling.

Turkey Meatballs in Broth
Serves 4

Ingredients
For the Broth
1 Tbsp peanut oil
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1-2 spring onions, chopped
1-2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
300g turkey breast meat (or chicken breast/thigh meat), sliced
1 lemon (juice)
For the Meatballs
300g turkey breast meat (or chicken breast/thigh meat), sliced
3 spring onions
1-2 green chillies
1/2 bunch of coriander
1 egg white (for binding)
1 Tbsp peanut oil
To Serve
1/2 cup of frozen soya beans
1/2 head of broccoli, chopped
20 green beans
1/2 bunch of coriander
1-3 sprigs of mint
1 lemon (juice)

Method
For the Broth
Heat the oil in a pot and add the chopped celery, spring onion and lemon grass and saute
Add the sliced turkey breast and cook until white
Add 1-2 litres of boiling water
Add a pinch of salt.
Simmer for half an hour with the lid on.
For the Meatballs
Using a food processor or mini chopper - blitz the turkey, spring onions, green chillies and coriander together (in batches if necessary)
In a bowl, stir the egg white through the turkey mix
Form the mixture into patties with your hands
In a frying pan with a little oil lightly fry the patties until brown on each side (in batches if necessary)
Add the patties to the broth
To Serve
Add a selection of greens to the broth - I used soya beans, green beans and broccoli, but any green vegetable would work.
Simmer for a further 3-5 minutes.
Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
Top with a large handful of chopped mint and coriander.

You'll have to excuse the picture quality - I just got the pics quickly using Instagram on my phone while I was cooking. The recipe details and instructions are a bit rough as well - but it really is a throw it together sort of dish. I think it could be greatly enhanced and refined over time, especially when I am allowed to start using sauces again. For a first attempt though I was quite pleased with the flavour and feel like I have slightly redeemed myself after last night's blowout!

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