Spiced Meatballs and Turmeric White Bean Salad Sheet Pan Meal

Fuel your smile with Spiced Meatballs and Turmeric White Bean Salad Sheet Pan Meal (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Need an easy meal-prep or weeknight dinner that’s BIG on flavor but HEALTHY and EASY to make.  This is your recipe. The flavors are amazing! Literally so good I almost forgot to take a picture!  Everyone at work today commented how amazing it smelled.

This recipe is full of beautiful and fragrant middle eastern flavors.  Turmeric gives curry its yellow color, but it’s also upping the medicinal properties of your dinner plate! It contains compounds  called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin. Curcumin is fat soluble so using some olive oil is important while cooking with it. Adding some fresh cracked black pepper also helps.  Studies have shown that turmeric helps with gum inflammation. One study showed that curcumin and chlorhexidine with metronidazole showed greater reductions in gingival inflammation compared to chlorhexidine alone.

Serves 4

CHICKPEAS/WHITE BEANS

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp caraway seed
• 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice
• 1teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

MEATBALLS

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup ground Rolled oats

1/4 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground tandoori spice (or coriander)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, flat-leaf parsley or mint leaves, or a mix thereof, plus more to garnish

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine chickpeas, caraway seeds, five spice, cumin, 1 teaspoon turmeric and half the red onion slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 25 minutes, until beginning to firm/crisp up.
Meanwhile, make meatball mixture. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Form into meatballs.
Remove sheet pan with chickpeas from the oven (leave oven on) and move the chickpeas to the sides of the pan, clearing a space in the center. Lightly coat center with a thin coat of oil, either brush or spray it on, just to be safe. Add meatballs to oiled area, not touching. Place baking sheet in oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until meatballs are

When meatballs are cooked, scatter remaining fresh herbs over the tray.

Tahini Dressing:

1/3 cup tahini

1 medium lemon, juiced

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 pinch sea salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Water (to thin 3-6 tbsp)

Instructions
To a medium mixing bowl, add tahini, lemon juice, and maple syrup. If adding salt and garlic, add now. Whisk to combine. Then slowly add water until creamy and pourable. Taste and adjust flavor as needed.

Harissa Yogurt Dip/Dressing:
3 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup plain greek or Icelandic yogurt

2 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp Harissa (more or less to taste)

S&P to taste

Combine all ingredients and adjust seasoning as needed.

For Salad:  Greens of choice, I would recommend arugula and or spinach, tomatoes, carrots, pickled onions, 3 meatball, 1/4 cup bean salad, and drizzle of tahini and yogurt dressing

Welcome…

Fuel MY Smile. Here is a little info about me. I am a practicing full time dentist, wife and mother to two beautiful girls. We reside in Westport, CT. I received my undergraduate degree at Emory University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. I then went on to pursue my DDS at State University of New York at Stony Brook, graduating in 2010. Next, I completed my general practice residency at the North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset.

Through my personal passion for fitness and nutrition and my knowledge of the dental field, I have seen first hand how important our nutrition is for our oral health.

Here you will find real recipes that I make for my busy family to fuel our busy lives. Along the way, I’ll share how what you eat affects your dental health. Good oral health = good body health!

What else do you want to hear from me? I’m so excited to be on this wellness journey connecting the mouth and body!

#dentist #dentistry #americandentalassociation #fuelmysmile #fuelyoursmile #nutrition #healthyrecipes #fuel #oralhealth #dentalhygiene #cookinghealthy #instagood

Shrimp Stir Fry

👊🏻Fuel your smile with Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry

One of our favorite shows to watch together as a family is Masterchef junior !   It is so amazing and inspiring to watch these young culinary geniuses create such beautiful food.  One of the biggest benefits of watching it together is that it has inspired my children to want to cook and be more involved in food choices.  It has also greatly helped with my more picky 7 year old. She had been so much more willing to try new flavors. Not everything is a win for her, but usually if she cooks it, she will at least try it.

My girls have always enjoyed shrimp.  Shrimp is a great dish to cook with your family because you can keep frozen, peeled and deveined shrimp in the freezer.  You don’t even have to remember to take it out! Place the frozen shrimp in a large bowl. Fill the bowl about half-full (enough to cover the shrimp) with cool tap water. After about ten minutes, drain the water into the sink and add fresh water to the bowl. Let shrimp sit in the fresh water about five or ten more minutes, or until shrimp are thawed. Drain water thoroughly. Use paper towels to dry the shrimp before cooking.

Shrimp fuels your smile by providing  over 100% of the Daily Value for selenium, over 75% for vitamin B12, over 50% for phosphorous, and over 30% for choline, copper, and iodine.

Selenium is an important mineral. It is an important antioxidant that helps fight free radicals, which damage cell membranes and DNA, leading to premature aging and disease.
The phosphorus will help keep calcium directed to your teeth and jaw bones for a healthy smile!

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Then add in all the veggies with some pineapple for a nutrient dense , polyphenol packed punched bowl of deliciousness!
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Ingredients

1-2 cups chopped pineapple
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon @butternutmountainfarm maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed juice of an orange
1 tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame  oil
1 small head of broccoli 🥦
1 cup chopped green beans
1 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch, broth, brown sugar, orange juice, soy sauce and reserved pineapple juice until smooth.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add peppers, broccoli, green beans  and onion; stir-fry 1-2 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Add shrimp; stir-fry 2-3 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Remove from pan.

Place pineapple in skillet. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Return shrimp mixture to pan; heat through, stirring to combine.

Serve over any whole grain or cauliflower rice!

Just What the Doctors Ordered Brisket PRINTABLE!

Click here for a printable of my delicious brisket recipe!