Lexi's Swedish Meatballs

I posted Swedish Meatballs (from a seasoning packet, the shame!) a while back, and Lexi commented about how she was Swedish, and she could show me a real recipe for meatballs that didn't include seasoning packets. She posted her recipe, and I've finally gotten around to making them. I had to adjust several things to make them fit within my 500 calorie meal guideline, but they turned out WAY better than the others made with the seasoning packet (obviously). I screwed up and put the soy sauce in the sauce rather than in the meat... so yeah, but it was still delicious. The mixture of pork and beef made for a really moist meatball. Hell, I don't even know why I've been making meatballs, lately, I never have liked them, but this is one recipe that I really love.



My bastardized version of Lexi's Meatballs
.65 lb (303 g.) 4% ground beef (402 calories)
.5 lb (237 g.) ground pork (450 calories)
1/4 cup ground oats (3/8 cup oats, before grinding) (112.5 calories)
2 TB skim milk (11.5 calories)
1/2 extra large egg white (10 calories)
3/4 large onion, 139g (58.5 calories)
3 cloves garlic (20g = 29 calories)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp. olive oil (1 tsp for frying meatballs in nonstick pan, 1 tsp for sauteeing onions) (80 calories)

4 servings, 288.5 calories per serving.

Lexi's directions:

"Start with putting the grain in a large bowl. Mix in the starch and then soak it in the cream. Let it sit and swell for atleast 10 minutes. While the grain swells, chop the onions and garlic and fry it gently to just soften it up, don't let it get any colour. Mix all ingredients in the grain once it's done swelling, try not to mix too long and the best tools.. are your hands...
Once mixed choose cooking style. Either you fry eveyrhting in a pan or in the oven. the oven is easier for larger bashes but the pan gives them a better colour. If you choose the oven (like I did for this huuuuuge batch) put it on 275 degrees celcius (527 F). Roll consistant size of the balls. If you choose small ones make sure they are all small so they have the same cooking time. If you can't do that by hand, use a measurement like for instant a tablespoon."


Sauce
1 Tbsp butter (100 calories) (I only used 1 Tbsp because I had fat left in the pan)
3 Tbsp flour (65.5 calories)
2 cups stock (30 calories)
2 Tbsp (half and half) (35 calories)
1 Tbsp. soy (oops) (10 calories)

4 servings, 60 calories per serving.



Lexi's directions:

"The stock is from after you're done frying the meatballs, add water in the pan and let it simmer for a while and then keep it for the sauce. If you don't think it tastes enough add a square of meatbouillon (I try not to because of hte artificial flavourings). Melt the butter in a pot, mix in the flour and take the pot of the heat, add a bit of hte stock and mix until the butterflour mix is mixed in completely to the fluids. Add the rest of the stock and then put the pot back to the heat. Whisk until it starts to boil, and then let it simmer an thicken for atleast 3 minutes. If you want to add some soysauce for colouring and sealth taste yourself through it. Add the cream in the end."

Served with 1/2 cup cooked white rice (100 calories) and 1/2 cup frozen peas (35 calories).

Total meal: 483.5 calories per person.

Lexi served hers with mashed potatoes, but I was out of time and, to be honest, I don't particularly like mashed potatoes (it's a texture thing) so I went with quick and easy rice. I initially started with the same ratio of milk (cream) to meat, but it was turning out too soupy, so I poured out the majority of it.