Scotchathon Sweet and Savory Chicken Meatballs

I've neglected to post this recipe for a shamefully long time (gotta love the hustle-and-bustle and lack of work-life balance that happens during the legislative session). Alex's birthday is toward the end of February, and for the past 5 or 6 years, he has thrown himself a party affectionately named "Scotchaton." In addition to providing multiple scotches for guests to enjoy, Alex also provided beer, wine, other liquor, and lots of food from Costco - including a full ham.

Alex opted not to throw Scotchathon this year because of the cost, but he seemed really bummed about it. There's nothing sadder than a 6-foot 4-inch bearded man mourning the loss of scotch, so I schemed with his friends to throw a surprise Scotchathon. Thanks to my new (since January) medical diet, in addition to needing to hide alcohol, supplies, and planning, I also had to make the food myself to ensure that there was some food I could eat at Scotchathon.

(As an aside, I've found parties and other social events to be one of the most challenging parts of treating illness through nutrition. More on that later.)

Some of Alex's friends helped me out by scheduling a board game night about a week before the party, but that left me with just one night to myself to purchase everything and cook everything. Unfortunately, that same group of friends also ruined the surprise by asking Alex about a friend from another group of friends, which tipped Alex off that something was up. (I will never forgive you Michael Graham, and I plan to haunt you after I die.)

Nevertheless, it was a really fun night. We had friends come in from multiple other states, booked a beautiful space, and crushed 9 bottles of scotch. Furthermore, I had other friends with food restrictions (vegetarian, celiac's, other autoimmune disorders, and gout) comment that they had plenty of food they could eat, and that it was all delicious. Party food success! Many thanks to Sarah Olivier and Chris Revel for help securing the space, setting up, and letting me prep the food in their apartment before the party.

The recipe below is one I made up to be Whole30, freezable, fast and easy to prepare, and appropriate for a large party with lots of drinking.

Scotchathon Sweet and Savory Chicken Meatballs
Servings: 16 (assuming 3 meatballs per person)
Time: 45 minutes - 75 minutes (15 minutes active)

Ingredients
2 1-lb packages of Coleman Basil and Roasted Garlic Meatballs (purchased at Costco)
3 red or orange bell peppers
2 tbsp. high-heat cooking oil such as coconut oil, avocado oil, or lard
1 tbsp. olive oil
8 cloves of garlic
1 cup mashed sweet potato
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (soaked if not packed in oil)
balsamic vinegar to taste (approx 1 tbsp.)
1-2 cups water
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt to taste
pepper to taste
chopped parsley

Directions

1) Roast your bell peppers.
    a) Preheat oven to broil. Set rack as close to the broiler as possible.
    b) Cover a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
    c) Cover your peppers with high-heat cooking oil.
    d) Broil your peppers, turning once each side becomes black until peppers are charred all over.
    e) Put peppers in a paper bag set inside of a bowl and turn down the top of the bag to seal.
    f) Allow peppers to steam until cool enough to handle, approximately 20 minutes. 
    g) Remove peppers and place on a cutting board. Use your fingers to peel off the charred skin.
    h) Cut open peppers and remove seeds, ribs, and stems.
    i) Throw roasted bell peppers into your blender or food processor.

2) If needed, cook your sweet potato.
    a) Adjust oven heat to 400°F.
    b) Line a heavy pan with foil.
    c) Pierce a sweet potato a number of times with a fork.
    d) Place sweet potato on lined pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until soft.
    e) Cut sweet potato in half and scoop out flesh.
    f) Mash flesh with a masher or fork, and measure a cup.
    g) Add the cup of mashed sweet potato to the blender or food processor.

3) Cook your garlic.
    a) Heat olive oil over medium-low in a small pan.
    b) Crush cloves of garlic with the back of a heavy knife.
    c) Throw garlic into hot oil and let it sit for 1-2 minutes until starting to turn golden.
    d) Pour garlic and oil into the blender/food processor.

4) Blend into a sauce.
    a) Add sundried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, and one cup of water to blender with the sweet potato, garlic, and roasted peppers.
    b) Make sure the top of your blender is secured, and hold in place with a dish towel so that you don't burn yourself as steam escapes.
    c) Blend, starting on low and slowly moving to high power, until a silky consistency.
    d) Add more water if necessary until you reach the thickness you desire.
    e) Add salt and pepper to taste.

5) Heat.
    a) Pour sauce into a large soup pot or crock pot.
    b) Add meatballs.
    c) Cover and heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally until meatballs are covered in sauce and heated through.

6) Serve.
    a) For a party, put the meatballs and sauce in a chafing dish, sprinkle chopped parsley on top for color, and serve with toothpicks.
    b) For an easy dinner, serve meatballs and sauce over cooked spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or cooked pasta.

In case you are interested in tips appetizer tips for large parties where individuals have special dietary needs, this is what I served:

• Sweet and Savory Chicken Meatballs
• Aidell's chicken & apple sausages (also purchased at Costco) warmed in Paleo bbq sauce
• Assorted vegetarian appetizers from Costco or Trader Joe's such as spanakopita, black bean taquitos, and veggie pot stickers
• Beef skewers (using boneless short ribs purchased from Costco) marinated in pineapple juice and served with Paleo teriyaki dipping sauce
• Shrimp cocktail with Paleo cocktail sauce
• Guacamole (I used the Spicy one from Trader Joe's that comes in a square container), Pico de Gallo (bought at Costco), and Cassava chips
• Crudite and Paleo ranch dip
• a fruit platter
• I also catered some panini sandwiches and pasta salad from a nearby deli

Warm and Bright Breakfast Hash

In early January, I began a Whole30 diet. It wasn't my first Whole30, but it was decidedly different from those that preceded it.

You see, for many people, Whole30 is a way to reset cravings and improve energy levels and digestion. The first few days feel like death as your body withdraws from quick-burning carbs. But, if you stick with it, 2 weeks in you'll start feeling like you can single-handedly write, produce, direct, and star in a feature film over the course of one day and still get dinner on the table by 7pm.

This Whole30 was different for me because I felt like death before I even started. I spent much of fall and winter on a downward spiral of fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, anxiety, depression, aches, chills, and various stomach pains. When I spent most of Christmas day sick as a dog and realized that I had taken a sick day at least once a week for the entirety of December, it was time for something to change right away. Hence, the Whole30: a hail-Mary attempt to become functional again.

Shortly after, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. The diagnosis came following countless blood tests, two surgical procedures, three ultrasounds, and genetic testing. Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disorder wherein your body attacks the thyroid gland and anything else that it might mistake for markers on the thyroid such as gluten and casein. After receiving the diagnosis, I spent a solid three days wondering if life without macaroni and cheese is worth living.

When I finally stopped feeling sorry for myself, I realized that Hashimoto's is (right now) far less bad for me than for others. For one thing, I'm pretty adept in the kitchen, so needing to make foods from scratch isn't a problem. For another, I have an understanding employer who lets me work at the pace I need. Finally, I'm blessed to have excellent health insurance that covers all the crazy tests I need regularly now such as nutritional deficiency testing, antibody levels, etc.

All that is to say that over 50 days later, I'm still on that Whole30. I've yet to hit that feeling of invincibility. Hell, I've yet to hit a feeling of "okay this isn't bad." But I'm going to work 5 days a week again, my insomnia is mostly gone, the aches and fatigue are milder, and I even took a short walk with my dogs for the first time in 2018!

The following recipe is one I made to enjoy for a nice Sunday brunch, because Hashimoto's cannot and will not beat the bougie out of me. The warm spices and bright citrus are a fabulous complement to fennel and sweet potatoes. This meal is best enjoyed with comfortable company, and it would be great with a mimosa (or two or three) for those who are not following a Whole30.

Warm and Bright Breakfast Hash
Servings: 2
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
1 bulb of fennel, chopped
1 sweet potato, chopped
1 lemon, zested and cut into quarters
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1.5 tsp. ground mace
1.5  tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cardamom
salt and black pepper to taste
olive oil
pint grape or cherry tomatoes
4 breakfast sausage links
4 eggs
parsley, chopped

1) Prepare your hash.
    a) Preheat oven to 450°F.
    b) Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
    c) Melt your coconut oil (if necessary).
    d) Combine chopped fennel, sweet potato, and lemon zest in a large bowl with coconut oil, mace, ginger, cardamom, salt, and pepper. Toss well until spices are evenly distributed over the veggies.

    e) Spread your vegetable and spice mixture on the cookie sheet.
    f) Add your sausage links to the cookie sheet and roast veggies and sausages for 20 minutes.

    g) Flip your vegetables and sausages after 12 minutes. Continue to roast for another 8 minutes.

2) Prepare your tomatoes.
    a) Toss grape or cherry tomatoes with a touch of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
    b) After 20 minutes of roasting the vegetables, throw the tomatoes onto the pan with the chopped veggies and sausage.

    c) Roast for 12 more minutes or until the tomatoes burst.

3) Prepare your eggs.
    a) Heat a skillet on the stove at medium-low heat. 
    b) Add some olive oil to the skillet once it's warm.
    c) Crack in your eggs.
    d) Once the eggs start to turn white, cover the skillet and let your eggs steam until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny. 

4) Assemble.
    a) Divide the tomatoes and vegetable hash between two plates.
    b) Add two sausage links to each plate.
    c) Squeeze 1/4 lemon over each plate of hash.
    d) Top each plate of hash with two sunny-side up eggs.
    e) Squeeze another 1/4 lemon over the eggs. (I know this sounds weird, but the acidity cuts the yolk really nicely).
   f) Season the eggs with salt and pepper if desired, and garnish with chopped parsley.