Meatballs and a Simple Sauce

I have been experimenting with meatloaf and meatball recipes as a way to liven up boring ground meat.  For meatballs, the basic recipe to create a nice meatball is fine, but my husband prefers to have a sauce or something to dip them in.  I thought trying something besides a tomato based sauce would be a nice change of pace, and noticed the lovely Middle Eastern flavors.  The tahini sauce comes together in about 1 minute and is good for chicken and vegetables as well, it has a rich, nutty taste. I have the gluten free version below using almond meal to hold the binder together. Feel free to use bread crumbs or oatmeal if you prefer. I served the meatballs with collard greens. The sauce is great over both.  If you want to make a double batch of meatballs, you can freeze them plain, and reheat, and make the sauce just before serving.

Meatballs and Simple Sauce

1 lb. ground meat (beef or turkey)
4 T almond meal
1 egg
1/2 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 t chipotle powder (or 1/4 t cayenne)
1 stalk celery, trimmed (optional)
1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded (optional)

Mince the onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper fine, either by running the knife through several times, until vegetables are fully minced and uniform in size or through a food processor.  Combine meat, almond meal, egg, vegetables, chipotle powder and salt to taste in a mixing bowl.  Roll into golf ball sized meatballs and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 16-18 minutes.  You can cut a meatball in half at the end of the cooking time to ensure it is cooked through.

Tahini sauce
1/4 tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 T warm water
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t chipotle powder
salt to taste

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well.  If sauce is thinner than you would like, add more tahini, and if too thick, a few more drops of water. Drizzle over a plate of meatballs or use as a dipping sauce.

shared at $5 Dinners, Pennywise Platter, Ultimate Recipe Swap, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday