The best way to get a head start on this recipe is to soak your quinoa and sesame seeds the day before (just do it when you're making today's supper and plan on making them tomorrow) in water double the amount of seeds. 24 hours makes it easy planning for me, but it could be shorter if that fits your schedule. I soaked the quinoa in the cooking pan with a 1/4 tsp salt, and the sesame seeds in a jar on the counter with a dash of salt. The quinoa should be cooked (in soaking water) before making the balls, and the sesame seeds simply strained. Soaking the sesame seeds not only makes them more digestible but allows the flavor to blend more into the meatballs. But if you forgot to do that, you could just quick soak them by pouring a cup of hot water over them to sit for 10 minutes, or just use parmesan or romano cheese, for which the sesame seeds are a non-dairy substitute.
Herby Turkey Quinoa Meatballs
1 lb. ground turkey
3/4 - 1 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2-3 tbsp soaked sesame seeds
1 egg
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
dash of cayenne pepper
Mix all together in a bowl. Heat a large skillet on medium and grease with preferred oil or butter. Add large tablespoon sized balls to pan, about 1/2 inch apart, and brown, turning with spatula to brown all sides (usually it's about three sides - they won't be balls exactly). You could also put the meatballs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 350 in the oven for 25 minutes, but it's August right now and I didn't want to turn on the oven, so I chose the fiddly way. Makes about 2 dozen tasty meatballs. The fresh basil and sesame make an outstanding combination for enhancing otherwise bland turkey burger. Use however you like meatballs - in pasta sauce, with mashed cauliflower or potatoes, in soup, or just with a fork and your favorite condiment.
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