Meatballs A La Popeye

Chef Adrienne Saldivar-Meier was one of only 50 chefs and food specialists nationwide to be invited to the White House this past year to cook for the first lady as part of a new campaign that pairs chefs with schools to teach children about nutrition and healthy eating.  Saldivar-Meier makes food that's healthy by replacing everyday food choices with healthier ingredients. She has visited hundreds of schools as the star of the Healthy Eating Lifestyle Principles Program, and is affecting the lives of many at-risk youth through her work with the new Drummond Culinary Academy at Rancho Cielo.  Representing the lettuce capital of the world, Chef Adrienne's slogan "Lettuce Be The Change" is also the title of her new book that she has co-written with the Drummond Culinary Academy students in response to the White House plea to change how we eat as a nation.  AND...Chef Adrienne was our speaker last night at the gala fundraising dinner for the International School of Monterey. 

Taking a cue from her playbook of culinary tricks, I decided to serve meatballs over spinach for dinner tonight.  Well, I did serve them with pasta - but just a serving's worth - and I added a cup of wilted spinach to each pasta bowl.  Delicious!

Meatballs

1 pound of 96-4 organic ground beef
1 egg
1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese
1 t ground ancho chili powder
1 T unsweetened cocoa
ground almonds
dash of pink Himalaya salt

Mix everything together in a bowl, adding enough ground almonds that the mixture can be formed into balls.  Place tomato sauce, a splash of red wine,  and 2 T dried oregano in a large saucepan.  Drop meatballs into the sauce and simmer till cooked through.

Toss pasta with wilted spinach and 1 T of olive oil.  Top with meatballs.