Bison Meatballs with a Cranberry White Wine Sauce

Oh my goodness! I am seriously plotzing! I have been looking at all of my favorite stores for Cage-free Organic eggs to cook with. I found some at Costco but they were $4.79 per 18!! This is very expensive for me, especially for the amount of eggs I use for my baked goods. Next, I was shopping at Smart & Final and found a Land O'Lakes brand Cage-free vegetarian fed eggs for $2.99 a dozen, better, but still a little pricey. Then I looked at my local Trader Joes and found Cage-free Organic eggs for $2.79!! Perfect! I am so excited to start baking with them!

Buy it here!

I have been slightly obsessed with the "Food with Integrity" movement; pretty much ever since I saw the movie Food, INC. Have you seen it? It completely opens your eyes about where your food actually comes from. For example, did you know approximately 10 billion animals (chickens, cattle, hogs, ducks, turkeys, lambs and sheep) are raised and killed in the US anually? Nearly all of them are raised on factory farms under inhumane conditions. These industrial farms are also dangerous for their workers, pollute surrounding communities, are unsafe to our food system and contribute significantly to global warming.

These factory farms cram egg-laying hens into cages so tiny they can't even spread their wings. Because the chickens are now being grown in half the time that chickens did 30 years ago, their bones have not been able to keep up with the rest of their body, so they can only walk a few steps without having to rest.  Breeding pigs and veal calves are stuffed into cramped individual cages barely larger than their bodies. They can’t walk or turn around. But you can help free animals from these cruel cages, by supporting local farms, buying organic free-range meats, and joining your local CSO.

Another huge problem with the food today is that some of our most important staple foods have been fundamentally altered, and genetically engineered meat and produce have already invaded our grocery stores and our kitchen pantries. Think about it. How many times have you seen "High fructose Corn Syrup" on a nutrition label? Or cornstarch? Modified food starch? Corn syrup? These products are everywhere you look in the grocery store. Because of the prevalence of foods such as wheat, corn, and soy in our food, we as people have started to become allergic to these staples.

Now normally I try to only talk about food on this blog, but this issue is so important. We all need to really see where our food is coming from. We also need to see what our food is doing to our bodies.

Please watch the movie. It truly changed my life.

Now, I am going to show you a recipe that incorporates all that we just talked about. Trust me, they taste great!

 Bison Meatballs in a White wine and Cranberry sauce
For Meatballs:
2 lbs Organic Free-Range Bison Meat
2 slices Gluten Free Bread, made into crumbs ( I bake my own, but you can use Trader Joes Brown Rice Bread)
2 Cage-free, Organic Eggs
1 tsp Salt
Pepper
1 Tbs Minced dried onion


For Sauce:
1/2 c. Cranberry Sauce (recipe below)
1 c. White Wine ( I use a chenin blanc)
1 Tbs dried Thyme
2 c. Beef Stock or Turkey Stock

1. Combine the meat, bread crumbs, egg, onion, and salt. Mix in a bowl just until combined. It's easiest to use your hand for this.
2. Scoop out, and roll meatballs between your hands. They should be the size of Golf balls. Place on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.
3. Bake at 425 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until done inside.
4. While meatballs are cooking, combine the rest of the ingredients in your Croc-Pot.
5. Place cooked meatballs in the croc-pot with the sauce. Cook on high heat for about 6 hours. Serve warm with Quinoa.

Cranberry Sauce

1 16 oz package Cranberries (Frozen or fresh)

Enough water to cover

Put cranberries and water in pan. Cook until berries burst and it starts to thicken. Then use a hand blender to break down most of the skins and seeds, and strain into containers.

Check this and other recipes out at The Gluten-free Homemaker