PORK & SHIITAKE MUSHROOM MEATBALLS

KAREN'S PORK & SHIITAKE MUSHROOM MEATBALLS
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/4 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon granular Splenda
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 egg

Cover the mushrooms with boiling water; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Squeeze out the water and remove any tough stems. Mince the mushrooms. Combine all ingredients with your hands until the mixture is no longer slimy from the eggs and starts to hold together.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Shape the pork mixture into about 34-36 little meatballs, using 2 teaspoons mixture for each. I used my 2 teaspoon cookie scoop to measure them out. Drop them into boiling water. When the water returns to a boil, cover the pot and simmer 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through.

Makes about 34-36 meatballs or about 6 servings
Can be frozen

Per Serving: 221 Calories; 15g Fat; 18g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 2.5g Net Carbs

This recipe is from Karen Barnaby, but I ended up changing a few things. The packages of ground pork where I shop contained closer to 1 1/4 pounds than the 1 pound her recipe called for. I also added a little pepper and garlic powder. Karen made 12 large meatballs but I prefer bite-sized ones so I've reduced the cooking time by 5 minutes. These come out looking very pale and ugly, but they taste good. I may try baking them next time, instead of boiling, to get them brown on the outside. I didn't notice any distinct flavor from the shiitake mushrooms so you could probably just finely chop some fresh button or cremini mushrooms instead. I served them over some Sesame-Almond Napa Slaw.

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