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Spanikopita Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for liberal drizzling

  • 1 small onion, finely chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped, divided

  • 2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

  • 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

  • 1 pound ground chicken

  • 1 tablespoons grill seasoning, such as McCormick brand Montreal Chicken Seasoning

  • 1 1/2 cups Greek-style plain yogurt

  • 1/3 English (seedless) cucumber, peeled and chopped

  • 3 tablespoons fresh dill

  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin (1/2 a palmful)

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander (1/2 a palmful)

  • Salt

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

In a bowl, combine the onion and three cloves of garlic. Squeeze the water out of the spinach until completely dry. Separate the spinach as you add it to garlic and onion. Add feta, chicken and grill seasoning to the bowl and a liberal drizzle of EVOO. Mix the meat with veggies and feta and form 18 meatballs about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Place the meatballs on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until they are golden and juices run clear.

Place the yogurt, garlic, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, cumin, coriander and a little salt in a food processor and process until smooth. Adjust the seasonings, to taste and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve the meatballs alongside sauce with toothpicks.