Southwest Turkey Meatballs with Dipping Sauce

I made these for a get together with the neighbors.  I know I've mentioned that I don't like cilantro but I realize other do.  The recipe calls for adding cilantro to the meatballs and the sauce but I omitted it from the meatballs.  I also made 2 dipping sauces...one with cilantro and one with pesto.  These were a hit and would be a nice app to bring to any event.  I would recommend adding more jalapeno if you like a little pep to your food.  I couldn't taste it in mine and I kept a few seeds to hopefully add a little heat.  I found the recipe here.

Ingredients:
1-1/4 lb ground turkey (99% lean)
1 jalapeno, seeds removed if you don't like too much heat
2 cloves garlic
1/4 c chopped cilantro (I omitted this) but subbed parsley
3 scallions, chopped
1/4 c seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp cumin
pinch Oregano
Salt & Pepper
Cooking spray

Directions:
Lightly spray cookie sheet & preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place jalapeno, garlic, cilantro & scallions in a food processor and pulse until minced
In a large bowl, combine turkey, chopped herbs, bread crumbs, egg, cumin, salt & pepper. Use your hands to blend thoroughly
Make into small meatballs and place on cookie sheet
Bake for 15 minutes (mine were a bit big so they cooked for about 20 minutes)
Makes 24 meatballs

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 c lowfat buttermilk
1/4 c lite mayo
1/4 c Fat Free Greek yogurt
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed if you don't like it too spicy
1/4 c fresh cilantro
1 tomatillo, husks removed.  Chop the tomatillo
1 clove garlic
1 scallion
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/8 tsp cumin
Salt & Pepper

Mix all ingredients in a blender and serve.

For a pesto dipping sauce, I followed the instructions above but instead of cilantro, I used almost 1 small jar of pesto sauce.

2 points plus for 2 meatballs; add 1 point for dipping sauce

Shrimp & Scallops over Herbed Basmati Rice

I really love carbs and have been finding ways to incorporate them, in moderation, on WW.  I found this recipe and thought it sounded good.  I've never had basmati rice before but it turned out very tasty!  We put some sauteed shrimp and scallops over top it and made a meal.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp shallots, minced
3/4 c basmati rice, uncooked
1-1/2 c water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp olive oil
Dry scallops
Shrimp, peeled and deveined
Old Bay Seasoning

Directions for the Rice:
Melt 1 tbsp margarine in a sauce pan over medium high heat
Add garlic & shallots and saute for about a minute
Add in rice & stir well
Add in water and bring to a boil
Cover & lower heat to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed
Top with grated cheese

Directions for Scallops and Shrimp:
Melt 1 tbsp margarine in a pan.  Add olive oil.  Place shrimp in pan & cook for a couple minutes per side.  Dust each side, while cooking, with a little Old Bay.
Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
Place pan over heat and get very hot.  While pan is getting hot, salt & pepper each side of the scallops.  Add scallops to pan and cook each side approx 2-3 minutes per side.

Combine shrimp, scallops and rice and serve.

Rice = 5 Points Plus points
Scallops = 2 Points Plus points for 3 oz
Shrimp =  3 Points Plus points per 3 oz