At your next holiday party, you can delight your hosts or guests with an old faithful made a healthier way.

In this delicious dish for Hot Cocktail Meatballs, try lean ground turkey rather than beef, whole-wheat bread rather than breadcrumbs. Add cooked brown rice for fiber and nutrients. And bake—not fry—hors d’oeurves.

For the sauce, fruit-sweetened grape spread replaces the sugar and corn syrup featured in the original recipe. And finally, give it some kick with chile sauce, chile powder, ginger and a hint of garlic.

Hot Cocktail Meatballs

Makes 36 meatballs.

1 cup tomato puree
1/2 cup chile sauce
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup fruit-sweetened grape spread, or low-sugar grape jelly
1 tsp. chile powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey
1/2 cup cooked brown basmati rice
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large egg plus 1 egg white
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Soak the bread in a bowl of cold water until it is soft, about 30 seconds. Squeeze out all of the moisture and place the bread in a large mixing bowl. Add the turkey, rice, onion, garlic, egg, egg white, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork until well combined.

Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs, placing them 1/2-inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, or until the meatballs feel firm and are white in the center.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep saucepan, combine the tomato puree, chile sauce, tomato paste, grape spread, chile powder, garlic powder and ginger. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, stirring to dissolve the jam. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.

Add the meatballs and cook 5 minutes longer. Serve immediately or cool and refrigerate, tightly covered, for up to two days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, for about 30 minutes. Or, cover with foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Nutritional information, per two-meatball serving: calories, 87; total fat, 2 g; saturated fat, less than 1 g; carbohydrate, 11 g; protein, 6 g; dietary fiber, less than 1 g; sodium, 374 mg.

Check these out!

•  For other holiday treats, check out Nubella's 6,000-plus Recipe Database and Healthy Cooking Center.

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