Purslane and chicken meatball salad

Yesterday they had purslane again at the market, something my mom used to make for me only a few times a year. I always liked it and wondered what kind of dishes I could make with it. Basically, you can do the same with it as spinach.
After some more research, I found out that purslane is considered a weed in the USA (according to wikipedia..) and that it's mostly consumed in Europe. It's really healthy though, contains a lot of omega 3 fatty acids, and besides that it also tastes good!
Today, I made a fresh salad with it, even though it's still freezing outside these days, the small amount of sunshine we get makes me feel like Spring's already arriving. And during Spring, a salad makes a wonderful dish.

For the chicken meatballs, I was inspired by this recipe, by Kelly from the Spunky Coconut (made by Elana from Elana's Pantry in this recipe). So I adapted it to my own taste and it worked out pretty well. I made them this morning, before going to work, and from the smell I definitely had something to look forward to when coming home!

At the moment I'm attempting to make beef jerky in my oven.. I used this recipe from Jen's Gone Paleo. I'm not quite sure it'll work, but I thought I could at least try. I don't think I'm using the right meat to do the job, it looked so good when I bought it, but turned out looking a little less inside. Anyway, I'll let you know if it works, for now there's at least 2.5 hours more oven time to go..

Purslane and chicken meatball salad

Chicken meatballs (serves 3-4)
- 1/2 zucchini, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 600g chicken fillet, diced
- 1 tbsp paprika powder
- black pepper
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp thyme

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, chop the zucchini, onion and garlic.
3. Add spices, egg, almond flour and chicken and process until a smooth paste forms.
4. Drop tablespoon sized balls on the prepared baking tray, and bake for approx. 30 minutes until browned.

Purslane salad (serves 2)
- 1 kohlrabi, peeled and grated
- 2 cups purslane, washed and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup red cabbage, chopped
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp salad herbs of your choice

1. In a bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice and salad herbs, let them soak for a while.
2. Divide vegetables over 2 plates and mix with your hands. Drizzle with the prepared dressing and hussle with 2 spoons (or your hands).

Serve the salad with some chicken meatballs on top, and enjoy!