Superfood Giourvalakia (Greek Meatballs)

Giourvalakia are the Greek version of meatballs. The minced meat usually is mixed with rice, cooked in a broth and at the end of the cooking time mixed with a mixture of lemon and egg.

I found this recipe lately, made with the nowadays highly promoted Quinoa and millet instead of rice. It turned out really delicious that my children asked me to put it on the list of their favorite foods.
Quinoa is known as the foods with the highest amount of albuminous. Compared to rice it has double that much. It is an important supplier of amino acids such as Lysin, which is important for a healthy growth and repair of damages of our body cells and tissue. Lysin does not exist as much in other foods as in Quinoa. It helps to strengthen our immune system and increases our serotonin levels. The daily recommended amount of minerals and trace elements, like iron, magnesium and manganese are also covered by only 100 gr of Quinoa.
Millet was used already 8000 years ago to make bread. It is especially recommended for Gluten free diets. It has a high level of B-Vitamins, iron and manganese. Also, it is highly recommended when you have a flue as it has a high amount of vitamin C.
I recommend to prepare the mixture for the meatballs one evening before cooking and let stand overnight in the fridge as the millet can swell up and will cook better the next day.
For the soup I prefer to add less Quinoa as it swells up during cooking. If you like your soup to be more thick, add as much as you like. Consider though, that even after cooking the Quinoa sucks off all remaining liquid.
What you need:
600 gr grounded beef
1 large onion chopped
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
½ cup of hulled millet grain
2 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 cups of water
¼ – ½ cup of Quinoa
1 liter water
2 egg white
juice of 2 lemons
How to prepare:
In a bowl combine the grounded beef with the onions, the mullet, water, parsley, 2 tsp of lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper and 2 cups of water. Let stand for 1-2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
In a large pot heat 1 liter of water. Form some golf ball sized meatballs with your hands and add to the boiling water. Reduce the heat and add the Quinoa. Let cook with closed lid for appr. 40 minutes on medium heat. At the end of the cooking time let cool the food a bit.
In a bowl beat the egg whites with with the lemon juice. Add slowly-slowly some of the warm soup while stirring well the lemon egg. When the mixture has the approximate temperature of the soup add it to the pot and stir until well mixed.