#989: Mexican Meatballs

This recipe got mixed reviews from my family.  Some liked it, others were not as big of fans.  I however (who's opinion is the most important since I do all the cooking) thought these were pretty good.  I must not be a very good meatball maker because mine tend to get pretty tough tasting.  I probably over cook them but that's my fear of food being raw coming out.  I used to order steaks when I was younger and literally asked the waiter "to burn it."  In retrospect I must have made some chefs very angry.  Anyhow, I don't know if I would consider these "Mexican" flavored.  Although they have some Mexican flavors in it, it still just tastes like a regular spaghetti sauce atop these meatballs.  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the sauce and plan to finish it with or without the meatballs, but I don't think Mexican with this dish. 

Sauce:

1 medium onion, minced
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups tomato puree (I used crushed tomatoes)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt

Saute the onions in coconut oil until limp.  Add tomato puree, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt.  Mix well and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often.  Pour the sauce into a food processor and process until smooth.

Meatballs:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 garlilc cloves
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 small onion, minced
2 tsp cumin

Mix together all ingredients and form golf ball size meatballs.  Place meatballs into a glass dish and bake at 375 for 15 min.  Then spoon sauce over the meatballs and bake for another 10-15 minutes.