Asian Style Meatballs with Sweet Chili Sauce

I had all that leftover ground meat in the freezer from making the "Christmas Pasta" dish that was soooooo good (click here for that post), I thought I'd use it up making meatloaf but then this recipe popped up in my feed and it sounded so good that I made it that night for dinner. We loved this dish! The meatballs were easy to make, flavorful and moist; and the sauce is sweet and a little spicy - but in an addictive sort of way. My only changes are I omitted the green onions, and substituted ground ginger for fresh.

Served with sticky rice and creamed spinach this was an excellent meal - there were enough leftovers to have again the next day and was still just as delicious (and yes, I had them for breakfast!)

 MEATBALLS:

•  2 pounds ground meat (beef, pork, turkey or a combo) 
•  1 cup panko or regular bread crumbs 
•  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
•  2 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped 
•  2 large eggs 
•  2 tablespoons soy sauce (I use low-sodium) 
•  1 tablespoon finely minced ginger (or ginger paste) 
•  3 cloves garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
•  1 teaspoon dried basil 
•  Zest from 1 lime (about a teaspoon) 
•  Pinch of crushed red pepper, more or less to taste (optional) 

SAUCE: 

•  1/3 cup soy sauce 
•  1/3 cup sweet chili sauce  
•  1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2-3 limes) 
•  2 tablespoons brown sugar 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, add the ground meat. Add all the other meatball ingredients and mix until well-combined. Roll 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture into meatballs and place 1/2-inch apart or so on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through (an instant-read thermometer should read 165 degrees F in the middle of a meatball).
4. While the meatballs cook, whisk together all the sauce ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan and heat until simmering.
5. Using tongs or a spatula, remove the meatballs from the baking sheet onto a plate or tray. Drizzle the cooked meatballs with the warm sauce and garnish with additional green onions and toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Serve the meatballs on their own or over brown rice, white rice, quinoa, etc.

                                   

                              

Click here for original source


Happy moment - watching our new goldfish speeding around his freshly cleaned fishbowl

Creamy Cucumber Salad

I have been obsessed with this salad lately! It's great with just cucumber (typically it has thinly sliced onions in it but D doesn't like that so I just do cukes) or a mix of halved cherry tomatoes and slices or chunks of cucumber - and it's the inspiration for the cuke and chickpea salad I made last week (click here for that post).  I've never been a big cucumber lover but this salad is sort of like creamy pickles so I'm a huge fan.

• 2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced (sometimes I leave them in chunks, your call)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise (or to taste, I don't usually use this much. and sometimes I use half plain greek yogurt and half mayo)
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix cucumbers and salt together in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.

Turn cucumbers into a colander set in the sink and let drain, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has drained, about 30 minutes more. Transfer drained cucumbers to a large bowl.

Stir mayo, vinegar, sugar, dill, garlic powder, and pepper together in a bowl until smooth; pour over the cucumbers and stir to coat with the dressing.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours. 

grilled chicken, cucumber salad, and my go-to side of black beans, corn, tomatoes,
and avocado with a little olive oil and southwestern seasoning mix. Yum.