Soy-Ginger Turkey Meatballs with Cauliflower “Rice”

I came home from work yesterday and immediately set to work on dinner. I have been wanting to make these meatballs for some time and for once actually had the majority of the ingredients on hand. I made some changes, of course, but credit for the recipe and inspiration definitely goes to Gina.

For the cauliflower “rice”, I nuked a frozen bag of cauliflower in a microwave safe container for 3 minutes. I transferred the cauliflower to the food processor and pulsed until it looked like “rice”. I then put it back in the microwave for about 5 minutes until warm. I seasoned it with just a dash of salt and pepper. It really made the perfect “bed” for the meatballs. I didn’t even miss having real rice!

{Soy-Ginger Turkey Meatballs}

Ingredients

For meatballs:

• 1/4 cup panko crumbs
• 1  lb 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tbsp liquid aminos
• 2 tsp sesame oil

For sauce:

• 3 T. liquid aminos
• 2 t. sesame oil
• 2 T. lime juice
• 2 T. water
• 1 fresh scallion, chopped

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Mix meatball ingredients together and shape into balls of desired size. I used a 1/4 c. measure for mine. The entire mixture yielded 8 meatballs of ~the same size.

Place on baking sheet lined with tinfoil that has been sprayed lightly.

Bake for 15 minutes, check for doneness.

Once meatballs have cooled, dip each in sauce. Let excess drip off. Serve on a bed of cauliflower rice.

As you may have noticed, I used Bragg Liquid Aminos in place of soy sauce in this recipe. Swanson Vitamins graciously afforded me a gift certificate to their HUGE online store to select products I’d like to try and tell my readers about. This was the first time I have used the Liquid Aminos and I was extremely pleased with the flavor it gave this dish! I have big plans for other dishes using this product as well.

If you are unfamiliar with Liquid Aminos, please check out the above hyperlink to the product description. Though this product was provided to me complimentary, the review and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Happy Ball Making!

A Flavorful Trio

In the event of snow, make sure you have lots of great ingredients hanging around the house. And a copy of Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Or just have a great imagination. I suppose this meal was a combination of Bittman’s and my own imagination and I’m pleased to say that it was the perfect I’ve-been-couped-up-all-day-meal. I’m not really complaining, a day off is nice… however, a day off that is basically forced upon me due to inability to get to work, kind of sucks. It sucks in that “I’m-using-vacation-time-to-shovel-my-driveway” sort of way. But when all was said and done, it was a good day.

Meatless Meatballs with a Soy Sesame-Lime Glaze

Bittman’s Millet Mash with Carrot and Ginger

 Sautéed Chili-Lime Bok Choy with Crushed Red Pepper

Recipes

*Meatless Meatballs with Soy Sesame-Lime Glaze*

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Soy “Ground Beef” (I used LightLife’s “Gimme Lean”)
• 2 T Lime Juice
• 3 T Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce
• 4 t Sesame Oil (divided)
• 1 T Rice Vinegar
• 2 t Sugar
• 2 T Water
• 3 t Cornstarch (optional)
• 1 t Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional)

Form “meat” into 1/2 balls by rolling. Cook in 1 t Sesame Oil in saucepan over medium-heat, until browned. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, whisk together remaining 3 t of Sesame Oil and the rest of the ingredients. Put meatballs into mixture and let sit for a few minutes. Sprinkle Sesame Seeds on top, if desired. Serve with additional glaze on top.

*Bittman’s Millet Mash with Carrot and Ginger* (adapted)

Ingredients:

• 1 c Millet
• 2 T Fresh Ginger, chopped
• 2 T Oil (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• 6 oz Carrots, chopped
• 4 c Vegetable Broth, divided
• Soy Sauce
• Toasted Sesame Seeds
• Salt and Pepper

Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add millet and ginger. Cover pan. Let toast for about 3 minutes. Add 2.5 c vegetable broth and chopped carrots. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat so mixture is slightly bubbling. Let the millet continue to cook for about 30 minutes. Add additional broth as it becomes absorbed. Once the liquid is fully absorbed, you can either use an immersion blender to puree it or let cool and transfer to a food processor. Serve warm garnished with soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds.

*Sautéed Chili-Lime Bok Choy with Crushed Red Pepper*

Ingredients

• 2 Heads of Bok Choy, ends removed and chopped
• 1 T Lime Olive Oil (or combination of olive oil and lime juice)
• 2 t Chili Powder
• 1 t Cayenne Pepper
• 1 T Crushed Red Pepper

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add Bok Choy and remaining ingredients. Continue to sauté until leaves of the Bok Choy are wilted and the stalks have softened.

I guess there are few better ways to end a snow day than with a feast, and a flavor-packed feast this was. Bring on the next storm.

Just jokes.

I’m submitting this to Meatless Mondays over at My Sweet and Savory.