Vietnamese Pork Meatballs

I’ve seen versions of these Asian meatballs floating around the Pinterest boards, and with my love for all things Vietnamese, I knew I had to try to whip up my own version!  These turned out so perfectly crispy and browned on the outside while staying nice and tender – wow.  The coleslaw worked perfectly served under the meatballs in the little lettuce cups, but it would also just be a great side dish for any Asian meal.

For the Coleslaw:

-1/2 of a 16oz. bag of pre-made coleslaw (the kind with green cabbage and carrots)

-1-2 Tbsp mint, chopped

-1-2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

-2 green onions, sliced thin

-5-6 radishes, cut in half then sliced thin

-1/4 c. rice vinegar

-3 tsp mayonnaise

-2-3 tsp chili garlic sauce (found on the Asian aisle of the grocery store)

-1/2 tsp salt

For the Meatballs:

-1 lb. ground pork (the less fat the better)

-2 green onions, finely chopped

-1 inch ginger, grated

-4 garlic cloves, grated

-2 tsp fish sauce

-1 tsp sriracha

-1/2 tsp salt

-juice of 1 lime

-1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce to coat cooked meatballs

For Serving:

-lettuce leaves

-rice

-extra mint or cilantro

For the coleslaw, combine the coleslaw mix, mint, cilantro, green onions, and radishes in a bowl.  In a small container, combine the rice vinegar, mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, and salt and whisk until it’s well combined.  Then pour the dressing over the slaw and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

For the meatballs, combine all of the ingredients except for the chili garlic sauce and mix with your hands until it’s combined.  Make sure you don’t over mix though or your meatballs will be tough.  Then roll the mixture into walnut sized balls and bake at 400° for about 15 minutes.

Once they are done cooking toss them lightly with the reserved chili garlic sauce and serve in lettuce cups with the coleslaw or over rice.  I like to garnish mine with a little extra mint or cilantro.

I knew I was going to love this meal, but I had no idea William and I would both be going back for seconds AND fighting over leftovers the next day! This will definitely be a recipe I’ll be making over and over again. Hope y’all enjoy it as much as we do!

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Fresh, Easy Argentinian Chimichurri

We all know that summer is the time for grilling–steak, chicken, seafood, veggies–and when you have food that is already cooked perfectly, you don’t want to cover it up with anything heavy!  How about an herbaceous sauce that has been paired with grilled foods for genenrations?  Reach for the chimichurri.  This traditional Argentinian sauce is light and bright and will add a perfect pop to anything you’re cooking.  Last night, I served mine on top of a flank steak, but then I also spooned a little bit extra over a cucumber tomato salad–yum!!!

Chimichurri

-large handful of parsley (or small bunch)

-large handful of cilantro (or small bunch)

-1/2 c. red wine vinegar

-3-4 garlic cloves

-1 shallot

-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

-3/4 extra virgin olive oil

-salt to taste

In a food processor, blend together all the ingredients except the olive oil, being careful not to over mix.  Next, drizzle in the olive oil and season with salt.  Done!  This can be stored for several days in a tight jar in the fridge, but you’ll definitely eat all of it before then.  Enjoy!

Healthy Tex-Mex Tostadas with Tomatillo Cilantro Lime Dressing

Surely by now my deep abiding love for all things Tex-Mex has been made pretty obvious.  It’s my go-to comfort food at any and all times of the year, but when it’s this sweltering outside, nothing sounds better to me than a spicy tostada with a nice, cooling margarita! If you want to keep things on the light side, I always suggest making things from scratch, but I just couldn’t resist serving these on top of pre-made tostada shells–yum!  If you’d like to sub these out for something slightly healthier, put corn tortillas in a 350° oven until crispy.  Then top with this amazing tomatillo cilantro lime dressing and all the fixings!

Tex-Mex Tostadas

-1/2 lb ground turkey (can use either turkey or beef or this combination to please everyone)

-1/2 lb ground beef

-1 tsp canola oil

-homemade taco seasoning

In a large skillet, add the oil, turkey, and beef and cook until browned.  Then add the taco seasoning.  Too easy.

  

  
 Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

-2 tomatillos, husks removed, washed

-1 handful of cilantro

-1/2 of an avocado

-Juice of 1/2 of a lime

-1/2 of a jalepeno, seeded or unseeded depending on the amount of heat you want to achieve

-1/4 c. Canola oil

-1, two finger pinch of salt (or two small pinches)

 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 Tbs. Chili Powder

3/4 Tbs. Cumin

1/2 Tbs. Paprika

1/2 Tbs. Garlic Powder

1/4 Tbs. Kosher Salt

Several dashes of Cayenne Powder

The best part is that you only need to use a Tablespoon then you can guesstimate accordingly! The less to wash the better.

 

Toppings

-refried beans (we used refried black beans and highly recommend them!)

-chopped lettuce

-chopped tomatoes

-chopped onion

-chopped cilantro

-wedges of lime

-thin slices of fresh or pickled jalapeño

-cotija (white, crumbly Mexican cheese)

We like to serve this Make-Your-Own style.  Everyone gets exactly what they want and less work for you!

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Chicken with White Beans, Tomatoes and Avocado Crema

This recipe is one of my favorites. It is easy to put together for weeknight supper and even better for leftovers. I sometimes put mine on top of a bed of spinach or arugula to add some greens. I have also added fresh spinach to the mixture of white beans and tomatoes, you really can’t go wrong or mess this up! If you want the recipe to be dairy free you can simply add sliced or chopped avocado to top off your dish instead of the Avocado Crema, but the crema is fantastic and only takes an additional minute to put together with the help of a Cuisinart or Ninja.

Mediterranean Chicken with White Beans, Tomatoes

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, pressed

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon sriracha

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 medium lemon, thinly sliced

2 15 ounce cans navy beans, rinsed and drained (any type of white or garbanzo beans can be used, but I prefer navy because they are smaller than most)

2 pints cherry tomatoes (or one large container)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (add most of this to dish during baking and other for garnish)

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (either halved or tenders)

Preheat oven to 450. Combine first nine ingredients in a small bowl. Add white beans and tomatoes to casserole dish, add the majority of the spice combination to casserole dish. Rub the remainder of the spice mixture on the chicken. Place chicken on top of white beans and tomatoes, then top with the thinly sliced lemons. Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on how thick your chicken is and how your oven cooks.

While your dish is in the oven you can easily whip up the avocado crema. I combine all of the ingredients in my mini-food processor, and it’s all done.

Avocado Crema

1 small carton of F. Free Greek yogurt

1 avocado

Juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

Enjoy!! And thanks to my friend Catherine for the recipe inspo!

Tuesday’s Table : Mexican Chicken Soup

Our Mexican Chicken Soup is warm and filling but also very fresh and healthy. This is one of my favorite soup recipes and just what I need when it’s still freezing outside.  (Side note, I eat this in the warmer months too because I love it so much!) Many of my friends and family have had this recipe during casual dinners at our house. Lime is the key to making this soup really pop!

Mexican Chicken Soup:

Ingredients – 

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 large diced Sweet Onion (or 2 small)

1 diced Jalapeno Pepper

2 Tbsp minced Garlic (about 4-6 cloves)

Juice of 2 Limes (could use 3– plus extra for garnish)

1 cup Cilantro leaves (plus extra for garnish)

6-8 cups Chicken Broth (I did about 6 cups stock, 2 cups water)

1 can Fire Roasted, Diced Tomatoes, including liquid (could use 2)

1 can rinsed, drained Black Beans

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Chili Powder

2-3 dashes Cayenne

1 Rotisserie Chicken – shredded (for gluten free make your own chicken either roasting or cooking in crock pot, then shred)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

** Adding Shoepeg Corn and/or chopped Zucchini are both good optional ingredients to make the soup more hearty**

Optional Garnishes:

Your favorite Mexican hot sauce–My favorites are Valentina or Cholula

Green onions

Tortilla chips (2 crunched tortillas per bowl)

Grated Cheese

Directions – 

In a large pot, heat oil, add onion, let soften (2-5 min), add jalapeno and garlic

(5-10min), add chicken broth, tomatoes, black beans, spices and bring to boil.

Turn down heat and let simmer.

Add chicken, then add lime juice and cilantro leaves, simmer. Perfect after a long simmer and even better the next day!

Tastes a lot like my favorite tortilla soup from La Paz.

Use a big squeeze of lime right before adding garnishes.

ENJOY!!