18 August 2012 - Asian Meatballs and Cheesy Black Quinoa Patties

After our Costco adventure, The CEO knew I would want to cook.  I flipped through some recipes to see what might be quickly doable.  I decided on Asian Meatballs and Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce with Cheesy Black Quinoa Bites.  Both of these seemed fairly quick and The CEO was starving.  I also wanted to throw something in the crockpot while I cooked.

It all went down pretty well.

The Asian Meatballs were adapted from a recipe by a blog I enjoy called Mom, What's For Dinner, written by the mother of a teenager with celiac.  I avoid gluten when I can so thought this tasty dish would be cool.

Here is what went in the meatballs:

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup dried cilantro (the original recipe calls for fresh and this may be better but I didn't have any)
2 tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 tbsp ginger paste (the original calls for minced but I used what I had)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 tbsp soy sauce (I used Tamari but that's just my preference)
2 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Here's what's in the sauce:

4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp sesame oil
honey
chopped green onion (I forgot to add this and it was fine but the recipe calls for it)

For the meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 500.  Put everything together in a big bowl and mix it up.  Its that simple.
Then, make small balls with the meat mixture and put it on a slightly greased (I used Pam Olive Oil spray) cookie sheet and place in the oven for 15 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool.

For the sauce:

Mix everything together and whisk until combined.  Donezo

Impressions:

These are really yummy.  VERY Asiany flavored and not heavy at all.  My only two comment would be that I am not sure the tortilla chips are necessary.  They add carbs and also I didn't get them crushed enough to not have them crunch occasionally.  I'd omit these if and when I make these again.  Also, they were a little overdone at 15 minutes in a 500 degree oven.  I'm not sure if the answer is less heat or less time baking.  It begs some experimentation.

Here are some pictures.  These are really pretty and would make GREAT party food.

The bottoms got a little back but they didn't taste burned.  And these look sooooo juicy.

The sauce.  It looks like soy sauce but TRUST me.  This sauce is sooooo good.  

And all together now!

Two slightly different views.  Very yummy food.

Next up were the Cheesy Black Quinoa bites (mine were more like patties but more on that later).  These were adapted from a recipe over at Taste For Adventure.

Here are the ingredients:

1 Cup uncooked black quinoa (I happened to have this on hand but you could use regular quinoa but the black may be prettier)
2 tbsp dried cilantro
3 small green onions chopped.  The recipe called for one scallion but I didn't have any on hand and my green onions were tiny.
3 tbsp flour (I used soy flour but you can use whatever, the original recipe called for all purpose but I avoid that when I can)
2 large eggs
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup shredded cheddar (the recipe calls for 1/2 cup monterrey jack but I didn't have any on hand and I like cheese so I added a little more)
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup ketchup
hot sauce, garlic salt to taste

Whatcha do:

Preheat oven to 350.
Prepare the quinoa.  I used the rice cooker and threw in the quinoa with 2 cups water (use a 1:2 ratio) and a smidge of olive oil.  When the quinoa is done, let it cool.  I didn't have time to do this and it does impact the method of preparation.
Then, mix everything together with the exception of the hot sauce, ketchup and spices.
The recipe says to use your hands to form balls.  My quinoa was too hot to handle this way so I spooned patties onto the baking sheet (greased with cooking spray) and used the spoon to form them.  They weren't even...hence I wish I had time to let the quinoa cool enough to handle.
Put them in the oven and bake 15 minutes.
Pull them out and let them cool.

While the are baking, mix the ketchup, the hot sauce, and the garlic salt to taste to make a spicy ketchup.  The recipe calls for spicy mayo.  I hate mayo but offered to make some for The CEO.  He declined, saying that spicy ketchup sounded more appetizing to him.

The Verdict:

These.  Are.  Awesome.  I could see taking them to lunch at work, eating them for breakfast, snacking on them.  They are even good cold.  Nom.  The spicy ketchup really worked too.  And they are pretty.

Look:

Here they are.  They don't look as yummy as they are but trust me.  Nom.

I took an up close picture to show how pretty the detail is on these.  Black quinoa just presents so beautifully.

Overall, this was a hugely successful dinner.  After the blow your head off spiciness of my Chicken Dorito, we were happy for some milder food (yes, I know there was still hot sauce but for us, this was mild).

I'd recommend both of these recipes.  Most awesomely, they are super fast to make.  And easy.

Go forth and cook.

Next up:  the amazingness of breakfast quinoa.