Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs

I've been doing the Whole 30 this month. Have you ever tried it? It's been good to "re-set" my body and take a break from junk, and it has also motivated me to try new recipes. This was one I made and loved, so I wanted to share it with you!

I love red curry, and these meatballs are bathed in a delicious red curry coconut sauce. I made regular rice for my family members who are not "whole 30" complaint (ha!) and these would be really good over cauliflower rice as well.

These chicken meatballs are chock full of carrots, onion and herbs and spices. They reminded me a little of falafel, which I am also a huge fan of! It doesn't matter if you're doing the Whole 30 or not, these have such great flavor that you and your whole family will love them. Add some variety to your dinner time, and make these meatballs as soon as you can!

Find more great ideas at Inspiration Monday, Busy Monday, Inspire Me, Inspire Me 2, Fabulous, Wow Me, Wow Us, Whisk It, Let's Party, Hearth and Soul, Full Plate, Weekend Potluck, Sugar and Spice, Awesome Friday.

Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs

Meatballs:
1/2 cup roughly chopped carrots
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. basil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. ginger
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pound ground chicken

Sauce:
1 can coconut milk
1 Tbsp. red curry paste
1 Tbsp. almond or peanut butter
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. minced garlic

Place all the meatball ingredients except chicken in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Transfer to a bowl, add the chicken and mix well. Roll into 1 1/2 – 2″ balls and place them on a lined or greased pan. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, then gently turn the meatballs over and bake them for an additional 15.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat the coconut milk. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the meatballs are cooked, add them to the sauce, stir to coat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Serve over rice or cauliflower rice. Makes 6 servings.


Recipe Source: The Bewitchin Kitchen

Oatmeal Dulce de Leche Bars

Here is a super sweet, super delicious bar to help get you through these last few days of winter. I loved these served chilled, so that the dulce de leche is nice and sticky in between the layers of oatmeal cookie dough. As I said, these are suh-weet. So make sure you have a big cup of coffee or a tall glass of milk (or vanilla ice cream for sugar overload factor) when you eat one (or two, or three).

I made my own dulce de leche in the instant pot. I only used about 1 1/2 cans of sweetened condensed milk, and that made plenty of dulce de leche. (of course, if you are prone to eat this out of the jar with a spoon, you might need to make the full two cans, in two separate batches. The can and a half filled my pint jar TO THE BRIM and it still worked beautifully.) There are various versions online for making dulce de leche in the crock pot or stove top, too, so feel free to do what works best for you - or just buy it at your grocery!

Whatever you do, you will love these bars. (And so you will your dentist, ha!)

Find more inspiration at Full Plate, Wonderful Wednesday, Let's Party, Whisk It, Wow Me, Wow Us, Hearth and Soul, Awesome Friday, Weekend Potluck, Sugar and Spice.

Oatmeal Dulce de Leche Bars

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
3 cups oatmeal
2 {14 oz.} cans Dulce de Leche

Cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix thoroughly. Mix in milk and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, combine salt, baking soda, flour, and oats. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, 1/2 cup at a time.

Press 2/3 of the cookie dough into a greased 9x13" prepared pan.

Transfer the Dulce de Leche to a medium, microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds. Spread the Dulce de Leche over the cookie dough in the pan. Top with spoonfuls of the remaining cookie dough.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Recipe Source: Adapted from High Heels and Grills

Japanese Pan Noodles with Steak

Winter is hanging on here in the north, (it just snowed AGAIN yesterday!) so another comfort food recipe is required on this Monday. Even though this is good comfort food, it's also loaded with broccoli, carrots and whatever other vegetables you want to add. Stir fry recipes are so great that way - just use what you have! I love the savory/spicy flavor of this sauce, and the steak makes it extra special.

I did not have udon noodles when I made this and substituted rice noodles, as you can see in the picture. Udon noodles are those "heavier" wheat-y noodles, and would typically fit this kind of dish much better. But again, I'm a "use what you have" girl, so rice noodles it was. In any case, you could easily sub cooked linguine or something that makes it easy for you - you'll get similar results, and it's really the veggies and sauce that shine in this creation.


Japanese Pan Noodles with Steak

2-3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 pound sirloin steak, sliced very thin
2 (7 oz) packages Udon Noodles (about 3 cups)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, julienned
1 large crown broccoli, cut into florets
1 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Sauce:
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. mirin, sherry, or other sweet wine
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. chili garlic sauce
1 Tbsp. corn starch

Make the sauce:
Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until lightly browned. Add the mirin and cook for another 30 seconds, letting the liquid cook off a bit.

Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, and chili garlic sauce. Whisk the ingredients together, cooking until the sugar has melted.

Combine cornstarch with 2 Tbsp. water and whisk to dissolve.

Bring the pot to a simmer and slowly whisk in the corn starch mixture. Cook for 1-3 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.

For the noodles:
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large wok or skillet over medium- high heat. Add the steak to the the hot pan, and cook 3-5 minutes, working in batches as necessary, then set aside.

In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of oil. Add the mushrooms and broccoli and carrots, and cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until crisp tender. Add the noodles and lightly fry for about 2 minutes.

Stir in the sweet soy sauce and stir until all the noodles are coated. Stir in the steak, cooking until heated through.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serves 4