Teriyaki Meatball Bowls

I must say that I was pretty pleased with tonight's culinary endeavor. It got the "Jeff Approved" stamp, so I think it turned out just fine....of course, he had to say that it wasn't as good as the best teriyaki he'd ever had in his life while he was on his mission in Washington, but he did say it could put other restaurant teriyaki to shame.

In short- I must remember this teriyaki sauce recipe to use with other types of meat and other stir fry endeavors in the future...

The meatball recipe I used was FANTASTIC. I'd saved one from the sauce and put it into the Little Diva's fresh food feeder, but once I bit into them, I was wishing I hadn't. They were perfectly soft and moist and flavorful. I have no doubt in my mind that she would have been able to gum the meatball without choking because it was so soft...alas, I was too late. However, she thoroughly enjoyed chomping on it through dinner time and even came to me a few times to ask for a swig or two from my water glass (the kid LOVES ice water more than pretty much any other beverage on the planet, she especially loves it when I hold the glass and let her drink MY ice water...)

Anywhoo....you're all probably thinking, "Stop blabbering on and give me the recipe already..."

OKAY...geez, don't get your panties in a twist- I was getting there!

For the meatballs:

1 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1/2 c plain bread crumbs
1/2 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS garlic powder
1 1/2 TBS onion powder

Mix with hands. Form into 1/2 inch balls and place on baking sheet or into 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees until browned (30-40 minutes * Note* I have a gas stove and I only needed 25 minutes for them to cook through. I did let them sit for about 5 minutes before adding them to the teriyaki sauce.)


While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce, rice and veggies.

Teriyaki Sauce:

1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
1/2 c brown sugar
1 TBS sesame oil
1/4-1/2 tsp ginger (to your taste)
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 TBS corn starch (mix in enough water to make easy to pour.)

Put all sauce ingredients into saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until sauce thickens, set aside.  After meatballs are done cooking, add them to the sauce and stir to coat.

Rice:
Prepare according to package (we used brown rice because its healthier and a little more low carb friendly, but you can use whatever kind you want.)

Veggies:

Heat a pan, add sesame oil (or vegetable oil) to coat the bottom of pan (*Note* If you enjoy making stir fry, just invest in the sesame oil. I broke down and purchased some about 3 months ago and I swear I use it on a weekly basis. It just adds a certain something to Asian cuisine. I even use it in recipes that call for olive oil or vegetable oil instead. I just adds a warm hint of nutty goodness that tastes more authentic.)  and add your veggies. I used:

1/2 bell pepper, julienned
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1 crown broccoli, chopped
1 cup of fresh snow peas
3 stalks green onions, diced.

I added the peppers first (because I like them more on the "chewy" side) then the broccoli and let them cook together for a little while. I added the snow peas and sprinkled them with some onion powder to add a little more flavor and let them cook a little longer. I added the green onions at the last minute so they wouldn't over cook and lose their flavor.

To prepare:

Put a bed of rice on the bottom of the bowl, put the stir fried veggies on top and then top that with your meatball deliciousness. If you have it, I would even recommend sprinkling it with some toasted sesame seeds (we didn't have them, but I think it would have added some "spunk" to the dish).

And, in case you had any doubt...just look at the face of one happy customer from my kitchen...chomping away on her meatball like any good carnivore in training...she looks pleased, so I think you will be too.

Bon Appetit

Hugs and Loves until next time darlings.

Cheesy Chimiladas

What oh what, do you ask, is a Chimilada? A Chimilada is my own brainchild- it is what would happen if a crispy delicious Chimichanga and a saucy, succulent Enchilada had a love child.

I love to cook, but I'm not one to crave foods very often, even when I'm pregnant...but I do crave "tastes"...I will crave the tastes of different herbs and spices combined together, and then I go look for recipes that will fulfill my needs...this usually results in my finding 4 or 5 different recipes that I like bits and pieces of, so I put the bits and pieces together. Sometimes its just okay, sometimes its a disaster...and then there are nights like tonight when I hit it out of the park...

My husband isn't a big fan of Mexican food and he said, "Wow, this is actually REALLY good." (I'm not surprised he was surprised, when I'm on my weird taste craving kicks dinner in our house can be really interesting.)  When my husband says something is good, I know I have a keeper!

So- here for your viewing pleasure (and possibly your tasting pleasure) I give you Mexican 'a la Brittany- the Cheesy Chimilada!

For the filling you will need:
1 lbs ground beef
1/2 to 1 onion chopped (onion can be put in to your taste)
2/3 cup salsa or picante sauce
1 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup shredded cheese (I use Colby Jack)

 Put the onion and ground beef into a fry pan, cook until the meat is browned.

 

Then, add the salsa, cumin, oregano, and salt. Simmer until most of the liquid has cooked away. 

 Remove from heat, then add the cheese.

 

 Stir until the meat becomes a cheesy, gloppy mess (ie the cheese is evenly distributed throughout the mix)

Heat oven to 475 degrees

 Warm six 8 inch tortillas in the microwave (to make them more pliable). Butter one side of the tortilla.
 Place it butter side down on a small cookie sheet. Spoon on the filling and wrap, leaving the seam side down (Yes, your hands will get buttery or margerine-y depending on what you use, life and cooking are messy...you'll be fine!) See the wrapping steps below:

tuck and roll!

You're the master of the burrito wrap!

Once all 6 are wrapped, place in the heated oven and bake for 10-13 minutes (check at 10 minute mark, some ovens heat faster than others, I know in mine they are done after 9 minutes or so) You want the tortillas to be crispy to the touch and lightly browned.

See the brown, crsipy edges?

For the sauce:

In a blender blend:

1 can diced tomatoes (drained)

 Then add:

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp Cumin

2 tsp sugar

3-5 tsp Chili Powder (to taste, I find that 3 heaping tsp fulls is plenty)

2 tsp onion powder

Blend again- taste test to see if you need to adjust the spices

 Then put into sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes

Once the filled tortillas are crisped up, spoon the sauce over the top and then cover with cheese. Don't use all the sauce! You will need it for plating! I usually find that I use about half to sauce for this part- By the way, this part turns a Chimichanga into a Chimilada...so if you don't want to use the sauce, you can always just top it with salsa, sour cream, guac, etc. and be done with dinner for the night....but why not take that next step into the realm of deliciousness? 

 Put the Chimiladas back into the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Spoon a "nest" of sauce onto the plate and place the Chimilada over the top and voila!

You can at this point add guacamole (I wish we'd had avocados- I so would have made some!), sour cream, olives, etc...whatever your general Mexican fare toppings may be in your house...and then enjoy. This would go great with a traditional beans and rice combo- or you can have it like we did, with a lovely green salad (with cucumbers and pears! Yummy!)

Jeff actually said that it tasted like I'd put refried beans into the tortillas, I didn't, but that was about the consistency of the meat after the way it had been cooked. It was PERFECT to feed the cravings I was having tonight.

Hugs, deliciousness, and cooking adventures until next time darlings!