Pineapple Ginger Meatballs

Are you ready for a confession? Okay, here it is… I am a BIG fan of meatballs. There, I said it. While I refuse to be ashamed.of this self-professed meatball love, deep down I can’t help feeling a little funny about it. I mean, these are balls of meat we’re talking about here. It’s not like when people say "I love chocolate”, or “I am crazy about pasta”. There’s nothing romantic, or exotic, or even remotely interesting about having a love of meatballs. I don’t care though. Call me a rebel if you must, but I like my meat in ball form. And I like my meatballs with lots of savory bits tucked inside and smothered with a chunky sauce.
Did you know that I only found out a few years ago that you could buy pre-made meatballs in the store? Really, it’s true. One of the first meals I remember my mom teaching me how to make was home made spaghetti and meatballs, so I guess for a long time I assumed that everyone made their own meatballs. I still don’t understand why everyone doesn’t. The problem with store bought meatballs is that they are just that…balls of meat. Where’s the flavor? Where’s the chopped onion and garlic? What about the fresh herbs? A meatball that’s only meat is just so…boring.
Not these guys though. Loaded with fresh ginger and jalapeno these meatballs are practically bursting with flavor. And I haven’t even mentioned the sauce yet. Okay…so it’s technically not a sauce in the true sense of the word, but a stellar meatball topping if I ever saw one. Fresh pineapple, dried apricots, red onion and a bit more ginger. Serve over couscous and top it off with almonds, scallions and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil- now that’s what I call a meatball! So put down that boring frozen ball of meat, gather your ingredients and make some meatballs. Cause this world needs more people who share the meatball love.

Print Recipe

Pineapple Ginger Meatballs
Inspired by Clean Eating Magazine – “The Comfort Foods” edition
Serves: 4

For the meatballs:
1 pound ground meat ( I used turkey because it’s low fat and has relatively little flavor which makes it perfect for recipes such as this where lots of bold flavor is added. Of course, it’s up to you though, I am sure beef or pork would be just as tasty)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed & chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 slice of soft whole wheat bread, crumbled into small crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

For the “sauce”
2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
1/4 cup dried unsweetened apricots, quartered
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar ( I prefer the natural type)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced

For serving:
2 cups cooked couscous
Scallions, sliced
Sliced almonds, toasted
Fresh cilantro
Toasted Sesame oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the ground meat, ginger, jalapeno pepper, egg, bread, salt and pepper. Using a large spoon or your hands mix the meat thoroughly with the other ingredients. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the mixture and shape into a ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture, you will have about 16 meatballs. Bake in the oven for 18 minutes or until they are no longer pink in the middle.

2. While the meatballs are cooking prepare the sauce. This is super easy. In a small bowl combine the ingredients pineapple through fresh ginger. Stir and set aside until the meatballs are done.

3. When the meatballs come out of the oven cook the couscous according to the package direction (this will only take 10 minutes).

4. While the couscous cooks, place the meatballs in a skillet over medium heat along with the pineapple mixture. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often. The idea is to heat the meatball and pineapple mixture just long enough to for the flavors to mix and the pineapple and apricots to begin to caramelize, but no so long that the meatballs dry out.

5. To serve place 1/2 cup couscous in a wide bowl or plate, top with 4 meatballs and a few spoonfulls of the pineapple mixture. Top with scallions, almonds, and cilantro. Drizzle with a tiny bit of toasted sesame oil. Devour!

Comment and Share:

6 Comments

Pin It

12
Dec

Gingersnap Raspberry Sandwich Cookies

Ginger and raspberry- I can’t imagine a better combination. If you like sweet, and you like spicy, then this is the cookie for you. I have been making these Martha inspired cookies for quite a few years and they are always met with glowing reviews and requests for more. That’s why when I signed up for the Great Blogger Cookie Swap hosted by Lindsey of Love & Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen I knew these were the cookies to make. The way the swap works is pretty simple. I was matched up with three food bloggers and sent them a dozen cookies each. In return, I received a dozen cookies from three different food bloggers. This is the second year of the swap and it appears that is was quite a success. Over 700 food bloggers signed up to participate and they estimated that around 22,000 cookies were sent out to bloggers around the world!

Here are my cookies all packaged up and ready to send. I think I enjoyed making the boxes as much as did making the cookies. I made handcrafted labels on fun paper for the outside of the box and a printed recipe card for the inside of the box.At first I wasn’t sure what we would do with the 3 dozen cookies that were coming in the mail. Would we share them with friends, give them to family members, put some away in the freezer for a later date? Ha ha! That last one’s pretty funny- I mean really, who saves cookies for later!? Turns out I didn’t need to worry. We received our first batch of cookies from April at Such a Delight and managed to devour them in under 24 hours. The second batch from Ashley and Josh of Josh & Ashley’s World, and the final batch from Latisha at Spiced with Love were treated with similar enthusiasm and before I could even think about sharing these with friends not a cookie was left. I shouldn’t have been surprised though because sweet treats have a way of disappearing around here. Have I mentioned that Mr.Thinly Sliced Cucumber has quite the sweet tooth? Good thing cookie swaps only happen once a year!

Print Recipe

Gingersnap Raspberry Sandwiches
Adapted from Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies 2001
Makes: 2 dozen sandwiches

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 large egg
1 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
1 cup raspberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Beat in the maple syrup. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Reduce the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, beating well between each addition.

4. Place the granulated sugar in shallow bowl. Measure out 1 tablespoon of dough and form into a ball. Roll the dough in the sugar and place on one of the prepared baking sheets. Space each ball about 3-inches apart. Repeat until both sheets are full.

5. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown, rotating the sheets once in the middle of the baking time (the sheet on the bottom switches places with the sheet on the top).

6. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

7. When the cookies are cool, spread half with roughly 2 teaspoons of jam. Place a second cookie on the top and press lightly.