Don’t Doubt: Dumpling Meatball Kale Rice Bowls

Recently I decided to take a journey through my diet, cycle and see what changes I could make that potentially could help me. To help me I created a meal plan and tracker to help, if you are interesting in that it is here . This is a recipe from that plan for your menstrual phase.

But enough about that noise, lets talk about this recipe! This recipe is a rice bowl and kale base, like a warm bowl from a certain salad chain…. (sugaryverdant). Then these grass-fed beef meatballs taste just like the filling to dumplings, and are paired with soy mushrooms, a ginger peanut vinaigrette, and pickled veggies. All together it is super delicious salad that can be meal prepped for the week and enjoyed all week!

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 1 lb grass-fed beef
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1 inch fresh ginger micro planed (or finely chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic micro planed (or finely chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 egg beaten

Soy Mushrooms

• 1 carton mushroom quatered
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce

Peanut Ginger Vinaigrette

• 1/2 inch ginger cut
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon natural peanut butter
• 1 splash soy sauce

Other ingredients

• kale, chopped
• brown rice or other grain

How to:

1. Start by setting your oven 375F. In a bowl, add meat, garlic, and ginger. I recommend adding the liquid ingredients to the oats. This will help them soak up the liquid and keep your meatballs juicy. Add the egg, ensure it is well beaten. Using your hands, gently mix so everything is well incorporated.
2. Form into golf ball sized balls, and place on a parchment lined sheet pan.
3. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, until internal temp is above 165.
4. While the meatballs cook, start the rice or grain according to package instructions
5. Then move onto the mushrooms. Clean them and then quarter them. In a saute pan, add a tablespoon of neutral oil. Once hot, add in the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once they begin to tender, and start to have a little browning, add in the soy sauce and oyster sauce. Let this cook on medium, stirring occasionally and it will start to thicken and create a sauce. They are down when the sauce is a syrup like texture (make sure it doesn’t burn)
6. To make the dressing, add all the ingredients and blend until totally smooth and should be slightly creamy. You can substitute peanuts for cashews if desired.
7. Lastly, take the chopped kale, and add a small splash of the dressing, then massage together. This helps to break down the kale and it should turn a darker green color.
8. Assemble your bowl with rice, kale, mushrooms, and meatballs! I recommend adding a pickle to the mix, we added kimchi and Trader Joe’s Chili Crisp! But enjoy customizing with whatever you like!