TERIYAKI MEATBALLS

Photo below: Another time I made them.

TERIYAKI MEATBALLS

These tasty meatballs are great served over cauli rice or as an appetizer. They literally fly as an appetizer. The texture is juicy and tender and the meatballs are bathed in a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce. The flavors are distinctly salty and sweet which I love. Broccoli would be a great vegetable to serve with this.

I cook these meatballs in a pan but if you prefer you can bake them in the oven.

You can use a mix of ground pork and lean ground beef or you can even use ground turkey for turkey meatballs or ground chicken. I used regular soy sauce (organic), but feel free to use light soy sauce (i.e. lighter in sodium). The meatball mix is very simple.

We cannot use brown sugar in the sauce so I added a titch of molasses in order to mimic the flavor. These can be kept in the freezer for another day, if desired.

This homemade teriyaki sauce is easy and tasty as can be especially with the fresh ginger. You can use fresh garlic in this recipe but I simply used jarred, minced garlic for convenience. Keep leftover teriyaki meatballs in the fridge. If you absolutely love the sauce ingredients - double the recipe to give the meatballs much flavor.

This type of recipe makes for favorite appetizers at potluck gatherings. The meatball ingredients are simple and the sauce recipe is a delicious recipe. You can use an ice cream or cookie scoop for measuring the meatballs.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs lean ground beef (0.9 kg)

¹/₄cup water (60 mL)

¹/₄cup chopped green onions (60 mL)

2 large eggs

1 tbsp soy sauce (15 mL)

3 tsp minced garlic (15 mL)

1¹/₂tsp salt (7 mL)

1¹/₂tsp onion powder (7 mL)

1 tsp black pepper (5 mL)

1 tsp grated ginger (5 mL)

Teriyaki Sauce:

¹/₃cup soy sauce (75 mL)

¹/₄cup water (60 mL)

1 tsp molasses (5 mL)

Liquid sweetener to equal ¹/₄cup sugar (60 mL)

2 tbsp honey substitute (30 mL)

1 tbsp rice vinegar, OR apple cider vinegar (15 mL)

2 tsp minced garlic (5 mL)

1 tsp grated ginger (5 mL)

1 tsp olive oil, OR sesame oil (5 mL)

1 tbsp water (15 mL)

1 tsp arrowroot powder, OR cornstarch (5 mL)

Garnish:

2 green onions, chopped

1 tbsp sesame seeds, optional (15 mL)

INSTRUCTIONS:

In large bowl, combine ground beef, water and green onions. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, soy sauce, minced garlic, salt, onion powder, black pepper and grated ginger. Add to ground beef mixture and combine well. Form 15 meatballs. In large saucepan, in light-tasting olive oil and over medium heat fry half the meatballs at a time. Keep turning until browned and cooked through.

Teriyaki Sauce: In saucepan, combine soy sauce, water, molasses, liquid sweetener, honey substitute, rice vinegar, OR apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, grated ginger, olive oil, OR sesame oil. Bring to the boil and stir. In small bowl combine water and arrowroot powder, OR cornstarch and whisk together. Add to Teriyaki sauce. Simmer a few more minutes until the sauce has thickened a bit. Add the meatballs to a serving dish. Pour the Teriyaki sauce over them. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

Yield: 15 meatballs

3 meatballs per serving

453.6 calories

37.3 g protein

30.3 g fat

0.3 g fiber

5.4 g net carbs