Thai Meatballs with Slaw

Ground beef is a great way to eat grassfed meat without spending a fortune on steaks, and is extremely versatile. This recipe is a wonderful combination of some our favorite Thai flavors. The warm coconut tomato sauce to accompany the meatballs goes wonderfully with the cooler flavors in the slaw, including lemon and cilantro. This recipe seems like a lot of work, but is well worth the effort, I promise!

Meatball Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef

3/4 cup green onions, including white parts, chopped

zest from 2 limes

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 red chilies, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Meatball Sauce Ingredients:

1 can diced tomatoes, all liquid thoroughly drained

1/2 can coconut milk

1 tbsp red curry paste

salt to taste

Slaw Ingredients:

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

1 large carrot, sliced very thinly or shredded

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 tsp coconut oil

2 red chilis, chopped

1 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2  cup cilantro, chopped

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup coconut cream (thick creamy part of unshaken can of coconut milk)

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

To make meatballs, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix well with hands. Roll into 1 1/4 inch balls and place on broiler pan or cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet. Place in oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until cooked through.

For meat ball sauce, combine all ingredients and simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes.

For slaw, heat coconut oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chili and cook, stirring continuously, for about 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in coconut cream and lemon juice. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Toss with cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let sit, at room temperature, for 1-2 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour or so. Be sure not to serve refrigerated, as coconut oil/cream will become very thick.