Cheeseburger Meatball Bowls

I've been mildly obsessed with bowls lately, so when I saw this recipe for Cheeseburger Meatballs I decided to turn them into a bowl.

Cheeseburger Meatball Bowls
Adapted from How Sweet Eats

1 pound ground beef
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
12 cubes of cheddar cheese, about 1-inch in size
1 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
shredded lettuce, for serving
sliced cherry tomatoes, for serving
pickled onions, for serving
pickles, for serving
fries, for serving

SAUCE
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon chopped pickles
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch salt and pepper

In a bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix until just combined. Form into meatballs about the size of a golf ball. Stick one cube of cheddar inside each meatball, forming the beef around it and sealing so the cheese stays inside. Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (make sure it has a lid) over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer and brown on all sides, cooking for about 5 minutes total. If there is a lot of excess grease, remove it. Place the lid on the skillet and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the lid, cover each meatball with some of the grated cheese, and put the lid back on. Let the cheese melt.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined. Assemble the bowls with meatballs, shredded lettuce, tomato, pickles, pickled onion, sauce, and fries.

Pickled Onions
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

Separate the onion rings and place in a small bowl. Whisk the vinegar, water, sugar and salt together until the sugar and salt dissolve, then pour over the onion rings. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill. Drain onions before using.

Chicken, Shrimp, and Mixed Veggie Stir Fry

I made this amazing stir fry last night and had to document it for posterity (and easy sharing among friends). I don't make a lot of stir fries because Steve finds them to be one dimensional. This was anything but. The sauce was drinkably good.

I took the original recipe for Shrimp with Broccoli and turned it into a chicken, shrimp and mixed veggie stir fry, packing it with as many veggies as I could. I love the versatility and my family loved that I mixed chicken and shrimp. Ha! For some reason it never occurred to me that I could do that. What can I say, I'm a bit slow sometimes. 

Peanuts would be great on this, by the way. As I was eating it I kept thinking how much it reminded me of kung pao. If Katie wasn't allergic to nuts I would have rustled some up. 

Chicken, Shrimp, and Mixed Veggie Stir Fry
Sauce from Rachel Cooks

1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chile garlic sauce, or more to taste

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
1 medium onion, chunked
8 mushrooms, chunked
2 large/4 small carrots, peeled and chunked
2 ribs celery, chunked
1 red or green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, chunked
salt and pepper, to taste
1-lb raw, peeled, deveined shrimp
1-lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained and rinsed

Cooked rice or noodles, for serving

Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a 2-cup measuring cup. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Add broccoli, onion, mushrooms, carrots, celery and bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cook until veggies are crisp tender. Remove to a bowl.

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the now-empty pan and add shrimp in a single layer. Cook, turning once, until just pink. Remove to another bowl.

Season chicken with salt and pepper then add to the pan. Cook, undisturbed, until brown on one side. Add veggies and sauce, then mix together and allow chicken to cook through and sauce to thicken, 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and water chestnuts and heat through.

Serve over rice or noodles.