Sometimes recipes just don’t work. It’s okay to say that, it’s not saying anything negative about the author of the recipe but everyone cooks differently and uses different ingredients. And sometimes you want something to work but then you start to cook it or go to serve it and realize it doesn’t fit your tastes. So what should you do? Change it!
This recipe is one of those recipes that came together accidentally but I’m so happy that it worked! I had the best intentions of following the recipe in the link and while I followed it pretty close, the method of serving it had to change. I opened the coleslaw bag and it had a terrible odor so I had to throw that out. This led me to think of different toppings for the wrap. Then I stared taking apart my lettuce for the wraps and the leaves kept tearing. It was that moment I decided to change it up and serve it as a salad. It came out great!
This is all to say that sometimes recipes don’t go as planned. Sometimes you don’t have the necessary ingredients or the method of cooking it isn’t going like described. Don’t give up on it, just change it to how you like it! Swap ingredients, change cooking times, and serve it how you want! Recipes are great for inspiring you and giving you fresh ideas but sometimes you can create a brand new family favorite by making it your own.
Thai Meatball Salad
Recipe Adapted from The Garlic Diaries
Meatballs:
1-2 pounds ground beef
4 green onions thinly sliced
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1½ teaspoons fish sauce
½ teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 2 limes
Salad
1 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
5 basil leaves, finely diced
4 mint leaves, finely diced
Small handful of cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, finely sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large tomato, diced
Dressing
¼ cup white wine vinegar
5 teaspoons mayonnaise
4 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
Garlic salt, to taste
Cooked White Rice
Salad Toppings (Optional)
Sriracha
Sweet Chili Paste
Soy Sauce
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
For the meatballs:
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until combined.
Use about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture and form into meatballs, placing them in a baking dish.
Bake the meatballs for 15-20 minutes or until they are fully cooked through in the middle. When cooked through place on a paper towel to drain off any grease they may accumulate.
For the salad:
Combine all of your salad ingredients in a bowl.
For the dressing:
Whisk together the vinegar, mayonnaise, and sweet chili sauce in a small bowl and pour over the salad, tossing to coat
To Serve:
Place a serving of rice on the plate first, top with the salad, and then a few meatballs. Using the optional toppings, customize to make your own unique plate!