Happy Sunday, everyone!
It’s been so great being home, after traveling for the past two weekends. Whenever I have a busy travel schedule and I’m not home on the weekends, I always feel disorganized and disheveled, even.
There’s just something nice about having your weekends to regroup, relax, and get ready for the next week.
On Friday, I went to bed at 9:15pm, I was so tired. I think the adrenaline 100% wore off from my HSN debut (did you see it? if not, you can rewatch here) and the exhaustion finally hit me.
Saturday I fit a workout in, went to brunch, did some more relaxing and napping, and then headed to my sister’s apartment building, where her and her fiance hosted an engagement party! My little sister got engaged over the holidays and they both were traveling so much, so this was the first weekend they had that they could do it.
Now, I’m here, listening to Lu sing as he cleans out the coffee maker. I’m having brunch with my friends and then I’m going to spend the day grocery shopping and getting ready for the week!
However you spend your Sunday, you MUST make these vegetarian meatballs. Whether you make them for these banh mi bowls or not, make the meatballs!
I’ve always loved banh mis (a Vietnamese sandwich), but my only gripe with them is that I’ve had too many banh mis that use such a big baguette, but not enough filling. Fillings are usually a protein (like pork belly or grilled meat), cilantro, pickled veggies, chili slices, and mayonnaise.
This deconstructed banh mi has all the great fillings of a banh mi, without the bread overload. The vegetarian meatballs aren’t traditional to a banh mi, but they go well with the pickled spiralized veggies.
If you don’t have time to make the vegetarian meatballs (although I recommend making them and saving the leftovers for other spiralized meals like spaghetti and meatballs), use whatever protein you’d like – grilled chicken, pork, etc.
The meatballs are egg-free and use rolled oats as the binding instead. I always use Bob’s Red Mill’s Organic Rolled Oats, they’re a great source of whole grain fiber and are proven to lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure.
Who knew you’d get all that, just from eating some veggie meatballs!
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
Note: This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. However, all opinions are my own, always.
Watch our video to learn how to spiralize a carrot using the Inspiralizer and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:
Watch our video to learn how to spiralize a daikon using the Inspiralizer and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Weight Watchers SmartPoints*: 8 points
*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers SmartPoints calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.
Spiralized Banh Mi Salad with Vegetarian Meatballs
Ingredients
- For the pickled vegetables:
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 large English seedless cucumber
- 1 medium daikon peeled, Blade D, noodles trimmed
- 1 large carrot peeled, Blade D, noodles trimmed
- For the meatballs:
- ½ cup dried brown lentils rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 ounces white mushrooms trimmed and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ cup rolled oats I use Bob’s Red Mill
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- salt and pepper
- For the salad:
- 8 cups chopped bibb lettuce
- For the dressing:
- ½ cup coconut cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chipotle sauce or sriracha
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bottom of a large mixing bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, honey, and salt. Set aside. Spiralize the cucumber on Blade A, using light pressure to make a thinner ribbon noodle. Place the daikon, carrot, and cucumber in the large bowl and toss well to combine. Cover and place in the refrigerator, tossing every 20 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, combine the lentils, bay leaf, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, slightly overcooking the lentils. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Transfer the lentils to a food processor, add the mushrooms, and pulse until roughly chopped.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the red pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring continuously, for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in the lentil-mushroom mixture and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in the broth, soy sauce, oats, basil, oregano, dried parsley, and rosemary. Cook until the liquid has been completely absorbed. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Using your hands, form the mixture into about twelve 1.5 inch balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart. Bake for 40 minutes or until browned and are firm.
- While meatballs cook, prepare the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, chipotle sauce, and lime juice. Set aside.
- When meatballs are ready, remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the salads. Per salad, place down two cups of Bibb lettuce as a base. Top with pickled vegetables (make sure to drain the vegetables first) and cilantro. Add the vegetarian meatballs and drizzle with the prepared sauce.
Recipe Notes
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