Spicy Peanut Butter Meatballs

I love being adventurous during dinnertime. Being able to break away from the tried and true recipes of my childhood and trying something new is always such a delight, especially when the dish turns out to be something really good. This time, I decided to try a recipe that I saw on Alli's site, "Alli n' Son" - Baked Turkey Meatballs with Sweet Peanut Butter Sauce. How's that for a change?!!! I've had meatballs with barbecue sauce, sweet sour sauce, teriyaki sauce, and spaghetti sauce, but never peanut butter sauce (though I have eaten chicken satay before). Her mouthwatering photo gave me all the incentive I needed.



I did adapt the recipe a bit to fit my preferences. To make the sauce lower in calories, I used water instead of the oil (which didn't affect the taste one bit) and I kicked things up with a nice spoonful of sriracha sauce mixed into it. I also doubled the sauce so that I could have enough to let my meatballs and vegetables simmer in it (and believe me, with a sauce as tasty as this, you're gonna want to double it).





The meatballs were awesome! The peanut butter sauce was so delicious and the sriracha added just the right amount of spice to it. I'm so glad that I decided to try something new for dinner because I loved, loved, loved this recipe. This may have been the first time I made this recipe but it for sure won't be the last.



Peanut Butter Meatballs (adapted from Alli n' Son)



1.25 lbs. ground turkey

1 onion, chopped

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. ginger powder

dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 egg

1/2 c. breadcrumbs

2-3 Tbsp. chopped green onion



1 green bell pepper, sliced

2 carrots, sliced thinly



For the sauce (this is the doubled amount):

1/2 c. peanut butter

6 Tbsp. sugar

4 Tbsp. soy sauce

7 Tbsp. water (or you can use a combo of sesame oil and vegetable oil like Alli did)

1 1/2 - 2 tsp. sriracha (according to taste)



Combine the ingredients for the meatballs. Form into walnut-sized balls and bake at 350F for about 25 min.



Lightly saute the bell pepper and carrots in a large skillet until they are tender but still crisp. Combine the ingredients for the sauce and add to the vegetables. Add the meatballs and coat with the sauce. Let simmer 10-15 min. until everything is heated through.