Makes 4-5 servings. Total time: 30 mins
Social distancing & working from home means time to get creative in the kitchen! And I must say, I impressed myself with this gem. Absolute flavour country!
It’s packed with the veggie goodness of purple cabbage, red & yellow peppers, shredded carrot, spiralized zucchini and cucumber, and fresh mint and cilantro. I even tossed some toasted cashews into the mix. Then of course there's my favourite part - the sweet potato vermicelli noodles, which I got at an Asian grocery store. Konjac or rice noodles would also work beautifully.
Finally, the bowl is topped with a traditional Vermicelli noodle bowl sauce and Vietnamese style chicken balls for a healthy and nourishing meal that is truly out of this world. And if you're not feeling the chicken balls, it's equally delicious as completely plant based bowl (besides the fish sauce, of course). ;)
What you need to make the meatballs:
1 lb ground organic chicken or turkey
Handful of cilantro and mint
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup scallions
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari or soy sauce)
1 1/2 tsp chilli garlic sauce
Dash of sea salt
Dash of red pepper flakes
What you need to make the veggie noodle bowl:
Sweet potato vermicelli noodles (can sub: rice, konjac or mung bean noodles)
1 large carrot, grated
½ head purple cabbage, chopped thinly
½ red and yellow pepper (or one whole of either)
Iceberg lettuce or spring mix, thinly sliced
Green onions to taste
Handful fresh mint, cilantro and basil (or any combo of two)
Handful of toasted cashews (optional)
What you need to make the fish sauce dressing:
¼ rice vinegar
¼ cup fish sauce
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
Juice from 1 lime
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp chili garlic paste
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
What to do to make this recipe:
Start with your meatballs if you're opting for meat. Preheat the oven to 375 and put all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
Form meat into balls and line the baking tray with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 mins.
While meatballs cook, cook your noodles according to the package, toast your cashews if using, chop all of your veggies and make your sauce by mixing all sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Assemble bowls with noodles as a base and veg on top. Add a few meatballs when ready, pour some ressing over the bowl and dig in!
If you make this recipe, please take a photo and tag @yourbestlifewithlisa. Hope you love it!