Dinner Bowl #23

 

Here we have basmati rice, garlic sauteed kale (recipe from Good Life Eats), and fonio balls in peanut sauce (recipe from Full of Plants).

I have had this fonio recipe planned for ages, but hadn't made it. I was always forgetting to get the spices. And then I realized that I could probably just substitute some berebere for the harissa and fenugreek (berebere is spicy and has fenugreek in it, after all). It worked fine! I probably should have used more berebere, but I was a bit afraid of it from my last experience (with fiery lentils).

It's a very unusual recipe of course, mixing cooked fonio with seasonings and oats in a food processor to make pan-fry-able balls, but the balls have good flavor and hold together well, even after simmering a bit in the rice coconut milk and peanut butter sauce. I didn't make them as large as directed--maybe half the size directed--and that was the right size for my preferences, but you do you! I did add the suggested garnishes--red pepper flakes, peanuts, and parsley. If you add enough salt, the sauce is amazing (I guess I keep saying that because I'm almost always adding more salt to things after I taste it, because I underestimate how much it needs--but I did use unsalted peanut butter, after all). It's rich and nutty in the best way.

These aren't meatballs and don't pretend to be. They're fonio balls. Fonio is an African pseudograin something like quinoa or amaranth, and it is said to be a complete protein like those are. So if you want to serve something that isn't a "mock meat" meal for skeptical omnivores you want to impress, this might be a good option. It's also gluten and soy free, which can be a challenging thing to find in the realm of savory vegan balls, "meat" or otherwise.

I almost always add more veggies to my meal, so even though the sauce already had some red bell pepper, carrots, and onions, I sauteed some kale to go with it. This recipe cut the bitterness of the greens well. I am not always fond of kale served as the main component of a dish, but this is definitely a good way to have it! The white wine and lemon give it a really nice flavor.

All in all, it was a very satisfying meal.