My daughter came home from a playdate and said she had the most delicious Vietnamese hamburger. The mom was gracious enough to share the recipe and I’ve turned that tasty meal into meatballs and served them on lettuce cups to add more vegetables and fiber. You could also serve the meatballs over some nice noodles in addition to making them into a hamburger. There are no shortage of options! 

Servings: 18-20 MEATBALLS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground beef

• 2 inches lemongrass, white part, finely minced

• 1 shallot, finely minced

• 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced

• 2 tablespoons parsley, minced

• 1 tablespoon mint, chopped

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2-inch knob ginger, minced

• 1/2 lime, zested

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup almond flour

• 1 teaspoon honey

• avocado oil for pan-frying

   

  carrots, grated

  Persian cucumbers, sliced

  peanuts, crushed

  red cabbage, sliced

  cilantro leaves, chopped

  scallions

  butter lettuce leaves

   

  Dipping Sauce

• ¼ cup fish sauce

• ¼ cup water

• 2 tablespoons honey

• ½ lime, juiced (about 3 tablespoons of lime juice)

• 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

• ½ teaspoon sesame oil 

   

PREPARATION

1 In a large bowl, place beef, lemongrass, shallot, cilantro, parsley, mint, fish sauce, garlic, lime zest, egg, almond flour, and honey. Mix well and form 18-20 meatballs and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

2 Heat a skillet to medium and add some avocado oil (about 1-2 tablespoons). Add meatballs, but don't crowd the pan. They'll cook through in about 12-15 minutes depending on the size. Turn about halfway through. 

3 To make the sauce combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk. 

4 To plate take a butter lettuce leaf, place your vegetables of choice, top with 1-2 meatballs, and drizzle with some dipping sauce.

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