Receta Bison Meatballs with Dates and Blue Cheese

by Cavegirl Cuisine

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Cavegirl Cuisine in Other Meats Talk about fusion cooking, there is nothing about these Bison Meatballs with Dates and Blue Cheese that make any culinary sense. But, dang did they deliver!! I had a pound of all-American ground bison…then I noticed some dates in my pantry that I needed to use…kind of Mediterranean. I had a little blue cheese in the fridge from a steak salad I had made earlier in the week (by the way, this is a totally optional ingredient ~ drop it if dairy is off the list for you). I had a lot of out-of-control mint that rebloomed in my garden, which sent me on the Greek path of spices. So, I added some cinnamon and fennel seed. Of course, I finished it off with some Italian marinara. Which, in all honesty, the first meatball I tried was too sweet, from the natural sugars both in the tomatoes from the sauce and the dates in the meatballs. That’s when I decided to finish off the meal with some cayenne. YAAAS! That did it! None of it makes sense, but I double-dog dare you to try it! Bison Meatballs with Dates and Blue Cheese Ingredients 1 pound ground bison (or ground beef or lamb) 1 large egg 1/4 cup finely diced pitted dates 1/4 cup almond meal 2 tablespoons grated yellow onion 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves (plus extra for garnish) 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons blue cheese, optional 2 cups of your favorite marinara 2 tablespoons avocado oil, or cooking oil of choice 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine ground bison, egg, dates, almond meal, onion, mint leaves, fennel seed, cinnamon, salt, and optional blue cheese. You really need to use your hands to get in there and get everything combined. Using a 2-tablespoon scooper, form about 18 meataballs. Drizzle oil in a cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Place meatballs in skillet and push around until all sides are seared, about 4 minutes. Add marinara sauce and gently stir to coat the meatballs. Place in oven. Bake for 5-7 minutes until internal temperature reaches Bake for 5-7 minutes until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. (OK, now that’s what I was supposed to say…I actually pull mine out at 150 degrees…they continue to cook and I don’t like mine to dry out). Garnish with additional chopped mint leaves and cayenne pepper. Enjoy! Comments comments   Tags: Bison Meatballs with Dates and Blue Cheese blue cheese stuffed meatballs cavegirl cuisine cavegirl cuisine recipes Greek meatballs ground bison recipes meatball recipe with dates paleo meatball recipes