The other day, I asked you guys what protein you’d like me to create into a recipe. You guys came in strong with the favorites of bison and lamb, but then came a little throw-down from Diane of BalancedBites.

A challenge to make something great? Challenge accepted! #duh

And, BOOM below…

The meatball portion of this plate is reminiscent of the center of those dumplings you’d ordered when dining out in your pre-paleo days.

The other side of this plate was just showing off with a Pork Belly & Cherry Cucumber Salad, which I highly recommend you combine with the meatballs for that perfect flavorful bite.

Btw, Cherry, Cinnamon, & Basil is a fun flavor combination to play with.

Not much else to say so let me just get to the actual recipe below:

What you’ll need:

For the Meatballs,
1 lb ground chicken thighs
3/4 cup red onions, diced
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 egg white, beaten
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1/2 tbsp red boat fish sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
salt/pepper to taste

For the Pork Belly,
1/4 lb pork belly, sliced into bite-sized bits
2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup cherries, chopped
1 tbsp evoo
2 tsp groung ginger
salt, to taste

1 large cucumber, sliced or spiral sliced for show
basil, chopped for garnish

What to do:

For the Meatballs,
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well
Refrigerate for 30 min until the mixture if firm
On a lined and coconut oiled cookie tray, shape 1-inch meatballs down
Baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
Then turn it up to broil for another 5 min or until browned on the outside

For the Pork Belly,
In a bowl, mix cinnamon, ginger, evoo and pork together
On another tray, baked in the oven at 375 degrees until crisp (you know what cooked bacon looks like)

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan…
Cook chopped cherries over medium-high heat until they are soft
Add the cooked pork belly (liquid and all) to the saucepan
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low
Let it all simmer together, uncovered, for about 20 minutes – breaking up the cherries

Bring it all together:
Start with your cucumber salad, tossing it with the Pork Belly/Cherry Mixture
Throw in your mini meatballs
Garnish with more basil
Eat your face off!