Ginger Scallion Chicken Meatballs, Baby Bok Choy, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Soba in Broth {recipe}

Ginger and scallion chicken meatballs is neither original nor remarkably unique, but this version is important because of the way it's served — in a shallow pool of light stock rather than smothered in a sticky sauce.

I added grilled baby bok choy to the bowl my second attempt, then shiitake mushrooms on a third attempt, and finally soba noodles with double the soup. With all of that, Ginger Scallion Chicken Meatballs becomes a light, yet filling (God, I hate that qualifier) meal. I might stir a little spoonful of miso into the next iteration, but let's just take it one step at a time here ok?

The key to this is that you're supposed to make a generous batch of Ginger Scallion Sauce for something else first. If you happen to have Ginger Scallion Sauce leftover from whatever this other first thing is — I'd be shocked if you actually had leftovers, but there is a chance — and you need a way to use it before its phantom expiration date — though again I'd be shocked if you didn't consume all the leftovers in their entirety the very next day because you can use Ginger Scallion Sauce for pretty much anything including massage oil and currency in some countries — you stir a few spoonfuls of the sauce, drained of most of the oil, into a bowl of ground chicken or turkey, add minced garlic, maybe some tamari, and go from there.

If you don't have the patience to chop 742 bunches of scallions and grate a dozen "knobs" (almost as hateful a word as "moist") of ginger to make the Ginger Scallion Sauce first, then entertain the idea of making the meatballs with 3-4 green onions chopped to make about ½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon very finely minced fresh ginger to replace the Ginger Scallion Sauce in the recipe.

Then suck it up, loser, and make the Ginger Scallion Sauce anyway because unlike ⅔ of the decisions in your life, you won't regret it.

I highly encourage you to make your chicken stock yourself instead of using "2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided," which sounds like it comes gurgling out of a $2.99 box from Whole Foods, NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT CHEAP, CHEATER SUBSTITUTE.

Gosh, and to think I said that there wasn't going to be some sort of tie-into my life.

Happy Birthday, Mama! Happy National Meatball Day, Everyone Else!

Recipe in full, below. Links to some other versions after.