Showing posts with label vegan meatballs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegan meatballs. Show all posts
Saturday, August 17, 2019
MY "SAUCY NEATBALLS" RECIPE: EASY, VERSATILE, INEXPENSIVE
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| Neatballs in sour cherry sauce |
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| Neatball Pho containing baked and cooled Neatballs that have been browned and simmered in the Pho broth. |
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| Neatballs coated with a curry sauce |
This is a vegan "meatball" recipe that I developed over 10 years ago (yikes!) and meant many times to share on this blog, but, somehow, never got around to! The recipe was originally supposed to be included in one of my books, but that never happened.
I love "meatballs", not only because they taste good and are so versatile, but also because so many cuisines boast at least one, and often dozens, of delicious recipes featuring them. Real comfort food, the world over!
You can make several times the recipe at one time and freeze them for future meals. One time I was very ambitious and made 150 Neatballs in one morning! Here are some photos:
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S BASIC SAUCY NEATBALLS
Servings:
5
Yield: 25 neatballs
These Neatballs, when removed from the oven, resemble rather
dry, round cookies. However, when they are simmered in broth, or in a sauce of
your choice,
they plump up and have a texture almost alarmingly meatlike!
You can
add whatever appropriate spices and herbs that would go with the
final dish you are making, or just make the basic
version. The recipe can be doubled, tripled,
quadrupled, etc.,
if you would like to freeze some for a later date. Serve with pasta, rice,
bulgur, quinoa, etc., or bread.
Dry
Mix:
1
1/2 cups textured soy protein granules (TVP)
3/4
cup pure gluten powder (vital wheat gluten)
1/2
cup fresh breadcrumbs (not dried), packed down
1
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1
1/2 tsp onion powder
freshly-ground
black pepper to taste
herbs
and spices, to your taste
Wet
Mix:
1
1/4 cups plus 3 T. cold water
3
Tbs soy sauce or tamari
1
1/2 Tbs ketchup
1/2
T. vegan gravy browner, such as Kitchen Bouquet (for color)
Flour
for coating
Cooking
spray or oil in a pump-sprayer
Optionals:
For
ethnic recipes, you can add some
chopped vegetables (well-drained or squeezed, if very wet), grated
ginger, fresh garlic, vegan
parmesan, chopped green onion,
etc…..
Instructions:
Mix
together the Dry Mix ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk the Wet Mix
ingredients together and pour into the Dry Mix, adding whatever
optionals you like. Cover and let the mixture set for at least one
hour. If made ahead, the mixture can be refrigerated for several
hours or days before cooking.
Preheat
the oven to 400° F.
Roll
the mixture into 25 equal-sized balls, squeezing firmly. As you can see in the photo below, you can also shape the Neatball mixture into oval "kofta" shapes for Middle Eastern recipes. Dredge in
flour to coat all over.
Place the balls on an oiled cookie sheet and
spray with cooking spray or oil from a pump-sprayer.
Bake 20 minutes-- smaller neatballs may need only 15 minutes
cooking time.
The "Neatballs" will look quite dry, as I mentioned, but this is their advantage-- when cooked in a sauce, they become plump and tender, but don't fall apart. Cool thoroughly. They can be frozen at this point and then cooked in a sauce or soup at a later time, if you wish.
To
cook the dry, baked Neatballs in a sauce:
Drop
them into a pot containing about 5 cups of your preferred sauce (commercial or
homemade-- homemade should be fully-cooked), mixed with 2 cups of
water and brought to a simmer. If necessary, add a little more liquid to the sauce, in the form of wine, broth or juice. Simmer them for at least 20 minutes, during which time the Neatballs will "plump up".
OR, if you are planning to use them later in recipes coated in a sauce, or to use them in a soup, cook them in a pot containing simmering vegan broth of your choice to cover.
OR, if you are planning to use them later in recipes coated in a sauce, or to use them in a soup, cook them in a pot containing simmering vegan broth of your choice to cover.
If they have been simmered in broth for future recipes, remove the Neatballs from the pot with a strainer spoon, rinse them off gently, and let them cool thoroughly. They can then be frozen. Otherwise, add them directly to a soup, or browned in a bit of oil and coated with a sauce of your choice, such as a curry sauce.
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| Baked, simmered (in broth) and cooled Neatballs that have been browned. |
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| My Version of Italian "Wedding Soup" ("Minestra Maritata" or "Zuppa Maritata"), containing baked and cooled Neatballs that have been browned before simmering in the soup.
Try this delicious Vietnamese Pho recipe, using Neatballs instead of the vegan "steak":
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Nutrition
Facts (calculated
using low sodium soy sauce and ketchup)
Nutrition
(per serving; 5 Neatballs):
195.6 calories; 3% calories from fat; 0.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 404.9mg sodium; 86.3mg potassium; 19.7g carbohydrates; 0.7g fiber; 1.9g sugar; 27.4g protein.
195.6 calories; 3% calories from fat; 0.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 404.9mg sodium; 86.3mg potassium; 19.7g carbohydrates; 0.7g fiber; 1.9g sugar; 27.4g protein.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
CATALONIAN "MEATBALLS" IN SAFFRON AND ALMOND SAUCE (ALBÓNDIGAS EN SALSA DE ALMENDRA)
A couple of weeks ago I started experimenting with veganizing some Spanish recipes-- beginning what will be an ongoing exploration of a neglected part of my culinary heritage. My first experiment was a Spanish meatball recipe-- well, Catalonian, actually. I had just about everything I needed to make it and it sounded delicious-- I love just about anything with wine and lemon zest. It utilizes a traditional Catalonian sauce component-- the "picada", which consists of bread, almonds, garlic and sometimes parsley and other seasonings. This cooking technique and the ingredients go all the way back to the Moorish occupation of Spain, from 711 to 1492. The words "albóndiga" (meatball) and "almendra" (almond) derive from Moorish words as do most, if not all, Spanish words beginning in Al, such as Alhambra.
This is interesting to me for various reasons-- one being that my father, who was Peruvian, looked quite Arabic, so much so that I'm sure his family had some Moorish blood dating back to those times. Maybe that's why I love Middle Eastern food and music so much.
This is what I came up with, slightly streamlined, and very delicious it was with homemade crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce, and fresh green beans with tomato and garlic. (It is sometimes served with fried potatoes.) I still want to tinker with it a bit, but it's certainly worth sharing even in this early form.
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S CATALONIAN "MEATBALLS" IN SAFFRON AND ALMOND SAUCE, VEGAN-STYLE (ALBÓNDIGAS EN SALSA DE ALMENDRA)
Serves 5
25 vegan "meatballs" (your favorite recipe [here's mine] or commercial brand-- here's a list of several)
unbleached white flour
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
The Sauce:
1 cup vegan "chicken" broth (I used Better than Bouillon "No-Chicken" base
)1 cup fruity dry white wine (dry reisling, Chablis, Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and many others)
a pinch of Spanish saffron
grated zest of 1 organic lemon
2 teaspoons sugar
The "Picada":
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup panko
(Japanese breadcrumbs) or dry white breadcrumbs1/4 cup blanched, slivered almonds
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
(some people add a bit of chopped parsley)
Addition:
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Garnish:
Sweet Spanish paprika
(I used smoked sweet pimenton
)Roll the "meatballs" lightly in flour and brown them in a 12" nonstick skillet
with the 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until crusty on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Wipe out the skillet and pour in the broth and wine; bring it to a boil. Add the saffron, lemon zest, and sugar, whisking. Add the "meatballs" and remove from the heat.
In a smaller (8-9") skillet
, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the other "Picada" ingredients-- the breadcrumbs, almonds and garlic. Stir the mixture until it begins to turn golden, then take off the heat.
Grind the "picada" ingredients to a paste in a food processor
and add it to the pan with the broth and "meatballs" and stir gently as it comes to a simmer. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. If the sauce is too thick for your taste, add a little water. Taste for salt and pepper.Serve the "albondigas" (meatballs in Spanish) with the sauce, sprinkled with the pimenton.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 363.2 calories; 30% calories from fat; 12.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 506.6mg sodium; 181.2mg potassium; 26.3g carbohydrates; 1.4g fiber; 3.9g sugar; 24.9g net carbs; 29.6g protein; 8.0 points.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A BOOK IN PROGRESS AND A NEW QUINOA SALAD RECIPE
A PhotoShopped view of some homemade grain meat
UPDATE: July 2012-- yes, the book has been delayed for a long time, but we're working on getting it going again!
I'm working on recipes for the book I'm doing with Field Roast creator, David Lee. It's been great fun and also very challenging-- learning techniques from the creator, and then developing my own recipes for new varieties, and recipes to use them, and also working long distance with a writing partner. I've learned alot from the experience!
Below, I'm posting some photos from my Field Roast book experiments (I can't divulge the recipes, I'm afraid!). Stay tuned!
At the very end of this post is a lovely recipe for a full-meal summer salad, featuring quinoa, avocado, shelled hemp seeds, and other goodies.
Homemade Grain Meat breakfast sausages and hot and spicy sausages (my recipes for the book)
My own invention-- Grain Meatballs!
Zucchini Grain Meatloaf (my recipe for the book)
Hemp 'n' Herbs Grain Meat Cutlets (my recipe for the book) Piccata
Vietnamese-style Grain Meatball Pho (made with Grain Meatballs-- my invention for the book)
Mediterranean Mushroom Grain Meat Cutlets (my recipe for the book)
Mediterranean Mushroom Grain Meat Roast (my recipe for the book)-- see how thinly you can slice it?
Homemade Breaded Grain Meat Cutlets
Homemade Grain Meat sausages with chanterelle mushrooms
Roasted Red Pepper Grain Meatloaf (my recipe for the book)
Stuffed Homemade Holiday Grain Meat Roast (my recipe for the book)
Grain Meat Winter Terrine (my recipe for the book)
Grain Meat Roast just out of the pot
Orange Rosemary Grain Meat Sausages (my recipe for the book)
Now that recipe!
Printable Recipe
QUINOA AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH SHELLED HEMP SEEDS
6 servings
This salad was inspired by a recipe by John Barkley for The Culinary Institute of America, posted on avocado.org
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quinoa
(most quinoa is pre-rinsed now)1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/4 cups chicken-style vegetarian broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Vegetables:
1 cup English cucumber, diced (or any kind you don't have to peel)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2 tablespoon fresh chopped mint (or 2 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or pickled jalapeños
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 large ripe avocado, in 1/2" dice
1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
Washed, dried and crisped Romaine lettuce leaves
Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and toast it, stirring constantly, until golden brown.
Add the onions, garlic, and oregano, and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
Add salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until tender, and until all of the broth is absorbed.
Spread the hot mixture on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer to cool quickly. When it is cool, scrape the quinoa in a salad bowl and fold in the cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas, green onions, mint, cilantro, and jalapeños. Gently fold in the avocado and shelled hemp seeds. Serve the salad on crisp Romaine lettuce leaves.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 302.5 calories; 35% calories from fat; 12.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 320.8mg sodium; 686.2mg potassium; 39.2g carbohydrates; 7.5g fiber; 5.1g sugar; 31.6g net carbs; 11.8g protein; 6.3 points.
Enjoy!
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