The Daring Cooks – Herbed Vegan ‘Meat’balls and Spaghetti

The June Daring Cooks’ challenge sure kept us rolling – meatballs, that is! Shelley from C Mom Cook and Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to try meatballs from around the world and to create our own meatball meal celebrating a culture or cuisine of our own choice.

Of course, my first challenge was to research vegan ‘meatballs’ – something I had never eaten, let alone cooked myself before. I also have never eaten a real meat meatball. New territory.

In synchronous manner however, the results of the Virtual Vegan Potluck  were announced after the Daring Cooks challenge had been announced and before I had decided anything to make. I was reminded of the wonderful Minted Moroccan Meatballs + Aromatic Barley by main dish winner, Ashlee of The Little Foxes which I had eagerly bookmarked during the Potluck. I was inspired to celebrate the winning main recipe with an adaptation of the recipe fit for a classic ‘spaghetti and meatballs’ dish featuring a tomato background and punchy fresh herbs that pair beautifully with an onion and garlic infused tomato sauce.

Ingredients: Makes 28 ‘Meat’balls

• 12 Chestnut or cremini mushrooms (about 250g), cleaned
• 1 cube of vegan bouillon (or equivalent powder)
• 1/2 drained can (120g) kidney beans (or other beans or chickpeas)
• 1tsp harissa
• 2tsp tomato puree
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 cup/200g raw bulgur wheat, ground in to a medium meal
• 2/3 cup/100g vital wheat gluten flour
• 1/3 cup/30g ground almonds (or other ground nuts)
• 2 tbsp/15g ground flax seeds
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped finely
• 4 tbsp fresh basil, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped finely
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried
• 1 small-medium onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke or a few drops woodsmoke extract
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 tbsp ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200’C/400’F degrees and line one large or two smaller baking sheets with baking parchment.
2. In a high-speed blender, blitz mushrooms, veggie bouillon cube (or powder), beans, harissa, tomato puree and water until smooth. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the bulgur, vital wheat gluten, ground almonds, ground flax seeds, herbs and finely diced onion.
4. Slowly add remaining meatball ingredients (soy sauce, salt, smoke flavour, lemon juice and pepper) and gradually stir in the 2 cups of blended mushroom liquid until a sticky dough has formed.
5. Work the dough by-hand or with a spatula to further activate and develop the vital wheat gluten (you should see strands forming) and to ensure all ingredients are evenly distributed.
6. Roll the dough into 28 balls (I found it easiest to weigh the dough for uniformity) and place evenly spaced on prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake for 30 minutes until the balls are firm to the touch, browned, and lightly crispy on the outside.

• To serve as spaghetti and meatballs: Prepare your favourite tomato based pasta sauce and simmer the balls in the sauce to soften them slightly and allow them to absorb the flavours. Serve with spaghetti and a scattering of fresh parsley.

• Also fabulous in salads, in pitta with hummus and salad or with rice or other grains. I also loved a couple dropped in a bowl of minestrone soup!

Nutritional Benefits

Low in saturated fat
Very low in cholesterol
High in dietary fiber
High in manganese
Very high in vitamin B6

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