Holiday Meatballs
The holiday season is here. Soon the jolly fat man in red will hopefully be coming down my chimney. Meanwhile, there are cookies to bake and ginger bread houses to construct. There is popcorn to thread and carols to sing. There is cake to fruit and nog to egg. There are presents to wrap and stockings to hang (carefully I might add). There is food to prepare for the Christmas feast, and I have one last gift to purchase.
Translation: there is very little time left in the day to blog. I could just close up shop for the remainder of the year … but hey, you might have one last holiday party to attend. You might need one more appetizer to serve on Christmas day. Heck, you may just be hungry. So, I won’t leave you hanging. The Grassfed Carnivore doesn’t roll like that. No, I have one last recipe to pass along before my holiday festivities commence.
However, I am going to keep this post short and sweet void of my usual witty banter. Instead, I am just going to pass along a recipe that is as delicious as it is versatile. I will let these little nuggets of vegan goodness do all the talking as I present BOB’S QUASI-FAMOUS MEATBALLS. Bring these along with your Port Wine Cheese Ball to that last holiday party, or double the recipe and toss some into your favorite marinara sauce for dinner one night. Either way, you won’t be sorry.
Ingredients Instructions Cook the lentils according to the directions on the package. For additional flavor, use equal parts red wine and vegetable broth combined with a pinch of garlic powder and dried thyme, but cooking in water will do just fine. And if you have a Trader Joe’s in your neighborhood, they have pre-cooked lentils in the produce section. While the lentils cook, steam the tempeh for approximately 20 minutes. This technique eliminates some of the bitter taste found in the fermented bean patty.
When the tempeh is done steaming and cool enough to handle, crumble it with your hands or mash with a fork in a bowl until you have even small sized pieces similar to cooked ground beef. Add in your lentils, herbs, spices, wheat gluten, and nutritional yeast and mix to combine thoroughly. Pour in the vegetable broth and stir until you get a moist batter. Then roll up your sleeves and knead the batter for 3-4 minutes or until the mix is good and elastic.
At this point, put on some good music, pour a glass of wine, and settle into rolling the meatballs. I use a small scooper to ensure even sized meatballs. Once you have rolled out your meatballs, bake them on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes flipping over at the 12 minute mark. Remove from the oven when the meatballs are browned and crispy on the outside.
Oven-Baked Goodness
At this point, you can decide what to do with your meatballs. As they stand, they would go perfectly with some whole wheat pasta and your favorite sauce. If you want to go the appetizer route, whip up the sauce below and pour it over the meatballs. As an added bonus, if you double this sauce recipe, you will have a delicious cream of mushroom soup the next day. My wife just suggests tossing in a few mushrooms pieces for added bite.
SHERRIED MUSHROOM SAUCE (SOUP)
Makes about 2 Cups
6 oz Shiitake Mushrooms (rinsed and sliced)
1 Tbs Olive Oil
½ Small Onion (chopped)
2 Garlic Cloves (chopped)
¼ Cup Sherry
1 Tsp Dried Thyme
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
2 Tsp Cornstarch
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
¼ Tsp Ground Cumin
¼ Cup Vegan Sour Cream
1 Tbs Fresh Parsley (minced)
Salt & Pepper to your taste
Instructions:
Okay this is a simple sauce that comes together in no time. In a small saucepan, add the oil, onions, and garlic. Sauté this mix over medium heat about 2-3 minutes, then add in your mushrooms and cook another 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms release most of their liquid. Then add in the sherry making sure to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the sherry simmer for 3-5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
While the mushrooms cook, whisk the cornstarch into the broth making sure there are no clumps. Then pour this mix into the saucepan. Add in the thyme, paprika, and cumin and bring the mix to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. At this point, I used my immersion blender to puree the sauce and add to the creaminess, but you can leave this step out. Finish the sauce by stirring in the sour cream and fresh parsley. Serve as an appetizer as is or serve over noodles as an entrée.
Always Good with Marinara
Happy and safe holidays to you all. I hope you and yours enjoy this recipe. I am off to the mall for that one last present. Keep me in your thoughts as I battle the throngs of people, who like me, waited until the last minute. Hopefully, I will make it back in one piece with my Christmas Cheer still intact. Longer Letter Later.
Love, Bob aka The Grassfed Carnivore
[…] Plus, you can make it a couple days in advance. Pair these babies with my vegan cheeseball and quasi-famous vegan meatballs, and you are good to go. No more holiday parties on an empty […]