Veggie Meatball Medley Recipes

THE BEST VEGAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• If you haven't prepared your quinoa yet, do so now (make sure it's cooked and cooled completely before use). 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa will yield ~1 cup cooked. *Prep/cook time does not include preparing quinoa.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Add rinsed, dried black beans to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until beans appear cracked and feel dry to the touch (see beans in food processor photo). Remove beans from the oven and then increase oven heat to 375 degrees F (190C).
• Heat a large (oven-safe) skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add water (or oil), garlic, and shallot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly softened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat (and reserve pan for later use).
• Add black beans to a food processor along with garlic, shallot, sea salt, oregano, red pepper flake, and fennel (optional) and pulse into a loose meal (DON'T overmix). Then add cooked/cooled quinoa, vegan parmesan cheese, tomato paste, fresh basil or parsley, and Worcestershire (optional). Pulse to combine until a textured dough forms (you're not looking for a purée, but it should be semi-tacky).
• Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt for saltiness/depth of flavor, red pepper flake for heat, herbs for earthiness, or Worcestershire (optional) for more depth of flavor. If it's too tacky or wet, add more vegan parmesan cheese and pulse to combine (we added a bit more).
• Scoop out heaping 1 1/2 Tbsp amounts (using this scoop or a Tablespoon) and gently form into small balls using your hands. Add to a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Heat an oven-safe metal or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a small amount of oil to prevent sticking, then add the meatballs. Sauté for a few minutes, gently turning the meatballs to get a slight crust on either side. Then transfer to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and slightly dry to the touch.
• These meatballs are delicious as is, or you can add some marinara to the pan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes (or until bubbling / hot) to infuse more flavor.
• Serve with marinara and additional vegan parmesan cheese (optional)! These are also delicious atop any pasta. Leftover meatballs keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave or in a 375-degree F (190 C) oven until warmed through.

SIMPLE VEGAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and prepare flax egg in a small dish by mixing flaxseed meal and water and let it rest for a few minutes.
• In a large, deep skillet, sauté onion and garlic in 1/2 Tbsp olive oil (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) over medium heat until soft and translucent - about 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Add tempeh to food processor and pulse to break down. Then add sautéed garlic, onion, and remaining ingredients (except olive oil) and mix, scraping down sides as needed. You want it to form into a moldable "dough."
• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. The tempeh will come across as a little bitter, but once coated, baked and served with marinara it's not nearly as apparent.
• NOTE: Depending on how salty your vegan parmesan cheese is, you may need to add a little salt and pepper at this point. However, I didn't find it necessary.
• Scoop out 1 Tbsp amounts of dough and roll into balls. At this time, heat the same skillet you used earlier to medium heat.
• Mix remaining bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together in a shallow dish. Add tempeh balls one or two at a time and roll to coat.
• Add enough olive oil to form a thin layer on the bottom of your hot skillet, then add your coated tempeh balls in two batches, as to not crowd the pan. Brown for about 5 minutes total, shaking the pan to roll them around to brown all sides.
• Add browned meatballs to a baking sheet and add to the oven to bake for about 15 minutes, or longer if desired for a crispier result.
• At this time, prep any pasta your want to serve with your meatballs, as well as your favorite marinara sauce (I love this pizza sauce).
• Once meatballs are deep golden brown and fairly firm to the touch, remove from oven.
• To serve, top cooked pasta with meatballs and pour over marinara sauce. Top with another sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to a few days, though best when fresh.

SAUTEED VEGETABLE MEDLEY

Steps:

• Toss vegetables together in a medium bowl.
• In a medium saute pan, heat the butter and water together over medium heat. Add the vegetables to the pan and turn the heat to medium high. Toss the vegetables, by gently moving the pan back and forth over the flame. Cook the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes, or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
• Cook the vegetables in 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter, without the water. Do this over high heat and brown and crisp the vegetables slightly.
• Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, minced shallot, a teaspoon of grated peeled fresh ginger to the pan before adding the vegetables. - Enhance the vegetables at the end of cooking with a tablespoon or so of minced fresh herbs, like chopped flat-leaf parsley, dill, mint, basil, cilantro, or thyme.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Fill a large bowl with ice water, and put a colander or strainer in it. Add the vegetable to the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until crisp tender, or the desired degree of doneness. Scoop the vegetable from the water and immediately put them in the ice water, to stop the cooking and set their color. Cool and drain, and use as desired. When blanching a mix of vegetables, don't cook them together since they may not all cook at the same time. Start with the lightest colored or mildest flavored vegetable, and blanch and refresh each vegetable, one after the other, until cooked as desired.

VEGGIE MEATBALL MEDLEY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. In a large nonstick skillet, cook meatballs, vegetables and onion until meatballs are browned; drain. Stir in the soup, soy sauce and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

VEGGIE MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO COURGETTI

Steps:

• Finely chop the garlic. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion, stirring frequently, for 8 mins. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cook for 2 mins more. Meanwhile, put the beans in a bowl with the egg, tomato purée and spices, and mash until smooth. Stir in the almonds and sweetcorn with the thyme, a third of the chopped garlic and the balsamic onions. Mix well and shape into about 8 balls the size of a walnut, and place on a baking tray lined with oiled baking parchment.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and bake the veggie meatballs for 15 mins until firm. Meanwhile, put the tomatoes, tomato purée and balsamic vinegar in a pan and cook with 2-3 tbsp water until pulpy, then stir in the remaining garlic and courgetti. Turn off the heat as you want to warm the noodles rather than cook them. Serve with the veggie meatballs.

FALL GARDEN MEDLEY

Steps:

• Place the carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, onions and water in a greased 3-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until tender. , Stir vegetables and sprinkle with parsley if desired.

COLORFUL VEGETABLE MEDLEY SIDE DISH

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat bouillon and water for 1 minute; stir well. Stir in the salt, garlic powder, pepper and 1 teaspoon oil., In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry the broccoli, carrots, onion and celery in remaining oil for 2-3 minutes. Add the bouillon mixture; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add zucchini and red pepper; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cabbage; stir-fry 1-2 minutes longer or until crisp-tender.