Walnut Meatballs (Vegan)

Enjolinfam's Note:

A very healthy alternative to meatballs. I'm always looking for yummy vegan food and I'm especially looking forward to trying this one. Many of my favorite vegan recipes come from the Micheff Sisters, Brenda Walsh, Cinda Sanders and Linda Johnson, on 3ABN. This is one of Brenda's recipes. Suggestions: These walnut balls can be made ahead of time and frozen. Can also use them in other sauces such as spaghetti sauce. Try making them a little smaller and using them for an appetizer. For “crispier” texture, fry them in a little canola oil instead of baking them. UPDATE: We finally tried this and were not disappointed! Made this with my Quick Vegan Pesto Alfredo Sauce (Quick Vegan Pesto Alfredo Sauce) and Onion Herb Foccacia Bread (Onion Herb Focaccia Bread)and it tasted terrific! I could see how frying them in a little oil would make them taste better plain, but I couldn't tell that much of a difference with them in the sauce and it's so much healthier having them baked. I'm going to try to make these again this weekend with a vegan gravy and hope it turns out just as good! I've had it now with sweeet and sour sauce and it tasted really nice.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 32

Yield: 32.0 1-inch ...

• 1 medium onion
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons chicken-flavored vegetarian seasoning (I use McKay's chicken seasoning, this is a vegetarian seasoning that tastes like a Chicken bouillon )
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 1/2 cups saltine crackers, finely crushed
• 1 cup walnut pieces (walnuts chopped)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 (7 ounce) package extra firm tofu

Directions:

1. In food processor, purée the water and onion until smooth. Pour into large mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients, mixing well until mixture holds together.
2. Coat hands with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls.
4. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
5. Remove from oven and place meatballs on a platter. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot with a variety of dipping sauces, such as Sweet and Sour, Marinara, or your favorite.

Reviews

[magpie diner]

I think this is a really inventive recipe, more of a 4 1/2 star for me. It's easy to put together with your food processor and my kids liked them. I thought the seasonings were a little lacking, (altho I love the fresh garlic & onion), I added some extra herbs and a little braggs. It's great that they're baked - what I found is that they were pretty mushy inside, the tofu didn't firm up as well as I would have liked. But that could be due to my specific ingredients, maybe my tofu wasn't firm enough....I'd just adjust next time to use less water. I think the leftovers that I'm about to freeze will be firmer. Really versatile recipe, I served over noodles & broccoli with Savory Cashew Gravy (Vegan). Thanks!!

[SonoGirl]

Excellent. This was my first attempt at making vegan meatballs. They did fall apart after simmering in sauce in the crock-pot, but we enjoyed them anyway. Next time will probably take them from the oven and top with spaghetti sauce on our plates.

[MacaroniBoy]

Quick, easy and anyone can make it good.