Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

These meatless meatballs are awesome! They have lots of flavor and a bit of heat.

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk such as rice or soy
1 package (14 ounces) vegetarian sausage (such as LightLife Gimme Lean)
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

For Sauce:

2 tablespoons nondairy, nonhydrogenated butter (such as earth balance)
1 cup vegetable stock
1 ½ cups unsweetened nondairy milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Directions:

Soak bread crumbs in milk for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sausage, onion, garlic, salt, allspice, nutmeg, and cayenne in a large-size bowl. Add soaked bread crumbs, and mix well by hand, making sure you fully combine sausage with seasoning.

Form mixture into tiny meatballs, ¾ inch in diameter, and place on a platter. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat for 1 minute. When oil is hot, turn heat down to medium and add one-third of meatballs, and brown on all sides. Transfer to a platter lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil. In 2 more batches, brown remaining meatballs in remaining oil. And drain on paper towels.

To make sauce, heat butter, stock and milk in a saucepan over low-medium heat. In a bowl, combine flour and water, and mix into a thin paste. Add water/flour blend to saucepan and mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until mixture thickens. Season with salt.

Add all meatballs to skillet, along with sauce, cooking just until heated through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Note: The only thing that I would change is to add more flour to the sauce. I like my sauce thicker. Or make your own favorite gravy and pour over top of meatballs keeping meatballs warm in the oven.

Summer Vegetable Casserole

Summer Vegetable Casserole

This is simple dish of layered summer vegetables and it’s delicious. Great with any meal. I made it with vegan meatballs. The only thing I would change is, to make a bigger batch. We loved it so much we ate the whole thing in one sitting.

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
½ pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
½ pound plum tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 small zucchini (1/2 pound), sliced on the diagonal ¼ inch thick
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)


Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9-inch baking dish with olive oil. Spread the potatoes in the dish in an even layer, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine the bell pepper, onion, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Arrange two-thirds of the bell pepper mixture over the potatoes and drizzle with oil. Top with the tomatoes and the zucchini; drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the remaining bell pepper mixture and sprinkle with the cheese.

Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425. Uncover the casserole and bake for about 20 minutes longer, until the vegetables are tender and glazed on top. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Basmati Rice Salad with Ginger Miso Vinaigrette

This recipe came from my favorite vegan restaurant Native. This is part of their new summer menu so I am sharing it with you.


Basmati Rice Salad with Ginger Miso Vinaigrette

This recipe came from my favorite vegan restaurant Native. This is part of their new summer menu so I am sharing it with you.

4 cups cooked and cooled Basmati Rice
1 carrot chopped ¼ inch dice
1 cup snow peas, sliced lengthwise in 1/8” slices (julienned)
½ cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
½ cup small dice red bell peppers
½ cup green onion, thin slice
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Ginger Miso Vinaigrette

Yield: 1 ½ cups

½ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup white miso
½ cup chopped green onion
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped ginger
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1/8 tsp. turmeric

Toss rice and vegetables together in large bowl to incorporate all ingredients.
Add Ginger Miso Vinaigrette and mix together well.

Grilled Zucchini and green Onion Tostadas with Chimmichurri Sauce

Grilled Zucchini and green Onion Tostadas with Chimichurri Sauce

This recipe came from my favorite vegan restaurant Native. This is part of their new summer menu so I am sharing it with you.

Chimichurri Sauce

1 cup parsley, whole, stems removed lightly packed
1/2 cup, chopped cilantro
1/2 cup, olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 medium shallot, sliced
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cumin

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve at room temperature, drizzled over the tostadas.

Tostadas

4 medium Zucchini
2 bunches, Green Onions
½ cup Olive Oil
1 tsp. salt
1 doz. Corn Tortillas
2 ripe summer tomato, sliced

Slice zucchini in half and then in ¼ inch slices lengthwise.
Drizzle with ¼ tsp. salt on each side, put in colander and let sit for 30 minutes to sweat.
Trim green onions and toss in 2 tsp. of olive oil, place on grill and cook until grill marks form, then turn and cook other side.
Remove zucchini from colander, brush each side with olive oil and place on grill. When nice grill marks form, turn over once and cook other side.
Brush tortillas lightly with oil and heat on griddle until slightly crispy.
Arrange zucchini slices and green onion pieces on tortillas.
Top with tomato slices and drizzle of Chimmichurri Sauce.

Tofu Dengaku (Tofu on a stick)

Tofu Dengaku (Tofu on a stick)

This recipe came from my favorite vegan restaurant Native. This is part of their new summer menu so I am sharing it with you.

2 lbs Tofu
3 tbsp Red Miso
2 tbsp Maple Syrup
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Mirin
1 tbsp Sake or white wine
¼ cup Water

Soak bamboo skewers in warm water for at least 20 minutes.
Cut tofu into 1 ½ x 4 inch sticks.
Mix miso, maple syrup, soy, mirin, sake and water together in a sauce pan and simmer until thick, about 5-7 minutes.
Let cool and marinade tofu for at least 30 minutes. Reserve marinade.
Remove tofu from marinade and skewer each of the tofu pieces.
Brush miso mixture on tofu.
Place on the grill and leave on until line marks form then turn over and do the other side.
Brush again with miso mixture right after removing from grill.

Vegan Cabbage Rolls

Vegan Cabbage Rolls

This recipe is from my favorite vegan restaurant Native. This makes a lot of cabbage rolls so you can freeze the rest for later.

2 large green cabbages
¼ cup olive oil or sunflower oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 cup reconstituted textured soy protein granules, bits or flakes (recipe follows)
½ cup uncooked brown rice
½ cup uncooked jasmine rice
28 –oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
½ cup water
1 cup chopped parsley
½ cup chopped mint (optional)
2 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper

Remove core from the bottom of each cabbage and place both in a large pot with 2 inches of water. (You may have to use two pots or steam one at a time). Cover and steam for 25 minutes.

In a skillet, sauté onions in oil until transparent and lightly browned. Add soy protein and raw brown and jasmine rice, and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, sauerkraut, water, parsley, mint, salt, and pepper. Stir well, cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F. After cabbage has steamed and cooled, separate leaves. Place each leaf, seam side up, on a work table or cutting board. Put a large spoonful of the soy protein-rice mixture in the center of each leaf; fold in the sides of the leaf, and then roll.

Arrange stuffed leaves in a lightly oiled baking dish. When the dish is full, add 1 inch of water, broth, or tomato sauce and cover with a lid or foil. Baked for 1 ½ hours. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley and a dollop of soy or regular sour cream.

Reconstruction for Granules, Bits or Flakes.

1 cup textured soy protein granules, bits, or flakes
1 cup water

Bring water to a boil and stir in the protein granules. Remove from heat, cover and let sit 10 minutes.

You can find protein granules in specialty food stores such as Whole Foods in the bulk food section.

Muffaletto

Muffaletto

Muffaletto is a condiment and can be used many ways. Try it in a wrap with Hummus and arugula, serve as an appetizer with Pita Chips or Toasted baguette rounds, or thin it with a bit of wine and some chopped tomatoes and use it as a pasta sauce.

1 cup black and green olives, pitted
1 cup roasted red pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup, chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Combine olives, roasted pepper, garlic, parsley and vinegar in food processor and pulse to chop ingredients. Be sure not to over process, you want it chunky. Season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours. Before serving, stir and bring to room temperature.

Makes 1 ¼ cups