Vegan Eggplant Meatballs

My stepdad grew up in an Italian household and he always told me about her mother’s meatballs. “It’s too bad you’ll never know how good they were.” Now, meatballs were never my thing, but I was definitely intrigued when I came across a vegan meatball recipe.

I had to completely re-create this though. Okay, so I kept the eggplant. But everything else had to go. Garlic, onions, mushrooms and all. I was nervous that it was going to end up tasting like goop. But I served it up anyway. With rave results.

We stuffed ourselves with vegan eggplant meatball subs and my stepdad said, “I almost feel like I should feel guilty, but this is actually healthy!” And indeed it is.

Low and behold, I give you Eggplant Meatballs. These little guys are soft, yet stay true to form. In this combination, the fennel and nutritional yeast mix with the eggplant to get a reminiscent meaty flavor, while the walnut and flax seed add some decadent heaviness. Breadcrumbs get the texture just right.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, chopped
2 tbsp ground flax seed
2/3 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 cup ground walnuts
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
handful fresh basil, diced (about 9 leaves)
2 tbsp warm water
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/8 tsp salt
1.5 cups multigrain breadcrumbs (or 3 slices of bread in food processor)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil your cookie sheet.
2. Toast breadcrumbs in a pan until slightly crunchy. Set aside.
3. Cook chopped eggplant in 1/2 cup water for about 20 minutes, or until mushy.
   
4. While eggplant is cooking, take a separate bowl and mix the ground flax seed, fennel seeds, ground walnuts and basil.
5. When the eggplant is all mushy and done, turn off the stove and drain any excess water.
6. Combine 2 tbsp warm water and Ener-G Egg Replacer in a food processor until thoroughly combined and milky. Add the Ener-G Egg Replacer to the eggplant along with the flax seed mixture and breadcrumbs. Mix well.
7. Form into small balls pop them in the oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until slightly browned.

Best when served immediately, but can keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.

Makes about 25 small meat(less)balls.

Nutrition Info:  Calories: 47.5; Fat: 2.4; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 21.4mg; Potassium: 107.3mg; Carbs: 5.5; Fiber: 1.6; Sugar: 0.1g; Protein: 1.8g

Vitamins & Minerals:  Thiamin: 42.3%; Riboflavin: 36.7%; Vitamin B-6: 32.2%; Niacin: 19.5%; Manganese: 11.8%; Vitamin B-12: 8.3%; Folate: 6.2%; Selenium: 5.5%; Copper: 3.8%; Phosphorus: 3.5%; Magnesium: 3.4%; Zinc: 2.6%; Iron: 2.4%; Pantothenic Acid: 1.5%; Calcium: 0.9%; Vitamin C: 0.8%; Vitamin E: 0.8%; Vitamin A: 0.6%

Blueberry Almond Porridge

My go-to for breakfast is typically something with toast. Or oatmeal. Or cereal.. I basically depend on grains in the morning to fill me up and give me energy, so the goal for this one was to make a breakfast without it. Something easy, quick and filling.

But how could I?! I depend on those precious grains to give me some pep in my step.

The answer: Healthy Fats.

Before you run away screaming, remember how there are different kinds of fats? Each fat has a different structure and is used differently by the body. It’s not the total fat consumption that matters so much; it’s the type of fat consumed that affects your health. Unhealthy fats like saturated and trans fat build up the nasty fatty material, called plaque (that gunk that causes heart disease on the inside of your blood vessels). That junk makes you fat. If you’re snacking on a handful of mixed nuts, saute your vegetables in olive oil or slip avocado in your salads and sandwiches, your body will utilize those fats and convert it to energy. The Department of Health and Human Services declare that Americans should get between 20-35% of their total calories from fats. We NEED healthy fats for:

Healthy hormone production
Healthy immune system
Protect our internal organs
Help improve cholesterol levels
Fuel to burn when needed
Keep our skin & hair healthy
Maintaining our mental stability
Decreased risk of heart disease
Help us absorb vitamins A,D,E & K

I notice that my ADHD symptoms are lower when I’m eating a diet higher in healthy fats (and my weight goes down too, go figure!)

So today, Blueberry Almond Porridge it is. It’s so filling I couldn’t finish it. Keeps you full for hours. Great dish to impress those who believe cooking whole foods “from scratch” is intimidating or complicated.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups frozen blueberries
2 dates
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup ground almonds

Instructions:

1. Separate 2 tbsp ground almonds for a finishing garnish
2. Put the frozen blueberries in the microwave for 2 minutes, or until it gets too hot to touch.
3. Separate 1 cup hot blueberries into a bowl and add chia seeds and 1/2 cup almonds. Let sit for 5 minutes to create a thicker consistency.
4. Let the dates sit in the remaining 1/2 cup hot blueberries for a minute or so, to soften. Then blend together in a food processor to create a sweet paste.
5. Mix everything together and garnish with 2 tbsp ground almonds.

Variations:

• For something light and sweet, substitute nuts for 1 extra tbsp of chia seeds, and add an extra date to the sweet paste.
• Experiment with different nut and seed flavors, replacing half of the almond mixture with walnuts, sunflower seeds or pecans.
• If you have a sweet tooth in the morning, try replacing some almonds for an equal amount of unsweetened coconut flakes and add agave nectar, stevia or sugar to sweeten as desired.

——–
Calories: 517; Fat: 29g; Cholesterol: 0.0mg; Sodium: 3.1mg; Potassium 685mg; Carb: 55g; Fiber: 18.4g; Sugar: 32.4; Protein 15g

Omega 3 Fatty Acids: 6.1g; Omega 6 Fatty Acids: 2.1g; Manganese: 79.5%; Vitamin E: 73.5%; Magnesium: 52.3%; Phosphorus: 42.1%; Copper: 31.9%; Calcium: 29.3%; Riboflavin: 28.4%; Iron: 27.1%; Niacin: 16.4%; Zinc: 15%; Thiamin: 13.2%; Vitamin B-6: 11.3%

Chickpea of the Sea… a.k.a. “Tuna” Salad

I swear I’ve been trying to perfect a tuna salad sandwich for what feels like forEVER. What was hardest for me to give up when I went vegan wasn’t even the eggs or dairy, it was the seafood. I was raised in an Azorean Portuguese family, and the heart of our cuisine when we came to America was made of Bacalhau (codfish), tuna with potatoes, shrimp, octopus, squid, and probably most frequently (for the kids)… tuna sandwiches.

Man, it was hard to give up those tuna sandwiches. Especially the way mom made it, with Chicken of the Sea tuna, mayo, onion and crunchy celery. I have seriously been trying to recreate a vegan tuna sandwich for what feels like eons. I miss the convenience of whipping up something from a can when you didn’t plan ahead for dinner.

I’ve tried recipes that are plain, salty, sweet, spicy… I feel like I’ve practically tried it all. I swore that this would be my final effort. Thank God I tried one last time. You know it’s good when you crave the same “tuna” sandwiches and wraps for your last 5 lunches and dinners!

And this is just as easy to whip up! Only 5 ingredients.

I’m in LOVE. I know the apple sounds crazy, like it would mess up the whole thing, but it doesn’t. At first it was a substitution for celery, so I was surprised that it turned out to be my favorite part! I don’t know what it is, maybe the sweetness balances out the saltiness in the canned chickpeas, but it really makes this whole dish. I re-made this with less vegenaise, and it just wasn’t the same. This is just perfect.

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup vegenaise
1/4 tsp celery seeds
1 red apple, diced
black pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions:  Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Makes 3 servings.

The red apple peel kind of reminds me of the red onion mom used to put in, too ;)

Mmm… a “tuna” wrap for dinner, just like I used to have from D’Angelos back in the day! This tastes as close to the real thing as I’ve ever had.

Makes 3 Servings

Calories: 243; Fat: 13g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 352mg; Potassium: 192.9mg; Carb: 25.2g; Fiber: 4.8g; Sugar: 4.6g; Protein: 4.1g

Manganese: 25.8%; Vitamin B-6: 20.1%; Folate: 13.7%