Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Meatless Monday - Vegetarian Meatballs

I thought I would share our meal last night.  One of my daughters is a vegetarian, so I usually make two versions of the same meal.  BTW, she is vegetarian because she feels sorry for the animals.  My hubby grew up on a cattle farm, so yes, I make two meals. :)   It really isn't that difficult.  For example, last night I planned pork roast in the crock pot.  It is over 90 degrees here, and I didn't want to turn the oven on or grill out!  For our main meal, we had pork roast, carrots, corn on the cob (which was a fail) and mashed potatoes.  For the vegetarian option, I made walnut balls.

They are super easy!  Mix 4 eggs slightly beaten, 2 cups shredded cheese (your choice on kind), 3/4 cups chopped walnuts, 1 cup bread crumbs, and choice of seasonings.  I used salt, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.  Add others if you want it more spicy or flavorful.  We tend to be more mild here.


I put it in the refrigerator for 1/2 or so - or until I remember I put them in there!  Roll into balls and place on a greased (cooking spray) cookie sheet.

While you are waiting for the mixture to get cold, I want to share with you a wonderful gift I received from my daughters one Christmas.  When I received it, I wasn't sure I would use it.  Turns out it is used weekly - either for chopping or smoothies!

The NINJA 
Best kitchen tool ever!



These only take about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. (So much for not using my oven today)


Remove and let cool.


Place a few in a crock pot with 1 can vegetable broth, veggies of choice and onion.


I put it on high for a couple hours.

Here is the broth I use:



Since there is no way she would eat all of these at once.  I put the remainder "meatballs" in a freezer bag and freeze.  These are so easy to grab when we are having a meal that isn't vegetarian.  Just throw in the crock pot frozen like the above photo.


Here is a photo after they have simmered for a few hours.


...and I wouldn't let her eat until she cut one in half for a photo op! :)


ENJOY!

3 comments:

  1. Did she like them? Did anyone else taste them? Did they like them?

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  2. Yes, we've made them before. They taste like a real meatball. Grandma Judy had one one time and wondered why daughter was eating meat! Fooled her! :)

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  3. Have you ever used them with sauce?

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