Neat Balls

Last year I discovered an awesome vegan meatloaf recipe from The Engine 2 Diet. It turns out the base "meat" of this recipe is a great meat substitute in lots of other recipes, too. I love Italian sausage with spaghetti, so I decided to make a vegetarian version of it. I serve this with roasted spaghetti squash and our favorite store-bought tomato sauce for a killer veggie dinner. We have dubbed these faux meatballs "Neat Balls." Get it. Neat balls instead of meat balls. Silly, I know. Feel free to make name replacement suggestions in the comments below! Also, please note that these are a little spicy. They were too spicy for my 8 year old step-son. I like spice, but if you don't, just lessen or eliminate the cayenne and crushed red pepper. And, to make this a completely vegan dish you can just cut out the egg.

NEAT BALLS

(makes about 20 2-inch meatballs)

 

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 - 3/4 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

10 ounces firm tofu, drained
¼ cup walnuts, finely ground
1 1/2 cups cooked brown lentils
1 3/4 cups quick-cooking oats
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
4 tablespoons dry red wine

1 teaspoon salt  
2 Tablespoons fennel seed  
1 Tablespoon paprika  
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper  
4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley  
2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper 

1 chicken egg (or 4 quail eggs)

 

Sauté the celery, onion, garlic for about 5 minutes, until soft. Scrape into a large mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Form into 2-inch balls. Place balls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for approximately 30 min, or until toothpick comes out clean.