Happy Monday!
I’m super excited to share with you my new favorite vegan “meat”ball recipe and one of my absolute favorite vegan cookbooks.
First, the “meatballs.”
What I love about these meatballs (which, by the way, are adapted from the 7 Secrets Cookbook) is that they are easy to make, essentially oil-free, and downright delicious.
Take a bite outta this.
These puppies right here are probably the best vegan meatless meatball that I have tasted to date. And, I’ve had alot of ’em. Just sayin’.
They are just a a little bit crunchy on the outside, super flavorful, yes, no refined oils (other than what might be in your breadcrumbs, depending on what kind you use), and, aaaaand, you’re going to love them. I just know it.
Has anyone ever acknowledged the fact that blogging about food is sometimes sheer torture?
I mean, I’m sitting here at 10 o’clock at night writing about these amazing “meat” balls that Jonathan finished off long ago (For real. He probably ate 12 of them after coming home from a 30 mile bike ride.) My stomach wants food, and the only thing that I really want is the sweet and sour tofu pecan balls that are dangling in front of me on the screen. Torture, I tell you, sheer torture.
So, let’s stop discussing meatless meatballs, and move on to a giveaway! For a few years now I have had an extra copy of 7 Secrets Cookbook sitting on my bookshelf, and I’m still not sure how I got it.
Nevertheless, 7 Secrets has to be on my top five list of awesome plant-based cookbooks, for several reasons:
- The recipes are awesome.
- The recipes are healthy–low to no refined fats and sugars in these recipes, folks!
- The authors ran a restaurant, Five Loaves Deli, in Seattle that my parents and I frequented when I was a kid. I was always thrilled to eat at Five Loaves Deli for Sunday brunch. I still remember the brown rice ice “cream” that was served on waffles there. Incredible stuff! Basically, I’m a little bit nostalgic when I use 7 Secrets Cookbook.
- The authors, Neva and Jim Brackett, are personal family friends and are what I would call forerunners of the plant-based diet. They promoted the vegan diet back in the early ’90s, when seemingly no one else was vegan.
So there you have it. Someone is going to really love this cookbook.
I must say…. There are a couple of recipes in 7 Secrets that use honey. If this is a problem for you, feel free to substitute with agave nectar. Aaannd, the photography inside 7 Secrets is a little less than spectacular. It gives you an idea of what the food is supposed to look like, and it looks tasty, but this cookbook is all about fabulous recipes, and not just about the pictures. Just so ya know. :)
Vegan Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs I pulsed torn pieces of whole grain bread in my Vitamix blender. If you use pre-processed store-bought crumbs, you may need to add a little more water at the end.
- 1 cup whole pecans or 3/4 cup finely minced pecans
- 1/3 cup onions finely chopped
- 1/4 cup quick oats
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried Basil leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 14 oz extra firm tofu or one large block
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce or Bragg’s liquid aminos
- 2 tablespoons water (or more, if you're using store-bought breadcrumbs)
For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used canned sauce.)
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon groun cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
Instructions
For the Meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place breadcrumbs, pecans, onions, oats, and seasonings in a mixing bowl, and combine until well incorporated. Then, add your crumbled tofu, and remaining ingredients. If you are using pre-processed, store-bought breadcrumbs, you may need to add an extra tablespoon of water. Your mixture should be soft and malleable, but be able to hold together a ball shape.
- Form 2 tablespoon sized balls and place on a parchment or Silpat lined (or oil-sprayed) baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 28-30 minutes, or until balls are a nice golden brown color and aren’t mushy on the inside.
- Serve hot or at room temperature with marinara or sweet and sour sauce (my favorite). Top with a little vegan mozzarella and basil , if desired. I used Trader Joe’s mozzarella style shreds.
For the Sauce:
- Place all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and gently whisk together.
- Place saucepan on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until sauce begins to bubble.
- Pour sauce over meatballs in casserole dish and return to oven for 10-15 more minutes.
I’ve made several types of meatless meatballs, and these look reaaaally good!
I just read your request for requests for veganized treats, haha: have you had a good vegan angel food cake? It’s on my own list of vegan miracles to perform.
http://www.outtolunchcreations.com/
http://www.outtolunchcreations.com/
http://www.outtolunchcreations.com/
Would like to have more recipes!
Yum!
These look delicious! I like putting meatless meatballs on salads, that add good texture and protein.
I would love to try a vegan merging or pavlova of some sort.
My favorite vegan cookbook is Sweet Freedom by Ricki Heller.
I would love cookies, sweet things.
I don’t have one, I mostly look on the internet to get recipes/ideas.
Thanks a lot for this Giveaway !
This book seems to be awesome !
Actually chicken-y tasting fried chicken.
My favorite vegan cookbook is The Voluptuous Vegan
We’ve just started eating vegan so I don’t really have any cookbooks yet, would love to try this one though!
I’m still on the hunt for a really yummy vegan cake recipe!
I would like to find a good recipe for cookies.
I would like to be able to eat the Spanish ‘polvorones’ (a rich, sweet, crumbly type of pastry) – but they are made with pig fat. I wish they could be made vegan!
Right now, I’d love nothing more than a big piece of (veganized) pecan pie!
Oh my goodness, these little no-meatballs sound yummy! I will make them, I will!
My fondest dream is to veganize my family’s recipe for German Potato Salad. Bacos or tempeh ‘bacon’ is not gonna cut it! Hopefully coconut bacon will work better.
Wow, these look AMAZING! I may have to try them this weekend! Thanks so much for sharing. :)
It’s too hard to choose just one favorite vegan cookbook, but The Joy of Vegan Baking definitely tops my list. The recipes are awesome and always turn out super yummy!
Honestly my favorite source for vegan recipes is the vegan blogging community. Y’all rock! If I had to chose a single physical book, then ‘Veganomicon’, because it was the first vegan cookbook I bought.
How do you think this would turn out if I used seitan instead of tofu?
You know, I think it would turn out great! Although, I haven’t tried it, so I can say for certain. I would grind of your seitan into very fine pieces in a food processor, and go from there. You might have to add a little extra water too? Let me know if you try it, how it turns out!
How about a vegan creme bruleé?
I am always dreaming about veganizing my Polish grandmother’s meat-on-a-stick. I think it is a secret combination of spices + frying + breading that would do the job. I just don’t know what it is!
The meatballs look fabulous though, which is what led me here! Thanks for posting them.
Ooh, well, I certainly won’t be bias and choose my own (I’m a vegan cookbook author), but I do really like Great Chefs Cook Vegan! I would love to work my whole way through it with some other folks.
Now, I’m googling your name to find which cookbook you wrote. :) Okay, found it. Looks incredible! and gluten-free too! Fab!
http://www.justgovegan.com
http://www.justgovegan.com
Dreena Burton and Nava Atlas top my list, love all their books.
Right now I’m looking for a good vegan bread recipe to make at home :)
I’m loving Colleen-Patrick Godreau’s Vegan Table :) It’s amazing!
I haven’t really cooked with vegan ingredients, but these look delicious!
Glad I found your site! This recipe looks delicious!
http://fitfulfocus.com
http://fitfulfocus.com
When I was little, I LOVED Reese’s Peanut Butter Ice Cream. If that became veganized, I’d be in heaven!
My favorite vegan cookbook right now is The Conscious Cook. Every recipe I’ve tried from it has been amazing!
croissants….
I love the vegan bean book because I love beans!
I would love to see more vegan cheesecake (especially low-fat).
me toooo….Sometimes Tofutti cream cheese is just a little too much fat for me.
I love Dreena Burton’s cookbooks.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeadScapes
Hello,
I just came across your blog via a Pinterest board and I can’t wait to try these delicious looking meatless meatballs :) you mentioned this is one of your favorite cookbooks. Do you mind sharing some more of your favorite. I’m sure you probably have many ☺️ So how about your top 3/4? Thanks again for sharing. Enjoying your posts ☺️.
Hi! I really like these meatballs! Very yummy! I am wanting to make them for my sister’s family but my nephew can’t have any nuts except almonds, do you think that would work? Or any other substitute you would recommend?
Thanks!
Yes! I think almonds would absolutely work. In fact, I think I’ve used almonds in this recipe before. I hope they like it!