Vegan MoFo Day 28: Spicey Meataballs

What do you do when you get up at the crack of dawn? You think to yourself who's Dawn? Hahahaha..... No What you do silly, is you make the additions to your meatball recipe you've been playing around with and then you divulge how amazing they are to the rest of the blogosphere. OK then! Meatballs makes 24 Ingredients 1 1/2 cups of Vital Wheat Gluten 3/4 cup Nutritional Yeast 1 tsp Onion Powder 1 tsp Garlic Salt 1 tsp Mixed Herbs 1/2 cup Tomato Juice 1/4 cup Red Wine 1 Tblsp Tomato Marinade (paste will do) 1 Tblsp Soy Sauce 2 Tblsp Olive Oil 4 Tblsp Water 3 Cloves of Garlic, squeezed through a garlic press 2 Sundried Tomatoes, diced thinly few drops of Tabasco Half a grated Carrot Directions Grease a Muffin pan. Place in a bowl the Vital Wheat Gluten, Nutritional Yeast, Onion Powder, Garlic Salt and Mixed Herbs. Mix well with a fork. In a separate bowl - place all the other ingredients and mix well. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork to form a dough. Knead for a few minutes and then leave for half an hour. Divide the dough into equal sized ball shapes about the size of a small Walnut and place each ball in a Muffin space in the greased Muffin pan. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake in an oven at 200 degrees for 40 mins turning over half way through cooking time. When done, leave to cool completely before adding them to your Tomato Sauce. This Tomato Sauce recipe is a double recipe so freeze what you don't use for later so if you are pressed for time in the future you will still be able to have yummalicious homemade sauce super duper quick! Tomato Sauce

serves 8 Ingredients 1 tsp Olive Oil 1 Large Onion, diced 2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed 1 Large Carrot, peeled and diced 2 x 400g Canned Tomatoes 5 fl oz Red Wine or Vegetable Stock 1 Bay Leaf 1 Tbsp Fresh Basil, diced 1 tsp Dried Oregano Salt Freshly Ground Black Pepper Method In a pan add 1 tsp Olive Oil and fry the Carrot and Onion for 10 mins stirring regularly. Add the Garlic, Tomatoes, Red Wine (or stock), Basil, Oregano and Bay Leaf and cook on a gentle heat for 20 mins. Take out the Bay Leaf and whizz with a hand mixer or in your blender. Season to taste. Easy Peasy!

Add meatballs to the Sauce and heat through whilst you wait for your Pasta to cook. I had intended to make Spaghetti but alack and alas the cupboards didn't deliver so I made twirly shapes instead - I can't remember the name of this Pasta but y'all know what I mean.

Like Nonna used to make (if I was Italian and had a Nonna who was vegan

that is.) Details, details...

Today's song is Sally Cinnamon by The Stone Roses Choooooooooooon!

Vegan MoFo Day 6: Balls!

Can I just say that Chocolate Cake for breakfast is soooooo right. Especially with a creamy cup of English tea. Yummmmmm. Cake and tea are one of those great combo's like Salt and Vinegar and Sausage and Mash and is another great British contribution to World Cuisine and also a great British tradition in general. Though admittedly it is served at the more respectable time of in the afternoon but I stare respectable in the face and say "NOOO!!!". Have it for breakfast GOD DAMMIT!

Am I allowed to be inspired by myself cos I blinking well have been. When I was eating my Spanish Stew for leftovers I couldn't help but notice the similarity between it and Campbell's Meatballs (which incidentally are not called Campbell's Meatballs anymore they are called Fray Bentos Meatballs as Premier Foods bought out Campbells in 2006 and got a bunch of brands in the deal, including OXO, Batchelors, Homepride and Fray Bentos. Which, if you were googling for a photo of Campbell's Meatballs you would have found out for yourself. Who knew.)

Anyway all tom foolery aside - I had somewhat of a vegan epiphany, or a lightbulb moment if you want, and knowing full well I could beat Campbell's (or Fray Bentos) at their own game, I set about recreating this pregan favourite of mine. I made up a batch of Pepperami Style Sausage but instead of making sausages I made balls - genius huh! Now I like big balls so this recipe yielded 11 (10 of which only actually made it to the grand finale) but if you like smaller balls then you will get more from your dough and in all honesty I would make them a bit smaller next time. Wrap each ball up in its own little separate bit of tin foil (put the used foil in the tin re-cycling when done) and place in the oven for 40 - 50 mins - turning over halfway through cooking time. *STOP BLOG* Why oh why oh WHY do I consistently continue to put things in a hot oven without wearing oven gloves? Why do I not own oven gloves?? It is a known fact that I can not do any form of cooking without burning myself. Usually they are harmless but this one today might be the wake up call I need to ask Santa to buy me some oven gloves. That must be three layers of skin burnt right off there.

And WHY do I not have plasters when I need one? Do I win points for improvising? Yes that is sellotape! Whilst waiting for your balls to cool, chop up half an Onion and slice a handful of Mushrooms. Heat some Olive Oil in a pan and cook the Onion and Mushrooms for 5-7 mins. Add a portion of Tomato Sauce and throw dem balls in dere. Cook on a low heat for 10 -15 mins stirring every once in a while. Take off the heat and entertain yourself for an hour or two. When you're ready to eat - warm up the Sauce, cook your Spaghetti and let Pasta and Sauce meet in a perfect partnership of taste fusion. Sprinkle on some Parmesan and revel in the knowledge that you are a genius - all be it a genius with burn wounds. (hands up who didn't snarf at least once whilst reading that)