|
||||
Carrot and Walnut Tofu NeatballsIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for email updates. Thanks for visiting!
I don’t know where the phrase “neatball” comes from, but it seems to have been universally applied to all vegetarian versions of the classic meatball. I first saw a variation of this term at Victory’s Banner restaurant in Chicago, which serves “Neatloaf Sandwiches” (they are delicious, FYI). Since then, I’ve come across various recipes for neatballs, including the spaghetti and beanball recipe in Veganomicon My neatballs are based on three ingredients: carrots, walnuts and tofu. What I love about this recipe is
Of course, what makes these meatballs come alive is a good tomato sauce and some pasta or a nice roll to go with it. One of the best things I ate last week was this neatball sub sandwich:
Mind the mess – but isn’t that what a neatball sub is all about? Also tasty is the classic spaghetti and neatball pasta meal (a glass of wine and a nice salad helps). I suspect this same mixture would also do well as a stuffing for cannelloni, pasta shells or manicotti. Or as a filling in vegan lasagna. Carrot and Walnut Tofu Neatballs
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped 3 carrots, grated 1 cup walnuts, 450g firm (not silken) tofu, frozen, then thawed 2 tsp basil 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp oregano juice from 1/4 lemon 150g firm silken tofu (about 1/2 box) olive oil for greasing salt and pepper
Saute the garlic, red onion and carrots in the olive oil until soft.
While that’s going, take the frozen tofu and squeeze out as much water as you can (I suggest tearing it into a few pieces and squeezing each piece with your hands over the sink. Don’t worry if it crumbles apart – that is its destiny!) In a food processes, blitz the walnuts until they are roughly ground. Add the firm tofu, herbs, lemon juice and sauteed veggies. Blend until everything is about the size of breadcrumbs. Now, with the food processor running, start adding the silken tofu a spoonful at a time. When it looks like things are coming together, stop, and try to make a test ball. If it all holds together well, you’re ready to go. If not, add a little more silken tofu. Also, you may need to scrape the sides and bottom of your food processor as you go. Form the mixture into balls (I like to make mine fairly small, about the diameter of a quarter) and place on a well oiled cookie sheet or roasting pan. Bake at 350F/180C for about 15 minutes. Rotate the balls and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Makes about 25 neatballs. Per ball: 58 Calories; 3.3g Protein; 4.4g Total Fat; 2.3g Total Carbohydrates.
 Related posts:
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. 8 comments to Carrot and Walnut Tofu Neatballs |
       |
|||
|
Copyright © 2010 SmarterFitter - All Rights Reserved |
||||
and this impressive 
YUMMY! These look awesome and are getting bookmarked – thanks for sharing the recipe. Neatballs are a brand name that gets used to generalise similar things (like sellotape and biro) but I think it’s a great name because they are neat.
These look not only neat, but totally awesome! And what a great idea, creating a low-carb variation!
Looks fantastic! Mmmm.
I love that you don’t use any bread in these. I might have to have a neatball night where I make up all the recipes everyone’s been making and do a taste test! These are topping the list though of wholesome goodness!
These look fantastics.. into the recipe book it goes
Good grief these look fantastic Monica. I’ve made soy bombs before, which are a mixture of tofu, peanut butter, soy sauce, breadcrumbs, onions and herbs. They’re fantastic. But I also like the idea of making a vegie “meatball” to have with tomato sauce etc. Great sounding recipe.
Neatballs without breadcrumbs are perfect for gluten free eaters as well as carbophobes. They sound tasty with the walnuts!
I made these tonight for a family gathering where there was a mixture of vegetarians (inc me), people with gluten sensitivity and also people who are dairy intolerant.
This recipe catered for them all and I’m really happy with how they turned out, the outside being nice and brown with the centre still being soft (oh, and getting compliments was nice!).