Gack Yack

BEHOLD, the unbreakable bonds of food love: Milk and cookies. Peanut butter and jelly. But most of all, spaghetti and meatballs. For those brave enough to step away from the Lightlife and make their own balls, a recipe is coming AT YOU. Tonight we take you INSIDE a vegan meatball.

Courtesy of SuperVegan

Balls
Makes three dozen balls (6-8 servings)

* 2 c cooked kidney beans
* 1 c dry lentils
* 2 c vegetable broth
* 1/4 c ground flax seeds
* 6 oz tomato paste
* 2 tbsp mustard
* 2 tbsp safflower oil
* 1 1/4 c panko bread crumbs
* 1/3 c a-p flour
* 2 tbsp dried oregano
* 1 tbsp dried thyme
* 1 tbsp dried rosemary
* 1 tbsp dried marjoram

Sauce

* 2 jars of sauce, if, like me, you don’t need to prove anything cause you’re about to make your own meatballs. YEAH.
* 1 medium-sized onion
* 2 tbsp chopped garlic
* 2 sliced zucchini
* 2 tbsp safflower oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a dainty coat of oil on a large baking pan.

2. Pour veggie broth in a sauce pan and place lentils inside. Bring to a boil at medium heat. Simmer until lentils soften, about 15 minutes. If you don’t have veggie broth, don’t make this. It will not be as good and I absolutely cannot be responsible for your failures.

3. Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. I use a stand-up mixer because I’m spoiled. So can you!

4. Time to get messy. Form dough into balls about the size of golf balls and line them up on the baking pan.

5. Toss the baking pan in the oven to bake for 30 minutes, turning balls every 6 minutes.

6. Remove balls from oven. Get spaghetti water salted and heating toward a boil.

7. Heat oil in a very large frying pan at low heat. Once it’s sizzling a little (but not smoking) add the onions, garlic, and zucchini and saute until they are fragrant and translucent. Introduce sauce and meatballs. (Sauce, meatballs. Meatballs, sauce.) Keep everything moving in the frying pan until all is warmed through.

8. Meanwhile, throw that spaghetti in the boiling water and cook until finished. If things go to plan, the spaghetti and the meatballs will be done at the same time.

9. Serve!

INGREDIENTS

* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 3/8 cup red wine
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
* 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in wine, sugar, basil, red pepper, tomato paste, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, black pepper and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in parsley. Ladle over the hot cooked pasta of your choice.

Courtesy of Allrecipes.com