Sweet and Sour Vegan Meatballs

When I was little and I would be begging for something I couldn't have, my Dad would sing me the song "You Can't Always Get What You Want", by the Rolling Stones.  It would irritate the crap out of me and I just hated hearing that song.  I am sure I heard the song hundreds of times played or sung over the years.  The funny thing is though, now as an adult, I appriciate it.  It is true, as the lyrics go..."you can't always get what you want...but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need."  Life is misreable for anyone who doesn't believe this.  If I didn't I would have been really upset last night when I went to make Vegan Italian meatballs but didn't have any canned tomatoes or pasta on hand.  Instead of getting upset, I decided that it was not meant to be an Italian night, but instead and Asian night for dinner. 

I had the ingredients for Asian flavored meatballs, so I made Sweet and Sour Vegan Meatballs with sauteed veggies.  And you know what?  They were amazing...and I happened to have some plum saki in my fridge to serve them with!  Lesson learned, not getting what I wanted can lead to creativity and a delicious new recipe.  Here it is if you wish to try it! 

Sweet and Sour Vegan Meatballs

Serves 4

Meatballs:

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1 cup chopped red onion
3 cups chopped crimini mushrooms
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
1 cup shredded carrots
1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts
2 cups dried whole wheat bread crumbs, or as needed
2 Tbsp miso
2 Tbsp tamari
2 tsp sea salt
red pepper flakes

freshly ground pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

red pepper flakes

1 1/4 cups apple cider

1/4 cup tamari

2 Tbsp mirin

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

3 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp water

Veggies:
1 Tbsp peanut oil
3 cups brussels sprouts, halved
2 large carrots, halved and sliced
2 cups mushroom, sliced

toasted sesame seeds
rice to serve

Preheat the oven to 475.  To make meatballs, heat 1 Tbsp peanut oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, ginger, and carrots, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and saute until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and saute another minute until fragrant, then remove from heat.  Place mixture in a food processor along with walnuts, breadcrumbs, miso, tamari, sea salt, and pepper.  Process until smooth.  Add a little more breadcrumbs if too sticky, then shape into 16 little balls and place on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes until heated through, and starting to brown.  Meanwhile, whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.  In a large non-stick skillet heat 1 Tbsp peanut oil and add the brussels sprouts, carrots and mushrooms.  Saute until starting to soften, but still slighlty crunchy, just a few minutes.  Add the sauce, and cook until thickened, just a few minutes.  Remove from heat and add meatballs.  Carefully stir to coat (meatballs are fragile, so be careful), sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with rice if desired.

Thai Tofu Lettuce Cups

I am all for simple things for dinner as of lately as it seems like I never have a free moment to just sit.  So last week when I wanted something fast for dinner, I decided that the tofu I had in the fridge was a good option, combined with veggies I simply needed to chop. 

I have seen lettuce wraps on restaurant menus, but they almost always have pork, beef or some other sort of meat...and being vegetarian I would never try them.  But I would try and make some for myself which is exactly what I did with the tofu. 

I combined it with a sweet savory dressing and some local peppers and scallions, then simply wrapped it in lettuce I had bought at the farmer's market.  Super simple, but that is what was needed and it was delicious!  I don't know why I waited until now to try making them! 

I even made a Thai Pineapple Martini to go along with it...and if you are interested the recipe will be on my other blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake! 

Happy Monday, and hope you all have a wonderful week, even if it may be busy. 

Thai Tofu Lettuce Cups

Serves 2

Tofu:

10 oz tofu, cut into small cubes

1 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp peanut oil

Dressing:

1 Tbsp tamari

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 red bell pepper, minced

2 scallions, sliced

6 large leaves of lettuce

To make tofu, preheat oven to 475 degrees, line a sheet pan with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss tofu with tamari and peanut oil and spread out on pan.  Roast for about 15 minutes until starting to brown and remove from oven.  Whisk together dressing ingredients.  In a bowl, combine tofu, pepper and scallions and toss with dressing to coat.  To serve spoon tofu mixture into the lettuce leaves and eat taco style.