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Vegan Mushroom and Lentil Plant Balls Recipe

Vegan Mushroom and Lentil Plant Balls

With Yellow and red pepper and tomato sauce
Make 25mini plant balls
These a seriously to die for. So very satisfying you truly don’t feel like you missed meat at all! I served mine without pasta and added the salad you see which is just arugula, avocado, cucumber, leftover roasted carrots and parsnips tossed in olive oil and seasoned rice vinegar. And of course, it’s all organic ingredients.
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Ingredients
  

For the Balls

  • 1 cup dried brown or green lentils
  • 2 cups vegetable broth, or water
  • 3/4 cup panko, or gluten free panko
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil + 2 Tbsp
  • 1 cup carrots, yellow onion, button mushrooms and celery (1/4 cup of each) pulsed in a Cuisinart until minced
  • ½ cup organic tomato sauce, I like Mezzeta Brand Arriabata
  • ½ tsp. pink salt
  • 1 tsp. crushed fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp. garlic salt
  • 1 tsp. dried or fresh thyme
  • ¾ tsp. black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or chili flakes
  • ½ cup Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast
  • Garnish-Bragg’s Nutritional yeast

For the Sauce

  • 1 yellow pepper, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 small tomato
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1 ½ cups Mezzeta Brand Arriabata, or your fav brand
  • ½ cup water or veggie stock
  • 1 tsp. black pepper

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. With a handheld inverted blender, puree the sauce to slightly chunky. Set aside and make the plant balls.

Instructions
 

  • Make the sauce first. Rinse the lentils and put in a pot with 2 cups vegetable brothor water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20-30 minutes. If you need to add more liquid do so. Check them at 20 minutes making sure they aren’t beginning to get mushy. If they aren’t but getting soft, cook another 5 minutes and drain. Place in a medium bowl.
  • While the lentils are cooling, heat a skillet and add olive oil and add the onions, carrot, mushroom and celery mix. Saute on high heat for about 3 minutes and set aside on a large bowl. Mix the 1 tablespoon of Bob’s egg replacer with 2tablespoons of water and mix well. In the Cuisinart, add the lentils and eggreplacer mix and pulse until almost pureed. Add the tomato sauce and pulse a few more times. Place this with sauteed vegetables, adding the panko, spices and herbs. Mix well.
  • With moist hands, make the mini plant balls in 1-inch rounds. Place on a plate. In a large saute pan on medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil add 10-14meatballs. Cook for about 1 minute and turn them over, covering the plant balls with a lid. Turn heat on low and let them steam/saute for about 4-5 minutes tossing a few times. Repeat with the remaining meatballs.
  • Warm the sauce place a nice puddle on the bottom of the plate or bowl and top with however many balls you like, (5 was perfect for me). Top with a little more sauce and sprinkle with nutritional yeast. You can also serve with pasta ,tossing the sauce in for extra yumminess.