Tofu-Spinach Meatballs

What was your first exposure to spinach? This green tasty dish is the key ingredient in many pieces of vegan cuisine, from eggless pies, crockpot dishes, to smaller morsels. Tofu is a fascinating blank-slate ingredient that works well with a lot of different greens and serves as a healthy meat substitute for different recipes, like these tofu-spinach meatballs. Here’s something to spice up your dinners.

Portions: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 280 gr spinach, fresh or frozen, chopped
• 400 gr tofu extra firm, drained and pressed
• 0.5 cup yeast
• 2 tbsp pine nuts, chopped (or almonds)
• 5 tbsp chickpea flour (or whole wheat flour)
• 2 tsp seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp flax seeds, grounded
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs, whole wheat
• 1.5 cup tomato sauce, salt-free
• 0.25 cup mozzarella, nondairy

PREPARATION:

1. Place spinach in a large bowl and separate it with your fingers. Then, crumble the tofu into the bowl.
2. Add the yeast, nuts, seasons, ground flax seeds and 4 tablespoons of flour together with water to form a paste.
3. Add to the spinach-tofu mixture and mix together to form a dough. Add additional flour as needed if the mixture seems too wet.
4. Using a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, form mixture into compact, firm balls. Roll in bread crumbs.
5. Spoon some sauce into a baking dish, add the balls and cover with additional sauce and top with non-dairy mozzarella.
6. Cover the baking dish and bake at 180˚C for 20 minutes or until heated through with the cheese melted.
7. Serve with additional sauce, if desired.