Dining In - Sweet-and-Sour Party Meatballs

Sweet-and-Sour Party Meatballs - Chloe's Kitchen

I've now made this recipe twice, but for two occasions that were a couple years apart. The first time I made them for a holiday party I was hosting and the second time was this year for a Thanksgiving appetizer. Both times they were a crowd pleaser for vegans and non-vegans. I caught my uncle going in for thirds at Thanksgiving and my friend kept asking for the recipe after my holiday party. We have Chloe Coscarelli to thank for this one. You can find this recipe and others in Chloe's Kitchen (buy your copy here). 

The ingredients are so filling that it can be good and bad as an appetizer - good because you may be too full to overindulge on the main course, but bad because you may be too full to fully enjoy the main course! Either way these are made with lots of healthy, hearty goodness. They have a creamy, nutty taste and the sweet and sour sauce goes perfectly with them to give little punch of tangy flavor. The sauce when cool starts to resemble a jelly from the cornstarch thickener and can be difficult to dip into, so it's best to serve both the "meatballs" and sauce warm.

Party Meatballs 1 8 oz. package of tempeh
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 oz. can lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil

Sweet and Sour Sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons cornstarch

To Prepare Meatballs: 

Start by steaming the tempeh to remove the bitterness. Break up the tempeh block into about 4 pieces to fit into a steamer basket over a small pot of water. Heat water on low to medium and steam tempeh for about 20 minutes. 

Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet and cook onions until softened. Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes, until fragrant. 

Using a food processor, add steamed tempeh, lentils, walnuts, flour, basil, salt and pepper and pulse until everything is blended and forms a thick paste. Though difficult to do, I like to leave some texture to the meatballs by not over-processing, but make sure all ingredients are incorporated together.

Using your hands scoop out mixture and form into 1-inch balls and place on a plate. 

Heat canola oil on medium heat and fry the meatballs using a wooden spoon to turn them to cook on all sides. It's hard to keep these perfectly round shaped, but moving them around often with the spoon helps. Transfer cooked meatballs to a paper towel covered plate to soak up excess oil. 

Soak up excess oil with paper towels

Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

To Prepare Sweet and Sour Sauce: 

In a medium saucepan, whisk all sauce ingredients together and heat on medium-high heat until mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat down to medium-low and continue cooking until the sauce thickens and big bubbles form, keep stirring throughout.


Stick a toothpick or fancier hors d'oeuvre pick into each ball for easy serving. Serve warm with sauce on the side or poured over meatballs so they are already covered.

Dining In - Pasta Carbonara with Shiitake Bacon

Pasta Carbonara with Shiitake Bacon - Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen

This recipe came from Chloe Coscarelli's newest cookbook Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen (buy a copy here). I don't own this yet, but she was kind enough to share this recipe with her fans and followers on her website, link here. I made it with my mom for a family dinner. Though my dad modified his by adding ham and making it not vegan, it was enjoyed by all. I was happy to eat it again for leftovers the next day. The sauce was creamy and light, similar to an alfredo sauce. I'm not a fan of mushrooms, but of all of the varieties I do prefer shiitake the most. The method of baking these until they crisp up for that"bacon" crunch for a topping was a great idea. They were coated in olive oil and it added nice texture to an otherwise simple bowl of pasta. I had many helpings of this, as is the usual struggle when eating Italian food. The tofu in the sauce brought in some needed protein along with the brown rice pasta I used. I would make this again without a doubt! I served it with a few slices of toasted Italian bread to soak up any sauce, but the sauce was fairly thick and stuck to the pasta instead.

Shiitake Bacon Topping
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and cut into thin slices, about 1/4 inch
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pasta Carbonara
1 pound gluten-free pasta (recommended: linguine, spaghetti, fettuccine)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped 
3 cloves of garlic, minced
14 oz. of soft tofu (I used silken tofu and didn't have any issues)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, for garnish
Vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast, for topping

To Prepare Shiitake Bacon:
Start by making the shiitake bacon first. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Toss mushrooms with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake on large cooking sheet for about 30 minutes, turning frequently with a spatula, until lightly browned and crisp.


To Prepare the Pasta Carbonara:

Using a large pot, boil water with a pinch of salt. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain (rinse if using gluten-free pasta) and return to the pot.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and let cook until soft. Add garlic and let cook a few more minutes, until fragrant. Remove from heat.
 
In a blender, add in onion, garlic, tofu, water, lemon juice, and salt. Blend on high for about two minutes until very smooth.

....After Blending

Add sauce to pasta and toss to coat. Season with salt and  pepper. Let pasta sit for about 5 minutes to allow sauce to thicken slightly. Top with shiitake bacon, parsley, vegan Parmesan topping, if using, and serve.  

Allow Pasta to Sit to Soak in Sauce!