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Meatless Meatballs
These are delicious over spaghetti noodles with a tomato sauce or a pesto sauce.
Cook lentils. Wash dry lentils and boil in water for 25 minutes. I cook the whole package and add to salads and soups to boost protein. Let cool.
Sauté in a little olive oil until soft about 10 minutes:
2 carrots chopped
1 onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
Add:
2 T tomato paste
8 oz. mushrooms chopped
Cook and stir another 10 minutes
Cool to room temperature
Mix:
The cooked vegetable mixture with
2 cups cooked lentils
¼ cup chopped parsley
3 large eggs
1/c parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ c breadcrumbs (I take two ends of frozen Ezekiel bread and blend in blender to make crumbs)
Make into 24 balls about the size of golf balls. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Eat with spaghetti sauce or pesto sauce over rice noodles or pasta (I like Annie Chun’s brand Maifun rice noodles).
Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce
Simmer for 50 minutes:
The rest of the can or jar of Tomato Paste
½ cup water
½ cup onion
1 clove garlic pressed or chopped finely
1 medium zucchini chopped
1 medium yellow squash chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon of the following spices – oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary (and any other spices you like)
You may want to double this recipe if you like a lot of sauce.
Basil-Spinach Pesto Sauce
In a food processor blend:
½ cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic
Add:
2 ½ c. spinach
½ to 1 cup fresh basil
2 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 T water
Blend for a minute or so until completely blended.
Great over meatless meatballs or as a dip with chips.
Keeps in the refrigerator for a week.
Julia Child's Eggplant Pizzas (From Julia Child's Kitchen.)
Ingredients:
1globe eggplant about 8 ounces and 9-10 inches long
about 1 T salt, for drawing water out of eggplant
about 2 T olive oil, for brushing eggplant before roasting
about 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, for sprinkling on eggplant before roasting
10 large basil leaves, cut in chiffonade strips (optional)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup finely grated low-fat mozzarella blend
hot red pepper flakes for sprinkling finished pizza (optional)
Sauce Ingredients:
2-3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) good quality petite diced tomatoes with liquid (or use 2 cups peeled and diced fresh tomatoes)
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning blend
1/4 tsp. dried oregano (use Greek or Turkish oregano)
Instructions:
Cut off both ends of the eggplant; then cut it into 3/4 inch thick slices (trying to make them the same thickness!) Put the eggplant pieces on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt. Let the eggplant sit with the salt on it for about 30 minutes to draw out the liquid. (After the eggplant sits for 15 minutes, turn on the oven to 375F/190C.)
While the eggplant sits, make the sauce. Heat 2-3 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan) and sauté the finely chopped garlic just until it becomes fragrant. (Don't let it brown.) Add the petite diced tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, and dried oregano and let the sauce cook at a low simmer until it's thickened, breaking up the tomatoes with a fork as it cooks. (Add water as needed, a few tablespoons at a time as the sauce cooks, keeping it hot by simmering at very low heat until it's needed for the eggplant slices.)
After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with paper towels (this also removes most of the salt.) Spray a roasting sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray, lay eggplant slices on, brush the tops of the eggplant with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried Italian seasoning. Roast the eggplant about 25 minutes (but "not so long that the slices become mushy and lose their shape" as Julia says.)
While the eggplant roasts, thinly slice the fresh basil leaves (if using) and combined freshly grated Parmesan and low-fat mozzarella blend. After 25 minutes or when eggplant pieces are done, remove eggplant from the oven and turn oven setting to broil. Spread a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of each eggplant slice, sprinkle with thin basil slices (if using) and top with a generous amount of cheese. Put pizzas under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. (This took 6-7 minutes for me, but I was using a toaster oven and in a more powerful broiler it would probably only take a few minutes.) Serve hot, with red pepper flakes to sprinkle on pizza if desired.
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