If the Godfather were vegan
Today, I’m sharing a recipe for my If the Godfather Were Vegan Meatballs.
Trust me - if the Godfather were vegan, he’d definitely eat these every damn day of the week! These plant-based nuggets of deliciousness hit the spot. Put them in a sandwich, add them to pasta, eat them on their own with some homemade pesto or marinara sauce or make them into a burger-sized patty instead. You won’t be disappointed and the cows will thank you!
If the Godfather Were Vegan Meatballs
Makes about 30 meatballs or 8 burgers, depending on how big you like ‘em!
Ingredients:
1 cup of brown rice
1 cup of oat flour (make your own by grinding oats in a food processor)
1 cup of walnuts
1 to 2 tablespoons of crushed garlic - it’s good for you!
Small red onion, diced
1 large portobello mushroom cap or a 10-ounce package of Baby Bellas
2 tablespoons Nutritional yeast
A few shakes of Trader Joe’s Umami seasoning
Fresh herbs (parsley and basil work great but add what you like)
A splash of liquid smoke to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add rice, oat flour, walnuts, garlic and onion to food processor. Pulse for one to two minutes. Add mushrooms, umami seasoning, nutritional yeast, herbs and liquid smoke. Pulse until the mixture forms a paste and does not have large chunks. Feeling a little spunky? Add your favorite vegan cheese to the mix or any other spices you have on hand.
Scoop mixture out of food processor and form into delicate little meatballs or burger patties - it’s your choice! Your hands are going to get really effing messy so keep a small bowl of water nearby and wet your hands when necessary to prevent too much plant-based goodness from sticking to your hands. Also, whoever has to clean the kitchen will thank you later for not getting this sh*t all over the place.
Place your meatballs or burger patties on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and bake for about 25 minutes, turning at least once.
Serve with your favorite sauce - I love homemade pesto or homemade marinara using tomatoes from the garden!
If the Godfather Were Vegan meatballs pair well with any The Vulgar Vegan cupcake but I’m thinking I need to put my apron on and create a vegan Tiramisu cupcake!
