Lost in Cyberspace

Well now that I am almost done with the semester I have come back to my sadly neglected blog and found this post from September that I never managed to finish. As meatballs really are one of my top ten all time favorites I couldn't let this entry get lost in cyberspace, so here it is.

Meatballs are one of my favorite things. Not just favorite foods but favorite things in general. They are round. They are delicious. And you eat them with spaghetti. What more could you ask for?

Meatballs were one of the few things my mum made growing up that I really liked (I hope my mum doesn't read this). She would make mix the meat with breadcrumbs, spices and A1 and then simmer them for hours in the Dutch oven and the whole house would smell slightly tart with tomato and that mouthwatering meatball smell.

As much as I love my mum's meatballs, I never have time to simmer anything for hours on a weekday. Last night we needed something quick for dinner and had no ground beef but there was a package of soy protein in the fridge... so I meatballs it was (well they aren't meatballs but soyballs just does not sound appetizing at all). With the right spices, soy protein can be good- perhaps not as good as beef meatballs- but on the other hand soy protein won't leave your arteries looking like a gutter at the end of autumn either. If soy meatballs seem a little out there for you, you could substitute ground beef or turkey for the soy or you could even make half soy/half beef meatballs.

Almost Meatballs
1 lb. soy protein meat substitute, not in crumble form (I use GimmeLean)
1/3 c. Italian style breadcrumbs
1/4 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 t. dried oregano
1 T. dried basil
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 c. grated onion
Several shakes of A1 steak sauce
A bit of canola or olive of for cooking

-Mix all of the ingredients well. The mix will seem quite sticky but this is normal.

- Cover the mix and refrigerate for 30+ minutes.

- When you are ready to cook, take out a non-stick skillet and add a little bit of oil, about a teaspoon and heat over medium-high.

- Form the meatballs and add them to the pan. I prefer my almost meatballs to be quite small, sort of cocktail meatball size, but they can be however large you'd like.

- After all the meatballs are added, give the pan a shake to coat all the balls in a little bit of the oil. Continue to shake every minute or so until they are browned on all sides.

- Serve with your favorite pasta and tomato sauce, or on a crusty Italian roll with sauce.