Isa & Terry's Beanballs with Marinara Sauce and wholemeal spaghetti

Kitchen Play List:  Newton Faulkner ~ Rebuilt by Humans Album

Bean Balls in Marinara Sauce on wholemeal spaghetti

This meal would be a contender for my last meal on this earth. Seriously! lol. It works as a simple meal for two and I have been known to serve it, production line styley for 20 people! lol. It's true. And I have to say that I am a little relieved to be posting it finally, as it's the recipe that most people ask for, when I have cooked it for them. I do wax lyrical about Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romeros wonderful tome Veganomicon 


I have lost count how many times I have typed this recipe out for my meat eating family and pals so now I can say.."Hey..check out the blog man!" lol. But Isa and Terry should take it as a huge compliment that it's asked for so much..lol. You never know I may get one of the omnivores to buy the recipe book one day..lol.

The bean balls are great with marinara and pasta and they also work great with a wholemeal sub roll with the same marinara and pine nut cream..all recipes of Isa and Terry's. I don't think there are even words for how good these recipes are together. Just try them...please? lol. 

The hardest thing about making the bean balls is mashing the kidney beans...then it's all thrown in together and you roll them up for baking. I use a tbsp measure to get the perfect sized bean balls. The only adaption I make is that I cannot eat Wheat Gluten...I can't bare the chewiness that you get...too much like meat to me..sorry..so I use the alternative which is plain wholemeal flour. 

A warning for when making the marinara...you will suddenly find people gravitating towards the kitchen and taking deep sniffs of the sauce because it smells soooo good. lol. It's made in 15 minutes and I always adhere to Isa and Terry's K.I.S.S principal...Keep It Simple Stupid. lol. Still makes me chuckle and I've made this recipe a thousand times. 

I serve mine more often than not with wholemeal spaghetti and some steamed broccoli. 

This is the link to Isa & Terrys Website http://www.theppk.com/

Isa & Terry's Bean Balls I get 32 bean balls using a tbsp measure
(Recipe from Veganomican/Moskowitz&Romero)

Beans Balls hot out of the oven..lol

2 14 oz tins kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil (I use Rotino Healthier Cooking Oil ~R~)
2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup wheat gluten or plain wholemeal flour
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme

Pre-heat the oven to 375'F/190'C/Gas Mark 5. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Mash the kidney beans in a mixing bowl  until no whole beans are left. (We start with a potato masher and then finish with a fork to get any rebel ones!) You don't want them to be completely smooth though. Add the soy sauce, tomato paste, oil, garlic, lemon zest, breadcrumbs, wheat gluten or flour and herbs and use a fork to mix it all together. Using a tbsp measure scoop out portions and roll them between your palms and then place them onto the lined tray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and then flip them and bake for another 10. Remove from the oven.

NB: I always make mine ahead of needing them so I usually reheat them in the final minutes of cooking the marinara sauce. ~R~

Isa & Terry's Marinara Sauce Recipe Makes approx 4 servings
(Recipe from Veganomicon/Moskowitz&Romero)

2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 14oz tin chopped tomatoes
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt, (I use 1/4 tsp ~R~)
1/4 tsp sugar (This is my addition...so it's optional ~R~)
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the oil and garlic and saute for about a minute, until fragrant, being careful not to let it burn. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and raise the heat a little to bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

NB: I try and reduce oil in the recipes I cook and I have tried with this one but you definitely lose something by doing so. So when I make this sauce I always use the full amount needed. Sometimes...you just gotta give a little! ~R~

I know it's not a popular way of cooking pasta but I cook mine in the microwave as I don't like the vats of water sat on stove tops. So I use a large microwaveable bowl and put my required amount of pasta in it. Cover it with freshly boiled water from the kettle (I strain mine but that's because we live in a hard water area..total pain!) and cook on High for 6 minutes then remove and stir. Cook for 3-4 more minutes and then strain the pasta. 

It's simply a case of heating the bean balls in the sauce and then spooning over the cooked pasta. But please treat them gently, no chefy tossing the balls around in the sauce..lol.

Serve and enjoy...and thank the vegan gurus that are Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero for such wonderful recipes..lol. 

~R~
   

Griddle Production Line Days

Kitchen Play List:  Luke Morley ~ Loving You 
                                 The Kinks ~ Autumn Almanac
                                 Evanescence ~ All That I'm Living For
                                 Shakira ~ Eyes Like Yours
                                 Jace Everett ~ I Gotta Have It
                                 Robert Palmer ~ Simply Irresistable
                                 Shelby Lynne ~ The Look Of Love

Those of you that have been following my ramblings will know that I am currently learning to love certain foods like Aubergine, Tofu and Avocado. It's purely a texture issue as I am the same with whole cooked mushrooms. It must be the meaty texture thing! I truly am getting there with the experimenting I'm doing in the kitchen. I have found that I do like them all but only if prepared in certain ways. 

I remember watching in horror as a 'representative' vegan prepared a meal for 4 non vegans on a television show. His starter was slabs of raw tofu and avocados sandwiched together and presented on a plate. I do know people that would've sat happily and eaten it but it would have sent me running from the room which is what the non-vegans almost did. So over the last few years I've come to the conclusion that with tofu I do love it but it has to be part of something! I make fritatta's, vegan omelets. scrambles, burger, patties and use it as a binder for other recipes. All I can eat happily. 

Then I started to experiment with baking slices of tofu after having a slice of Pesto Tofu as part of a brunch my friend D put together on New Years Day. I really liked it and it inspired me to try making my own. I have baked slices from raw, after being soaked in marinates and being coated in sauces. And so far they have all been really good. So my conclusion was that I could eat tofu as long as it wasn't raw! A couple of weeks ago I tried griddling it on my stove top griddle pan and using a scant brush of oil on it, I tossed the slices on and they firmed up lovely. 

It's the same with the magnificent aubergine/eggplant. I like it cooked and not in massive quantities. I like it to be part of a dish..not the whole dish until recently, when I had griddled aubergines and they were so succulent and well cooked I finally found my aubergine love! That lead to me trying out another cooking method in a Donna Klein recipe and I was so happy to have found a mainly aubergine based dish that I truly enjoyed eating! Hooray! 

I am still working on the Avocado love. lol. Hopefully in time....

And the point to this blog is this...This week I found myself with a glut of pressed tofu and aubergine in the fridge. So I sat down and wrote down some ideas that had popped into my brain at 3am!! I got out my griddle, not at 3am, but later that morning and started a production line of griddling. Beware though..my house had filled with smoke without me realising..lol.

I spent about an hour cooking the tofu and aubergine slices until my kitchen looked like a factory. The aubergine slices I cooled and then boxed them into a airtight container and stored them in the fridge until I needed them. And the tofu slices cooled down and dried nicely. I cannot eat slimy tofu so it suited my tastes greatly and was perfect for the recipes I wanted to use them for. I waited until completely cooled and I stored them in an another airtight container but left them out of the fridge and they kept just fine that way. 

The two recipes that I used them for will be posted on here in the next couple of days. I thought it would be better if I broke down the assembly of them. lol. Both turned out to be spectacular recipes so it is worth all the forward planning and work. And i have to say it was comforting to know they were all cooked and waiting to be used. It's opened up a whole new cooking realm for me to experiment in...

Red