TVP Meatballs

I made these twice during our Daniel Fast and my teenage son made them himself once because he loved them so much and was trying to stick to a vegan diet for his foods class. These taste interestingly a lot like meat, but you almost need a sauce to make them really pass for a meatball. They are good for snacking without the sauce, but if you put them in marinara or even BBQ sauce, they are delicious! 

    2 cups dry textured soy protein granules
    1 3/4 cups veggie broth (or 1 bouillon cube dissolved in water)
    1 medium yellow onion, minced
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1/2 cup vital wheat gluten flour
    1 tablespoon Tamari or soy sauce
    1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
    1/2 teaspoon oregano
    1/2 teaspoon chili powder
    1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    oil, for frying

Directions:

1. Reconstitute textured soy protein granules by placing them in a microwave safe bowl, pouring the broth over the granules, covering tightly with plastic wrap and placing them in the microwave for 5-6 minutes.  Alternatively, you can pour boiling broth over the dry granules, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. In a skillet, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat mix in the flour, Tamari and all of the spices. Let sit until cool enough to handle.

3. With your hands, form balls about 1 1/2" in diameter. Use a lot of pressure when forming your balls, tee-hee, you don’t want them to fall apart. Lightly fry them in a small amount of oil, rolling them around in the pan to brown on all sides.

Source of recipe: This recipe was submitted by Joni Marie Newman, author of Cozy Inside, published by the Newman Press. See http://www.cozyinside.com for more recipes.

Serves: 20 balls, Preparation time: 20 min
'