Penne Marinara, with vegan balls.

 

So, this is how I made use of those vegan meatballs. I usually like spaghetti, my hubby likes penne, so, I cooked some whole wheat penne pasta and topped it with marinara sauce. Makes a very heavy lunch or dinner and it is tasty too. Marinara sauce is very simple to make and uses very less ingredients. If you are in a hurry and need to fix something fast and healthy, this recipe is the one you choose to do. Use vegan cheese to make the recipe vegan. The amount of oil and cheese are you to your choice.

Prep time: 10 Mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Servings: upto 6

Ingredients:

1. Whole grain\multi grain\regular pasta - 1 box (please cook the amount you would use)

2. Tomatoes [plum preferably] - 4 to 6, Finely chopped

3. Tomato paste - 1 6oz can,

4. Garlic - 3 to 4 pods grated\minced or paste of 2 tsp.

5. Basil dry - 3 tsp, or 1/4 cup fresh finely chopped.

6. Olive oil - 1/4 cup (you can use less)

7. Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup (you can use less)

8. Salt - to taste

9. Ground Pepper - 1/2 tsp

10. Chilly flakes - 1/2 tsp [optional]

Method:

1. Cook the amount of pasta you need according to the instructions on the box. It would be good for your health if you used multi grain or whole wheat pasta.

2. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add garlic and dry basil, saute for a few seconds. 

3. Add chopped tomatoes, place a lid on the pan and a little salt and let it sweat well.

4. Add the tomato paste and sufficient water, pepper and salt. Cook for 10 minutes. The consistency of the sauce must be slightly thinner than of ketchup after it cooks for 10 minutes.

5. If you are using fresh basil, add it and let it simmer for 2 minutes more. While this is going on, drop in the vegan meatballs and cover the lid on the pan. after 2 minutes, turn the stove off and let it stay for 5 to 10 minutes. If you are using frozen vegan balls as I did, drop them in before 5 minutes you turn the stove off. Pour over pasta and enjoy.

Tips:

If you want to, you can toss in pasta into the sauce and cook for 3 more minutes, it makes the pasta absorb the sauce more. If you have made a lot of sauce and won't be using it just then, ladle out some sauce into separate pan, add pasta and cook. Keep in mind, vegan balls get very delicate after soaking in the sauce.

Steamed spicy lentil balls, (Nuchhina Unde/ Pidiche)

The snack I bet is most nourishing and healthy. High on protein and low in fat, one tasty mix of lentils which can make a good snack or a side. Good for growing kids, who need a lot of protein. We make it on a festival "Vinayaka Chowti", the birthday of lord Ganesha as this is his favorite snack. Give it a taste and you will realize why? Try it and find out for yourself. Every household has a different way of making them. we like them this way.. Enjoy.

Perp Time : 30 Mins

Cook time : 30 Mins

Pieces: upto 25

Ingredients:

1. Split Yellow lentils (Toor dal) - 1 cup

2. Spilt Moong (Moong dal) - 1/2 cup

3. Split chickpeas (Chana dal) - 1/2 cup 

4. Coconut scrapings fresh or frozen - 1/2 cup

5. Green chillies/dry chillies - 7 to 8 (more or less according to your taste)

6. Ginger root - 1 to 1 1/2" piece roughly chopped.

7. Cilantro/coriander leaves - a handful

8. Dill weed - a handful (optional)

9. Salt - to taste

For tempering:

1. Oil - 1 tbsp

2. Curry leaves - 1 string, finely chopped

3. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

4. Asfoetida - 3 pinches

5. Turmeric - 2 pinches

Method:

1. Soak all the three dals/lentlis overnight or 5 hours minimum.

2. Make a coarse batter of all the ingredients excluding salt. The batter must be made without water or adding very little water, it has to hold the solid shape of the fist. Add salt just before you are ready to make the ball and mix well.

3. take some batter into your fist and press gently till it holds a oval shape. like wise make all the batter into such balls and steam them in a pressure cooker without the whistle on or in any other steamer for 20 mins or till well done. Let it cool in the cooker/steamer for about 10 minutes before you take it out. Cool further till you can handle them. 

3. Heat oil in a big wok and make the tempering by adding mustard seeds first after the splutter, add asfoetida, turmeric and curry leaves and turn the stove off. Break the balls you steamed into the wok. Make sure you have not left any big chunks.

4. Turn the stove back on and mix the tempering and the steamed mixture well. Do not over heat as it will make the balls dry and they wont hold the shape.

5. Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, make the ball again like the previous time and eat them up.

Serving Suggestions:

It tastes good as it is, however, can be served with coconut/Sweet tamarind chutney or both. Or it can be served with a broth called "majjige huli", for which I have uploaded a recipe. Just click on the name to navigate.

Tips:

1. If you have a idly stand, just press the mixture into the idly trays and steam them in the shape of idlys. 

2. If you want, you can mix the tempering to the raw mixture and steam them, you will not have to recook anything again. This save some time.

3. If you want you can resteam the balls after you mix the already steamed balls to the tempering. This is very time consuming though... you may give it a try.

4. You may use onions, if you do, please do not use coconut. Finely chop onions and saute it in the tempering and continue with same method. 

5. You may just use chana dal (split chickpeas) or Split yellow lentils (Toor dal)... I use all three to include different kinds of protein and this particular mixture gives a wonderful taste. 

6. You can grind curry leaves with batter, this will make sure the flavour is mixed evenly through the mixture. If you add it in tempering, it might not be the case.

7. If you have food processor attachment which cops veggies, this will give the perfect consistency for the batter... a blender attachment may make a very smooth paste as opposed to the needed coarse batter.