meatless meatballs

i based the recipe for these meatballs on an almond flaxseed burger recipe in the THRIVE book and they were truly delicious! we all loved them, milo included as you can see by his empty dish. he kept saying "mmm noodles." no clue that he was devouring a dish of squash, seeds and nuts : )

the original recipe for the burgers calls for~
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp coconut, hemp or EFA oil blend (i used coconut oil & reduced the amount to 1tbsp)
sea salt to taste

i first ground the flaxseed in my blender until fine, added the almonds and blended again. i then transferred the mixture to a medium sized bowl and added the minced garlic, balsamic vinegar and coconut oil. i used my hand blender to blend all these ingredients together.

to this mixture i added~
3 tbsp BRAGG all purpose soy seasoning
1 cup finely chopped fresh baby spinach
1 medium grated carrot
1 cup cooked quinoa
and a couple tbsp of EPICURE guacamole dip mix
(you could substitute seasonings of your choice)
 
 @ this point i stirred all the ingredients together and tried to start rolling the mixture into "meatballs" but found i needed to blend everything a little more with the hand blender in order to obtain the right consistency. leave some un-blended bits of carrot and spinach in the mixture. roll into whatever sized meat balls you would like and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. bake in a 300* oven for 40 minutes or so. i turned the meat balls over about half way thru the cooking time.

i served these meatballs over spaghetti squash. to cook the squash i cut it in half and placed it skin side up on a baking dish. i covered it in foil and baked it for about 40 minutes @ 350*. i checked it frequently as i did not want the squash to become to mushy. it came out perfectly spaghetti like altho a little firmer than some might like. if you'd rather it be softer just bake it for a little longer. top all with a tomato sauce of your choice, store bought or homemade. mine was a mixture of both as we were out of tomatoes. i sauteed some onions in a little olive oil, added some red and orange peppers, garlic and combined this with a couple cans of organic tomato sauce & 1 small can of tomato paste to thicken it up a little. i also added a little agave nectar to cut the acidity of the tomato sauce. we will definitely be making this again.

the THRIVE recipe for the burgers tastes great as well but is a little heavy for me, i think the next time i make them i will use my modified recipe with the 1/2 amount of oil and adding the veggies & quinoa. the original makes enough for 2 patties but with the added ingredients i imagine it would make quite a few more.

the original recipe also makes an awesome bacon-bit-esque type topping that tastes great on a bed of salad greens topped with your choice of dressing or on a baked potato.