Buffalo Tempeh Meatballs #Vegan

Serves 28 meatballs
Ingredients
½ small onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp. ground flax seed
3 tbsp. warm water
1 block tempeh
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1/3 + ¼ cup gluten-free bread crumbs
Canola oil, for frying
1 tbsp. vegan butter/nuttelex
1 cup hot sauce
½ cup tomato sauce
½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
Carrot and celery sticks
Vegan blue cheese dressing for dipping





1. In a small mug, combine the flaxseed and warm water. Mix and let sit for about 10 minutes. This is your binder.
2. Break up the tempeh and add it to a food processor. Add the onion, carrot, celery, scallions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and the parmesan or nutritional yeast to the food processor. Process until everything is combined.
3. Add the parsley, oregano, cayenne and salt to the food processor. Add the flax mixture and 1/3 cup of bread crumbs to the food processor and process until well combined. Taste for seasoning adjustments.
4. Spread the remaining ¼ cup of bread crumbs on a plate. Using a spoon, scoop up some of the tempeh mix and roll it into a ball – about 1 inch in size. Roll the tempeh meatball in the bread crumbs so that it’s completely covered and set it aside on a baking sheet. Continue making meatballs until you use up all the tempeh mix. This recipe makes about 28 meatballs.
5. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh meatballs to the skillet and fry them. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to fry them in batches. Make sure the meatballs brown on all sides. The way I do this is to pull the skillet back and forth by the handle which makes the tempeh meatballs roll around. I find this covers all the sides better than trying to turn them with a utensil. When they are browned, transfer the meatballs back to the baking sheet lined with paper towels.
6. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce and broth to the pan. Mix and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until it thickens, about 7 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool down a bit. If the tempeh meatballs go into boiling hot sauce, they could fall apart.
7. When the sauce cools down a bit, transfer it into a large bowl. Add the meatballs to the sauce and toss gently to coat. Serve with carrot and celery sticks and vegan blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Recipe Courtesy of One Green Planet and Food Monster here http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/vegan-buffalo-tempeh-meatballs/