Garden Lentil Balls, and Gremolata

If you are looking for something pretty...this isn't the dish you should be looking at, but if you are looking for something healthy, and good-for you vegetables made into meat balls...actually there's no meat in them just all vegetables mashed up, egg whites, and bread crumbs to bind them.

I almost forgot to mention the incredible gremolata which was mixed into the vegetables that really added the flavor to the lentil balls. Inspired by Joy Bauer's Slim and Scrumptious "Garden Lentil Burgers" recipe, I re-created something entirely different from a few basic ingredients. I will certainly make the Lentil Burgers next time, which has brown rice, soy sauce, and different kinds of veggies, and spices.

Gremolata is an Italian flavoring mixture, that is sprinkled over food. It consists of flat leaf Italian parsley, garlic, grated lemon rind, and spices. In this recipe, I added orange rind. Again, I made my own variation, and instead of saving the gremolata dry, in a jar to save the leftover, I added canola oil to it for better texture, and flavor.
It hold up to one week this way...if it lasts that long!

I used a bunch of flat leaf Italian parsley-make sure you chop the ends, of course...also a bunch of dill, (you can use a different type of herb to add to the parsley if you don't want to use dill...as long as you use the parsley as the main herb. I had tangerines on hand. About a teaspoon of chopped garlic, and seasoned sea salt.

I already pre-chopped the garlic, you can use 2 cloves if you don't have chopped...either way, it goes into the food processor.

It is easier to peel the tangerine, rather than grate it, because of the soft skin. You can of course, use grated orange, or grated lemon, which is usually made with.

Process all the ingredients in a food processor, and spoon them in a jar with a lid, add oil to it if you want to keep it longer than a couple days...with the oil, it will last up to one week.

Just look how beautiful, fresh, and vivid green gremolata you will have, that can be used in so many dishes, saute in vegetable dishes, added to the lentil mix as well, for the lentil balls.

This is the spicy sea salt I use. I added half of the jar in a pepper grinder, and mixed it with additional peppercorns. Such an amazing flavor it has, combined with peppers.












...and now, the recipe for the Garden Balls


2 cups of cooked and mashed lentils,
that already has chopped cooked onions
2 carrots, grated
2 large egg whites beaten
2 Tbsp gremolata,
additional salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups fine bread crumbs
2 Tbsp canola oil


In a large bowl, add the mashed lentils, that has been pre-mashed with a potato masher. Combine the additional ingredients, except the canola oil, and mash them all together. Form the mixture into balls, and roll them in additional bread crumbs. In a large skillet, add the oil, and on medium high heat brown the lentil balls. In a 250 degree oven, keep them warm on a baking sheet. You can serve marinara sauce over them. Do not add them directly into the sauce, or some of the lentil balls will fall apart. You can serve the lentil balls just by themselves as a side dish with other vegetables, or on top of mixed salad. Very healthy, and delicious!
Yields: about 12 lentil balls

BTW-as you can see, I lost my entire blog list when I was adding an additional blog to the list. The blogger did not have a URL feed, and the program let me know. When I tried to re-do it, to remove the message, I wiped out the entire blog list...literally wiped out the program, itself. Had to go back to edit-add a gadget, and it brings up the entire menu that you can choose from. Now, I'm starting one-by-one to add my blog list again. I apologize if I wiped out someone on the list that also features my blog on their list...even the ones that do not, at any rate, I will be adding them back, as I go along, commenting, to copy, and paste them back!
Thanks for your understanding...as the saying goes "everything happens for a reason"...gives me a chance to add new ones!

Recipe for the: Light and Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs

 Light and Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs
for the meatballs
  
1 lb ground sirloin
1/2 lb ground chuck
1 whole onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup cracker meal (or 1/2 cup breadcrumbs)

1 handful chopped parsley, (or about 1 teaspoon dry parsley)

a few fresh basil leaves (or 1 teaspoon dry)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, Romano (I used grated Granana Padana)
2 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons olive oil for frying meatballs, and onion

salt and pepper to taste



22 uniform sizes, no getting your hands all dirty, and just gently roll them together with wet palms, ready to brown them in olive oil, and throw them into the sauce. You don't have to use all of them. After frying, you can freeze probably half, it's up to you.

Meatballs should look like these, nice and brown. They're ready to go in the sauce when all pink is browned evenly.

 

Combine all your ingredients for the meatball, and just lightly form them, scooping them out with the 1 1/2 inch scooper. If you like, use 1/2 of the onions in the meatball mixture, and use the other half to saute them to put into the sauce.

Easy Spaghetti Sauce 

In a blender, blend each 28 oz can of Marzano tomatoes, one at a time, give it a whirl, and it's done. Pour into a med.large sauce pan, just like that, and start heating it at med.high. Saute half the onions if you like, and add them in the sauce, along with some of the parsley, the basil, bay, leaf and a small amount of chopped garlic. A generous grinding of fresh black pepper, kosher, or sea salt...PLEASE NO SUGAR! Tomatoes are sweet as honey...HONEST! When meatballs are browned, just throw them in there, partially cover the pot, and on med.low cook for about 4 minutes, or until you see the liquid evaporating. You won't be sorry you followed this method, because sometimes you just want to make a vegetarian sauce, and leave out the meat. Serves 6.




 



The easiest way to chop garlic and onion, is to first, buy a plastic jar container of whole peeled garlic, and put them into a food processor, larger than this size, and process them till they're finely chopped, and spoon them into a small mason jar, fill them with canola or vegetable, and use them for whatever your garlic calls for. Sure beats all that chopping by hand. This little food processor I got at Goodwill  $2.99, and whenever I just want to chop onion in it, just quarter the pieces and drop them in there. For meatballs, or meat loaf, they are especially goo, because you don't have all the large unwanted pieces in there, that usually don't cook all the way. This is such a time savor. The garlic will last you at leas a good whole month.