Greek Non-Meatballs

Today I found myself in a lack-of-groceries situation. I had planned to make a trip to the store, but circumstances found us at the vet this morning, and I gladly sacrificed my grocery money for our aging dog. (the dog is fine)

When it came time to make dinner I trolled through the fridge and pantry and decided to make some sort of vegetarian meatball.

I had all of these ingredients on hand and researched a few recipes online.

Greek-ish Non-Meatballs
makes 4 servings: 3 meatballs per serving
Olive oil
1 cup diced Portabella mushroom
½ white onion, diced
2 large cloves (or 2 tbs) minced garlic
1-2 tbs minced fresh basil & oregano (I just grabbed some sprigs)

1 cup whole oats
1/8 cup ground flax seed
½ cup raw cashews

1/8 cup brewers yeast
½ cup crumbled feta
¼-1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 tsp kosher salt
a few twists of freshly ground black pepper

Heat a little olive oil in a medium saucepan and add onion, garlic & mushrooms. Sauté on medium heat until onions are clear and mushrooms are cooked through. Put pan back on heat and add a thin layer of olive oil.

Meanwhile combine oats, flax and cashews in a blender or food processor, pour into large mixing bowl.

At the end of sautéing, add basil & oregano, blend/process mushroom-onion-garlic mixture and add to mixing bowl.

Heat oven to 350 and spray a 9x9 baking dish with whatever you like to use (canola or olive-oil spray).

Add yeast, feta and Parmesan to bowl, mix well and form 2" balls with your hands. (This recipe made 12-13 meatballs).

Place balls into frying pan and fry for 2-3 minutes to a side, turning until most of outside is starting to brown. Place meatballs into baking dish and bake for 15-25 minutes, turn meatballs partway through for even cooking.

Nutrition Stuff: (Per Serving) 460 calories, 386 from fat. Daily Values: 66% fat, 7% cholesterol, 37% sodium, 4% carbohydrates, 10% fiber, 9.6g protein, 2% Vitamin A, 5% Vitamin C, 20% Calcium, 11% Iron.

We served them over Barilla Plus thin spaghetti and Scott's secret marinara sauce, with a fresh spinach salad. I dressed the salad with a drizzle of olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and a shake of Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb.