Check out this straightforward recipe for vegetarian meatballs. The sauce excludes tomato, as many macrobiotic dishes do, because it can cause excess acidity in the body and might hinder kidney function.
Ingredients:
For the veggie-meatballs
900g seitan (vegetable protein/wheat gluten)
400g onions
40g garlic
60g parsley
90g buckwheat flour
90g spelt flour (*Please note, this recipe is not suitable for coeliacs.)
Seasoning
Extra virgin olive oil
For the sauce
Half a shredded carrot
1 onion
3 x celery sticks
2 x beetroot
1tbsp umeboshi paste
1tbsp tamari soy sauce
A handful of fresh green peas
Steps:
1 Chop the onion finely and sauté in a little organic extra virgin olive oil.
2 Chop the seitan roughly and add to the pan with the onions. Season and continue to sauté for a few minutes.
3 Add the coarsely chopped parsley and sieved buckwheat flour. Stir for a couple of minutes before removing from the heat.
4 Once the mixture has cooled a little, using your hands shape into small (plum-sized) meatballs.
5 Having sieved and placed the spelt flour on a plate/flat surface, roll and thinly coat the balls.
6 Fry the veggie meatballs in a heavy pan with a little oil until evenly cooked and golden brown.
7 To make the sauce, place the roughly diced onion and celery into a saucepan. Cover and cook in a little water for 15 minutes on a low heat.
8 Add the beetroot, umeboshi paste, tamari and oregano. Cook until the beetroot has softened. Make a thick sauce by using a hand-blender or pouring the mixture into a food processor.
9 Using a vegetable peeler, make long, thin strips of the carrot.
10 Sautee in a pan with the peas.
11 Plate-up the dish using a generous amount of the sauce as a base, placing the seitan veggie-balls on top and decorating with the carrots and peas.
For more recipes inspired by Shamadi restaurant, part of SHA Wellness Clinic in Spain go to blog.shawellnessclinic.com.
Read more about the health centre which will soon be coming to Dubai.
