Not Meatballs

First of all i will admit that i never know how to refer to vegan "meatballs" because it sounds wierd to call them meatballs but i can't think of a better term and i get fed up putting it in quotation marks after a while so when i say meatballs you know that i really mean non-meatballs. My husband calls them "featballs" because they are fake meatballs but it sound like feet and feet are gross.

I've attempted meatballs a few times but have never been entirely happy with the results, they always turn out too crumbly and this time was no different.(Apart from the time i made seitan meatballs but they were just a tad too chewy for my liking.) I usually use a combination of tsp (i like Morrison's soy mince), grated carrot, silken tofu and a little bit of flour. And of course garlic and various herbs and spices to make it tasty. But the flavour is not a problem they are always full of flavour.

I usually cook up the soy mince in the wok and after mixing everything together put the balls in the oven till browned on the outside and then gently reheat them in the wok or under the grill as and when i need them. But they always fall apart so if anyone has advice either about ingredients or cooking technique to keep them together i would love to hear it.

Here they are grilled with a mountain of mashed swede (with lots of cracked black pepper mmm), mashed potatoes and some onion-y gravy.

And the next night hidden under a paprika and tomato sauce on top of spaghetti. You'll have to take my word for it that they are in there! This was a really good combination of tangy, slightly smokey,spicy sauce with the texture of the balls if only they didn't fall apart when you bit into them and splatter sauce all over you!