Linguine with Vegan Meatballs!

I was still dragging around some yesterday- went to spin (THANK GOD) and then came home and paced around my abode for the duration. I did have the inclination to make some sauce- I figured I was home for the long haul and the smell of sauce on the stove is an incredibly fond childhood memory- so off I went....time to make the sauce. My traditional sauce has become a no brainer and a staple- in the winter I make sauce at least once every two weeks if not once a week. I think I may have posted my sauce before but it is

• 1 large can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 jar of tomato sauce
• 1 large onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 3-4T olive oil
• 1t maple syrup
• 1 empty tomato can plus one empty tomato paste jar of water (rinse out the leftover tomato)
  
• chili pepper
• salt and pepper

I decided we would have Linguine and "meatballs" for dinner. I remember helping my mom make meatballs - I LOVED THEM....more than the pasta they went on. You can dress them up with spices or fresh herbs, minced parsley is especially delicious but I was going for easy yesterday....m e l l o w.........My mom would start the sauce in the morning so by the time I came home from school, there would be meatballs and sauce for snacking. The whole house had this incredibly warm, cozy, savory smell that filled the rooms...... I would linger in the kitchen stealing 2nds and 3rds- she would yell at me to get out of the meatballs- that and the french baguette she would buy to go with dinner...FRICKEN YUM.....

I make them almost the same way she does except I use a ground meat substitute mixed partially with a sausage substitute, last night I just used Gimmie Lean (which comes in a tube in the "meat" section), breadcrumbs (I made my own out of two slices of whole grain bread), 1/2 of an onion-minced, salt, and pepper.



The need to measure here is relative- you want them to hold together so if there is too much bread, they will fall apart during cooking- My mother's rule of thumb was that whatever the consistency of the meatball before it is cooked will be the same after, so it shouldn't be too dense or to crumbly. You know this by mixing with clean hands, when they start to feel right, they are ready for shaping. I spoon them out with a small ice cream scoop and then with wet hands, roll them into their even, round, shape.

The next practice came from my Nana- she used to pan fry her meatballs prior to adding to a sauce- besides mixing everything under the kitchen sink into her meatballs (to extend the meat, saving $$$)- she would fry them so they would absorb less sauce while cooking (so smart) so it would yield more sauce. I pan fry them to give them a nice color and crust. I don't always add them back into the cooking sauce- last night I didn't- just a quick pan fry and then they are set aside for the top of the pasta.
This is also the point where I eat like FIVE of them with the cooked sauce, hovering over the stove like when I was 11- nostalgic of my after school snacking routine....

Pasta for me is such a comfort food- semolina pasta especially, I could eat it all of the time- I don't though- again, too much no-whole-grain guilt. I planned ahead yesterday and had purchased Whole Wheat Cappellini but when it came down to making dinner- whole wheat ironically seemed too heavy- we had traditional (DELICIOUS) organic linguine instead. Not that there isn't a place for pasta alternatives- I am a BIG rice pasta proponent and also enjoy a bowl of whole wheat pasta now and again- but Linguine, Spaghetti, Capellini pasta- shouldn't be messed with, it is such a treat..........

I had fresh broccoli that I cleaned and trimmed up- I blanched it for 4 minutes in the salted pasta water (SO smart) and then tossed it with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper- another one of my staples and favorites- especially cold. SO..... there you have it- Linguine with Vegan Meatballs and Lemon Broccoli.