Friday, February 6, 2009

Spinach Balls


I came across these spinach balls in ExtraVeganZa and thought they sounded interesting and different, and they were. I wouldn't say they're a super favourite thing but they're something new to try, and would be great to freeze and have on hand for when you don't have any time but want something healthy.

Overall I'm not sure what to think of ExtraVeganZa yet. So far I've only made the wild rice almond cherry pilaf and these, and both were okay but nothing spectacular. There are a lot of baking recipes in there though that I need to try out, like a recipe for spelt dinner rolls. Anyone have a favourite recipe from this cookbook they can recommend?

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pasta with Creamy Spinach Walnut Sauce
Spinach Walnut Pesto
Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli
Spaghetti and Bean Balls with Onion & Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce

Spinach Balls
Adapted from ExtraVeganZa

The onion powder was fairly strong so I would cut back on it next time.

225 g (9 oz) frozen spinach, thawed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 pieces whole wheat bread, toasted & ground into crumbs
3/4 cup ground almonds
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp onion powder

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Place the spinach and onion in a food processor and blend on high until a coarse paste begins to form. Add the bread crumbs, 3/4 cups ground almonds, oil, soy sauce, rice flour, dill and onion powder, then blend again until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Use a small cookie scoop (or larger, depending on the ball size you want) to scoop out balls. Place on a prepared baking sheet (with parchment or a silpat, etc). Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the balls to cool on the sheet. Serve warm.

19 comments:

Amy said...

I borrowed this from the library and am also undecided about it. I copied a couple of recipes down I wanted to try, but things like dried lavender flowers to bake with I just don't have.

These sound interesting though, I might just have to try them! Thanks for sharing the recipe :)

Nicole said...

Thanks for the recipe! They sure do sound interesting.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Those are so intriguing!!!

Steph said...

Your picture looks so good!

Anonymous said...

I tried the spinach balls, too, and was disappointed--but only because they didn't hold together as beautifully as yours do! I'd say you should move straight to the baking sections--much, much more that's good there! There's a recipe for peppermint carob chip cookies (if I remember correctly) that's fabulous, and the coffee (or maybe it's called mocha in the book) cheesecake is one of my favorites (but warning: it's not very sweet). Her cookies are probably the best part of the book!

Snooky doodle said...

i m not usually a spinach eater but these look so nice and the ingredients so yummy that I have to try them :)

Anonymous said...

i've never tried spinach balls before, but they sound good!

Chris said...

I just found your blog and am really glad I did! If spinach ice cream existed (actually, it probably does), I think this is what it would look like :P Maybe replacing some of the spinach with chickpeas would make a falafel-like dish. Anyway, keep it up! Your cornbread biscuits a few posts back look heavenly... :)

Sara said...

These look delicious, I'm always looking for ways to use frozen spinach.

grace said...

i don't think i like spinach enough to try my hand at these, but they look quite interesting--nice find.

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

They do look really good. I think if I was making these I would add cheese.

CookiePie said...

Sounds healthy and tasty!

Anonymous said...

Great way to spice up spinach! They would make an awesome hoagie of sorts...

Anonymous said...

I'm intrigued... are you supposed to eat these by themselves? I could see maybe using them as a veggie meatball on top of spaghetti and marinara.

eatme_delicious said...

Kelly: We ate them along with our meal, kind of as a side dish. I think we also ate them with pasta or something. I think they'd definitely be good as a meatball alternative on top of spaghetti and marinara too!

Anonymous said...

that's too bad they didn't taste *fantastic*...they look delicious! so much so, that i think i'm going to have to try them myself! thanks for sharing. love your pics.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I never seen those before. I think I would eat these with a marinara sauce.

test it comm said...

I really like the sound of these spinach balls.

janet said...

Hey Ashley,
I recently got ExtraVeganZa from the library. I made the spinach, orange, yam soup and it was divine. If you want to give the cookbook another chance, try that recipe! :)