Spicy Italian “Meat” Balls

Spicy Italian “Meat”balls (raw vegan, of course!)
by Abby Cahn Anton

1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup walnuts
1 rib celery
1 red bell pepper
1 tsp Sunfire salt
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 TBS Sunfire Fiesta Molé
2 TBS italian seasoning
2 TBS olive oil (I like Bariani)

Optional: Soak sunflower seeds for 4 – 6 hours in pure water, drain and rinse. Soak walnuts for 2 – 4 hours in pure water, drain and rinse. If using unsoaked nuts (or soaked and then dehydrated nuts) add couple of tablespoons of water to the recipe.

With a food processor using the “s” blade, coarsely chop the sunflower seeds. Add walnuts and coarsely chop again. Hand chop the celery into approximately 1” pieces and the red pepper into 2” pieces, just small enough to process efficiently. Add to processor bowl. Pulse just enough to get the vegetables started and mixed slightly. Add the rest of the ingredients, (including 2 TBS water, if you’re using dry nuts/seeds). Process until the consistency of slightly coarse paté. Check seasonings and adjust if necessary. Note: for less spicy “meat”balls, start with 1/8 tsp each of ginger, cayenne, black pepper, onion and garlic powders.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto solid dehydrator sheet. Shape with spoon into balls. To be a little more efficient, you can make it almost ball shape at this point and reshape by hand after a few hours of drying time.

Dehydrate at 145° for 2 hours. (This will speed up the drying time. Because the mixture is wet, the action of the moisture being pulled out of it keeps the temperature of the food below 110° or so.) After 2 hours, turn thermostat down to 115° and dehydrate for another 4 hours (or longer, if you prefer a drier result). After the balls are dry enough to move, either turn them slightly, to expose the bottom to dehydration or remove the solid sheet and place them on the mesh for better airflow.

Note that when you first remove the meatballs from the dehydrator, they will be drier on the outside than the inside. If you are planning on eating them later, the extra moisture from the inside will migrate outwards and the whole ball will be the same consistency. Refrigerate until ready to be eaten. They will easily keep fresh for several days. If you prefer them warm, put them back in the dehydrator at 145° for an hour before eating.

Yield approx. 24 1½” balls.

Watch me teach how to make the “meat”balls in the kitchen of my dear friend Andreea Fegan of Little Bites of Joy.

Andreea was recently voted “Hot Raw Chef” by Living Light Culinary Institute. Woohoo!