Vegetarian Meatballs with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Serves: 10-11 Servings

INGREDIENTS
For The “Meatballs:”
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 small garlic cloves, finely chopped (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
⅓ cup fresh parsley leaves and stems, finely chopped (keep the chopped stems separate)
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed and ground or coarsely chopped
3 slices whole wheat bread, blended in food processor
⅓ cup sesame Tahini
¼ cup Tamari (or low sodium soy sauce)
1 cup cooked whole grain or brown rice
1 teaspoon pepper
⅓ cup raw wheat germ

For The Lemon Tahini Sauce:
¼ cup sesame Tahini
⅓ cup Tamari
½ small onion, finely chopped
2 sweet mini-peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

For The “Meatballs:”
Gently saute onions, garlic, and parsley stems in olive oil until the onions are slightly browned.
In a large bowl, mix onions together with remainder of ingredients EXCEPT the wheat germ.
Spray hands with cooking spray to make handling the veggie balls easier. Use a 1½ inch scoop to ensure each meatball is the same size, and roll them by hand to give them a nice round shape (this recipe should yield 20-22 veggie balls).
Coat each veggie ball in raw wheat germ and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, or until heated through.
Serve over a bed of bibb lettuce, pea shoots, microgreens, snap peas, ribbons of cucumbers & carrots, or in pitas with sautéed green peppers and onions. Finish with Lemon Tahini Sauce & roasted sunflower seeds.

For The Lemon Tahini Sauce:
In a food processor, combine the Tahini, Tamari, onion, sweet mini-pepper, and celery. Puree well if you want a smoother texture.
Add the lemon juice, parsley and black pepper and process just until mixed.
With motor running, add oil slowly until desired consistency is reached.

Slightly adapted from a recipe from tasteandsee.com