Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Vegan Mofo 2013 Day 4: BIG BALLS! (And a Bag-O-Swag)



Now, those are some BIG BALLS!
Dan came home from work last night pestering me about his balls.  He was all, "Hey check out these balls!" and I was like, "Whoa, those are some pretty big balls!"  And he was all, "Yeah, they are pretty big balls!"  And I was like, "Do you want big balls?" And he was all, "Of course I want big balls."  So I was like, "Do you want spicy balls?"  And he was all, "Nahh, not too spicy for my balls." So I was like, "Do you want cheesy balls?" And he was all, "Yeah, I like cheesy balls." So I was like, "Ok.  Do you want crispy balls?" And we was all, "I really like my balls hot and crispy."  So I was like, "Should your balls be soft and squishy on the inside?" And he was all. "Heck yeah, my hot crispy balls should be soft and squishy on the inside!"

Papas Rellenas
Papas Rellenas are stuffed mashed potato balls that are breaded and deep fried.  Yes, that is a real thing! Dan introduced me to these balls after he learned about them from a Cuban bakery near his office.  And while the traditional balls are stuffed with seasoned beef, we decided to make these balls with some Daiya Havarti wedge chunks and taco seasoned TVP.  But just because we used TVP, there really isn't any reason you couldn't put just about any darn thing you want to into the center of these balls.They were pretty easy and fun to make.  I mean, really, who doesn't like to massage and play with warm balls?

For the balls:
8 russet potatoes (about 4-inches in length)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup canola or other mild flavored vegetable oil
1 cup almond, soy or other nondairy milk

To stuff the balls:
1 recipe TVP Taco Meat, prepared
Daiya Havarti Wedge, cut into small chunks

To batter the balls:
1 cup panko style bread crumbs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup almond, soy or other nondairy milk

You will also need oil for frying.

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Line a baking sheet and arrange the potatoes on the baking sheet.  Poke holes in the potatoes, and bake, uncoverred for about an hour, or until fork tender, and flesh is dry and fluffy.
Remove potatoes from oven and cut in half lengthwise.  Allow to cool completely.
Once potatoes are cool, scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl. Discard the skins. (Or snack on them whiel you are making your balls!)
Add in the garlic powder, onion powder, and oil.  Using a hand masher, mash the potatoes until well combined.  The mixture should be fuffy and sticky, not wet and creamy, so add in the milk a little bit at a time to get the right consistency.



Scoop 1/2 cup of the potato into your hand and form a mashed potato bowl.
Place a couple of chunks of Daiya wedge in the center, then a heaping tablespon of TVP Taco Meat, and a couple more chinks of wedge.




Seal the potatoes around the stuffing.
Preheat at least 2 inches of oil in a deep pan to 350 F.  If you have a deep fat fryer, now is a good time to use it!
In a shallow dish, mix together the panko, flour, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper.
In a seperate shallow dish, place the milk.
Roll the potato ball in the milk to coat, and then into the panko mix to coat.  Then back into the milk and then back into th panko mix one last time.
Carefully place the breaded ball into the hot oil and fry for about 30 seconds, or until golden brown and crispy.
Repeat until all the potato mixture is used.

Yield: 10 balls

Here is a short video tutorial showing you how to shape your balls:







Now for the giveaway!  Check out this bag-o-swag:
Samples, full size products, a coupon for a free Daiya product, a selection of Herbivore Clothing postcards and stickers, a paring knife, buttons, a copy of Amey Matthews adorable Vida Vegan Con 2013 Cook 'Zine, Booda Butter lip balsm (I LOVE THIS STUFF!), and all sorts of other goodies, all packed up in a cute reusable strawberry tote!  Simply follow the prompts in the widget below to enter :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

47 comments:

Maya Mange said...

I'm craving pizza like crazy, so I'd loooove some vegan pepperoni and cheese stuffed balls.

Or sour cream with TVP bacon bits (of course I'm talking about your recipe)?

YUM !

KitteeBee said...

Those really are big balls!

Joni Marie Newman said...

I love big balls!

wowgold said...

Preheat at least 2 inches of oil in a deep pan to 350 F. If you have a deep fat fryer, now is a good time to use it!In a shallow dish, mix together the panko, flour, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper.WOW Gold Kaufen
World of Warcraft Gold

Kyleigh said...

Wow, this looks so good! I'm thinking vegan chorizo, vegan cheese, and onions =) yum!

Amey said...

Joni Newman Ate My Balls!

coconutandberries said...

haha this cracked me up so much! I'd stuff my balls with creamy, tangy cashew cheese and spinach :)

vegan.in.brighton said...

Haha, balls! These look rad!

VeggieAmanda said...

WOW! This looks delicious! Funny too! I agree with the first comment about vegan cheese and pepperoni balls. I remember those fondly from my childhood!

Heather B said...

Oh man, I want pizza balls, pesto balls, "hamburger and cheese" balls. I don't think there's a bad ball combo.

Liza said...

I think everything tastes better with a little hot sauce, so I'd make buffalo papas rellenas!

Lyndsay O. said...

Funny post :) I would stuff my balls with Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Soy Curls!

Lizzie Bordello said...

Seitan and sauerkraut!!

Anonymous said...

Your balls look amazing. I would stuff them in my mouth.

...preferably with vegusto no-muh melty and spicy marinara in the middle. Om nom nom.

Em said...

I am thinking something mexican themed. Delicious!

Anonymous said...

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Terri Cole said...

I'm thinking Field Roast sausage, Daiya and sauerkraut. I like big balls and I cannot lie...

gaia (at) cinci (dot) rr (dot) com

vijita said...

Kimchi!

Yvonne said...

Maybe a bit of spicy chili?

Jessica Eagle said...

Thanks for the giveaway again :)

I'd like to put lots of spinach with daiya, for sure...miamm !!!

Anonymous said...

maybe a samosa like filling, curried peas, lentils and carrots

Beedi said...

I want to stuff my balls with vegan picadillo!

kelly g. said...

Deep fried potato balls, why am I just hearing about this!?

kelly g. said...

Man, there are so many ways to stuff a ball. Probably I'd put onions, Lightlife ground beef, bacon bits, and Daiya cheddar cheese in mine, for a bacon cheeseburger-type ball.

Also: http://25.media.tumblr.com/250553fde0ebac05584c70d03c2a9dbf/tumblr_mp62hyL8Gl1swrt21o1_500.gif

Sorry I'm not sorry.

Joni Marie Newman said...

MMMMM. Yummy balls.

Joni Marie Newman said...

Aha! Best innuendo yet!

Joni Marie Newman said...

Omg. I am totally going to paste that into the post! Love.

T.M. said...

Daiya and mushrooms!

Elizabeth said...

These look amazing. You're currently in the lead in the person-who-will-post-something-so-irresistible-I-finally-confront-my-irrational-fear-of-deep-frying contest.

roguewoman said...

Too many options! Mushroom, oregano, tomato. Curried greenbean bits. Vegaroni & daiya. Mmmmmm.....

jacqui said...

This post was hilarios! Sounds really tasty, though. I'll have to try these soon.

Babette said...

Tomatoes and vegan cheese.

Bianca said...

I want to put your balls in my mouth. No really!! I do!! :-)

I also wanna win that bag of goodness!!

Kaycee said...

I just laughed so hard at the "what would you stuff in your balls!"

I think these would be really good for Thanksgiving, with traditional type stuffing. They would also be great with a cheesy jalapeno mixture too.

Can't wait to try this recipe!

Anonymous said...

I'd like to try them with daiya cheese.. think it'd work? ~ Beth

Joni Marie Newman said...

Ooh, yes! Holiday Balls!

Joni Marie Newman said...

Definitely! I put Daiya cheese in these ones, and it worked out wonderfully. Just let them sit a few minutes after you make them, or the hot melted cheese will leak all over place!

Joni Marie Newman said...

I bet you do :)

Joni Marie Newman said...

I said the same thing!

Anonymous said...

"My mouth's watering just thinking about those balls." I like seitan with potatoes, so I'd do them Philly cheese steak style with beefy seitan, fried onions and cheeze.

Unknown said...

Funny!

Potato..fried AND vegan cheese. They matched those in heaven! The balls would be golden up there though, right?!

India
www.aveganobsession.com

Anonymous said...

Cheese and mushrooms? Sounds good to me!

kelly g. said...

I miss Bobby Singer so much! *sniffles*

Rebecca said...

Fire roasted tomatoes, 'cheese' and basil

onlinestore said...

It looks really tasty, i want have a try !

EvilGnome said...

Jalapeno and Daiya Cheddar

Unknown said...

this Vegan appetizer is totally awesome! Thank you for sharing this to us. , Let me also share something, I also follow one website which talks about vegan food and fitness, http://www.bodybyblasian.com/
take care!

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All recipes written by me, Joni Marie Newman, unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to refer to or link back to any of my recipes, but please ask for permission, and remember to give credit when reprinting recipes in their entirety. I do provide links to affiliate programs (such as Amazon) in which I receive a small commission for items purchased. I do not provide paid reviews. All reviews done on products or books are of my own unsolicited opinion. On occasion I may receive a book or product to review. I will note when this is the case, but rest assured, it will not affect the authenticity of my review. Thanks!--Joni