Sunday, September 1, 2013

Vegan MoFo 2013: And So It Begins! Walnut and Currant Veganzola Balls and a 500 Vegan Recipes Giveaway


Kickin' this MoFo off old school with a recipe from way back in 2009 from a little old book Celine and I broke our teeth on, known as 500 Vegan Recipes.  That book was our first published work and we poured our sweat and tears into those 500 recipes.   So for the first giveaway a Month of Vegan Giveaways, I will be giving away a copy of 500 Vegan Recipes to one reader chosen at random.  To enter, follow the prompts in the Rafflecopter widget below.

And being the last Sunday of summer, Mother Nature has unleashed the heat.  There is no chance that my oven, or even stovetop is being turned on today.  Today can be spent enjoying a little tofu cheeseball on crackers or celery.

Walnut and Currant Veganzola Balls from 500 Vegan Recipes
Walnut and Currant Veganzola Balls 
*Quick and Easy
Who says vegans can’t have cheese balls? Seriously, these are very, very cheese-like. You don’t have to form them into balls, of course, but what a presentation! At a cocktail party or get together…so sophisticated. Besides crackers, this also tastes amazing crumbled over a green salad, or dare I say, as a sandwich spread?

10 ounces (280 g) extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (16 g) flax seed meal mixed with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) warm water
1 tablespoon (18 g) white miso
2 teaspoons (10 g) minced garlic
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 cup (120 g) walnut pieces, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup (80 g) currants
Salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, crumble your tofu until it resembles ricotta cheese. Add in olive oil, flax seed mixture, miso, garlic and liquid smoke. Mash together until uniform. Mix in walnut pieces and currants. Form into two equal balls, form into a log, or simply place in a bowl.

Yield: 2 balls, or about 2 1/2 cups

a Rafflecopter giveaway

43 comments:

vegan.in.brighton said...

Oh yum, why've I never made this recipe? It looks awesome and now I want cheese and crackers for dinner!

KitteeBee said...

Your balls look delicious!
xo
kittee

Unknown said...

Pleased to see a "cheese ball" recipe without vegan "cheese", really don't like the idea of that stuff. Will definitely be giving this recipe a try

Terri Cole said...

My first vegan cookbooks were Veganomicon and The Kind Life, purchased at the same time.

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

Vegan Fazool said...

Delicious balls? YES, PLEASE :-)

VeggieAmanda said...

Thanks for having a giveaway and YUM on the veganzola balls. I will have to try these soon!

sara said...

Yum, I love a good cheese ball at the holidays!

coconutandberries said...

There are so many recipes in 500 vegan recipes (500...duh!) that I've missed this one! Seeing your pics makes me want it now though!
It's crazy that I hated cheese as an omni and vegetarian but now as a vegan I adore homemade nut and tofu based cheeses!

luminousvegans said...

Dang, that looks sooo good! I would love to have 500 vegan recipes. That's a lot of vegan food!

Anonymous said...

My first vegetarian/vegan cookbook was a Linda McCartney book--I cooked my first meal ever out of that one! I still have it, but I haven't used it in forever. Good reminder!

Courtney

The Peace Patch said...

Oh yes! That's going smack dab in the middle of a hollowed out loaf of rustic Italian...yumza!
My first vegan cookbook was Kelly Peloza's "The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur". I love cookies. :)
Thanks for sharing the recipe...Happy MoFo!

Julie Hasson said...

That looks so good! Do you deliver Joni, because that looks like the perfect afternoon snack for me!

sandy z said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sandy z said...

my first vegan cookbook was The Lotus and the Artichoke. Thanks for all the hard work on you did on your cookbook!

Hannah said...

Practically Raw, and yep, I still use it.

sarahhhhhh said...

Skinny Bitch. Not so much anymore

Katie said...

The Uncheese Cookbook!! Haven't picked it up in a long time, though...

Rebecca said...

I was given How it all Vegan as a Christmas gift. I use it occasionally

Babette said...

How it All Vegan. I still use it, although it is falling apart.

Your cheese balls look amazing.

Maya Mange said...

Thank you for the giveaway !

Veganomicon was my first ever vegan cookbook. And of course I still use it (for the recipes and to press tofu... so glamorous).

I'm definitely trying out this recipe soon. Looks absolutely delicious.

lolitems said...

In a mixing bowl, crumble your tofu until it resembles ricotta cheese. Add in olive oil, flax seed mixture, miso, garlic and liquid smoke. Mash together until uniform. Mix in walnut pieces and currants. Form into two equal balls, form into a log, or simply place in a bowl.League of Legends Boost
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Unknown said...

OOH a new home made vegan cheese I haven't tried! This sounds really easy, too, thank you Joni!

Jessica said...

i purchased a vegan cookbook that a friend made as a fundraiser - never really used it though, just wanted to support her!

kelly g. said...

The Uncheese Cookbook. Like a fool, I gave it away... (sad face)

jacqui said...

This sounds amazing! Would love to read 500 Vegan Recipes cover to cover!

Amber R said...

I'm a fan of Isa's "Mac n Shews" from ThePPK.com because I love the creaminess that the cashews bring to the sauce but I am definitely looking forward to trying your Five Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese; looks creamy and delish!

Amber R said...

My first vegan cookbook was How it all Vegan. That was the start of my collection of over 30 now and counting! :-)

Lindsay at Kitchen Operas said...

Oh this looks divine :)

My first vegan cookbook was Veganomicon. It's still in a place of honour in my kitchen!

cee said...

How it all vegan 13 years ago, I think? I definitely still return to it. In fact, my daughter and I both cook from it now:-)
Cee

Shannon said...

My first cookbook was definitely How It All Vegan. I don't think I have used it more than a handful of times.

VeggieNextDoor said...

My first veg cookbook was a College Students Guide to Vegetarian Cooking. I haven't used it in a long time but you just reminded me I need to crack it open again soon!

Anonymous said...

Veganzola, what a brilliant idea. Cheese is the only thing I miss since I've became vegan. I'm going to try out your recipe and then top a pizza with pears and veganzola. Thank you for sharing!

Dana Vickerson said...

Vegan with a Vengeance! I still use it!

Anonymous said...

Also Vegan with a Vengeance here, a classic!

Wendy said...

Becoming Vegan...and sadly I don't think I used it even once. It was very intimidating-this was back in the day before Al Gore invented the internetz and there were no awesome vegan cooks to lead the way. It took me another 15 years to actually take the plunge from vegetarian.

Liza said...

Veganomicon!

janet @ the taste space said...

My first book was Radiant Health, Inner Wealth and it converted me to becoming vegan. I still use it today!

Anonymous said...

I got Vegan with a Vengeance- from my ex- and YEA I still use it! It's a badass cookbook!

Lilly said...

The Veganomicon and yep still use it!

Anonymous said...

My first and only vegan cookbook is "Students Go Vegan Cookbook" which I got from a fellow member of animal rights organization here in Latvia. It isn't great, but I can not bring myself to buying any books online, haha, don't know why.

Veronica @ Veggie V's Vegan Adventure said...

My most used vegan cookbooks are tied for top stop: Appetite for Reduction by Isa and Practically Raw by Amber Crawley.

Chelsea said...

My first vegan cookbook was the Happy Herbivore Cookbook. I've been vegan for over a year, but I didn't purchase it until recently so yes I am using it :)

n_selah_d said...

My first vegan cookbooks were Veganomicon, The Happy Herbivore, and Rawesomely Vegan all ordered at the same time I use the first two far more than the last.

2012 Copyright/Permissions/Disclaimers

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