Vegan Meatballs and Mushroom Gravy

We all need ANOTHER recipe for vegan meatballs, right?
So cliche, I know.
And yet, they're the PERFECT vehicle for gravy, any type of gravy or sauce really, so I had to include them in this months' list of posts.

This is my go-to meatless meatball recipe because it doesn't have a long list of ingredients - plus you get a MUSHROOM GRAVY recipe as bonus!

If you have another meatball recipe you prefer, then use that one, but by all means, try meatballs smothered in GRAVY! (Or BBQ sauce, or sweet-and-sour sauce, or glaze, or alfredo sauce or gravy, or gravy or...).

Non-Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy

Meatballs
1 cup firm tofu, mashed very fine (not the silken variety found in vacuum-packed cartons)
½ cup wheat germ
¼ cup parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. plant milk
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
½ Tbsp. onion powder
½ tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. each - oregano, garlic powder and sage
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
gluten flour (optional only if needed)

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Let mixture set for about 15 minutes for flavors to blend. Adjust texture if needed. (If ingredients are too wet or dry and don't stick together, add some gluten flour or more plant milk as needed.)
Roll into walnut-size balls or slightly smaller.
Place on a greased cookie sheet. Spray oil over the top of the balls for a more crispy texture. Bake for 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

Gravy

2 Tbsp margarine
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup onions, chopped
2/3 cup flour
½ tsp. ground sage
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 ½ cups water
¼ cup dry red wine
salt and pepper to taste

Melt margarine in a medium saucepan and sauté mushrooms, onions and garlic. When onions are tender and translucent, and mushrooms have released liquid.
Stir in the flour, nutritional yeast and sage to form a paste. Slowly add water, soy sauce and wine, stirring constantly. Let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring so it doesn't stick - if too thick add water.
Pour over "meatballs" and heat in a casserole dish and serve.