Quinoa Veggie 'Meatballs' & Ina's Herbed Ricotta Bruschettas

It's recipes like this that make me wonder why I didn't become a vegetarian years ago.

A few weeks ago, Katie from The Small Boston Kitchen posted her recipe for Quinoa Veggie "Meatballs" - and I immediately knew I had to make them in my own kitchen. The only things I changed in Katie's original recipe is that I used chopped slivered almonds instead of pine nuts (at Trader Joe's, the almonds were under $3, while the pine nuts were just over $7). I also cooked the quinoa in veggie stock, added 1 tsp. minced garlic to the recipe, and used frozen spinach, since frozen will last longer in my house without going bad.

The end result: completely and utterly delicious and satisfying. These "meatballs" were wonderfully crispy, chocked full of great texture - and nutrition! - and incredibly flavorful. Meat eaters: I promise you won't miss the meat in this dish. 

On the side of my "meatballs," I had some whole wheat penne (all topped with garlic marinara sauce), and I also made some of Ina Garten's Herbed Ricotta Bruschettas, out of her most recent cookbook, How Easy is That? The only things I changed in Garten's recipe was that I omitted the scallions and garlic, just to save a little extra money. I also cut the original recipe in half, and used dried herbs I already had in my kitchen, versus fresh. 

Herbed Ricotta Bruschettas (revised)

Yields: 2-3 servings

-1 cup ricotta

-1 tbsp. dried dill

-1/2 tbsp. dried chives

-Salt and black pepper, to taste

-4-5 thick slices round sourdough bread

Olive oil

Directions:

1.) Combine the ricotta, dill, chives, salt and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

2.) Brush the bread with olive oil and "grill" on each size for 1 1/2-2 minutes in a frying pan (until lightly browned on each side). 

3.) Remove bread from the pan and sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper. Spread a generous amount of the ricotta mixture on each slice.

4.) Serve 2 warm slices per person. 

This was one satisfying meal, but it was also surprisingly light. Garten's ricotta mixture was also a fantastic complement to the crusty sourdough bread, and dipped in the marinara sauce? Forget it. Thank god for leftovers. 

What blogger recipes have inspired dinner in your house recently?

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