Vegan Rice Balls

Vegan Rice Balls

I just made a call in to my Mom to see if there were any recipes she was particularly interested in for Thanksgiving. My Nana use to make delicious Italian rice balls for all of the holidays and my Mom wants to attempt to recreate that, vegan, of course. I don't actually remember the rice balls as the last time I probably had them was when I was 4-5 years old, but after a little research, I found this recipe that I plan to share with Mom. I'm not sure if it is exactly what she's looking for, but it may be a nice start. (The original recipe was not vegan, so I switched some things up, obviously)

Rice Balls

2 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine
1 cup Italian rice
Pinch saffron, optional
1/3 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated Rice Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
*8 teaspoons of egg replacer mixed with 10 tablespoons of warm water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups veggie crumbles
5 large fresh sweet basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 ounces tomato sauce
2 1/2 cups boiling water, for rice, plus 1/2 cup water, for sauce
1 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup frozen or fresh peas
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 cups vegetable oil

Melt Earth Balance in a large pot, pour in uncooked rice and cook for 2 minutes. Add saffron, if using and pour in wine until wine evaporates. Begin stirring in boiling water until rice is tender. Cook rice uncovered. Add salt and pepper, to taste. When rice is cooked take off heat, mix in "cheese" and 2 "eggs" plus 4 tablespoons of warm water. Place in refrigerator, covered, for 2 hours or overnight. Rice must be chilled.
In a large frying pan over medium heat add oil, saute onions and the chopped garlic for 2 minutes, add in the veggie crumbles, and brown. Remove excess grease. Add in basil, tomato paste, tomato sauce , water, and sugar until it all becomes thick in texture. Add peas while still warm, take off heat and set aside. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Take 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture, place in hand and form a small cup.
Place 1/2 teaspoon of the meat mixture to center of the rice cup, add 1 teaspoon of the rice over the meat mixture and roll in a ball. Roll the rice ball in the remaining "eggs" and water and then roll that into the bread crumbs. Heat vegetable oil to 360 degrees F. Deep-fry rice balls until browned, place on a paper towel lined plate or dish.

from http://veganfeed.blogspot.com