Vegan Thai Meatballs with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Can everything in life be easy? Seriously though! I feel like life has been a lot of work these days ... and by life, I mean feeding a family of six and try to have everyone happy (at least content) about dinner. Sounds impossible right? Yup, it is.

Then, like a full moon, a recipe comes along (in my case, usually by accident) that everyone loves dinner and it was super easy to make and even more importantly, to clean up!

To make a short story long, that is how Vegan Thai Meatballs came into our lives. The kids were getting whinny and I realized that dinner was just a short 20 minutes away and I had nothing prepped and no idea what I was making. I turned the oven on, grabbed a can of beans and then stared at an empty fridge. I hardly had any vegetables or anything fresh ... just a little bit of leftover chopped cilantro and asparagus. Ugh!

I went back to the pantry, grabbed the peanut butter and panko and figured I might as well make a burger. I quickly threw everything into a food processor, said a little prayer and braced myself for the crying that was sure to come when they realized they did not want to try new food.

Much to mine and Paul's surprise, they all loved it. I mean seriously ... it's peanut butter, which they love but is more reason for them to pretend they don't! Paul then asked, "What did you put in these?" That's when the real panic set in. I was in such a rush, I had no idea what the complete list of ingredients was, let alone amounts.

I made them the following week (of course, the kids didn't love them as much as the first time because, c'mon, they're kids!), but Paul and I still loved them and they were even better once I payed attention to what I was doing. Even though the kids go back and forth if they like these or not, I love how amazingly easy they are to make and how many meatballs it makes for the time I don't have to put into dinner. Leftovers are always great in my house!

Vegan Thai Meatballs

Makes about 24

1 15-oz c chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 c peanut butter
1/4 c tamari or Mrs. Braggs Amino Acids
1/4 cup cilantro
1 garlic clove
1 t minced ginger
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 c peanuts, roasted and salted
1/4 c chives, chopped
1/2 c panko (regular or gluten free)

Spicy Peanut Sauce
1/3 c peanut butter
1/3 c tamari or Mrs. Braggs Amino Acids
2 T organic, unrefined coconut oil (add more oil if you want a thinner dip)
dash of red pepper flakes ... add to your spicy liking

Preheat oven for 375º.

Mix all meatball ingredients in your food processor until the mixture is relatively smooth. Form into meatballs.

Place on a sprayed pan and bake for 15 minutes.

While they cooking, mix the spicy peanut sauce ingredients in a bowl or on a stovetop .

Once meatballs are done ... enjoy!