I was recently introduced to the Fat Free Vegan website & blog when friends found out I was going to be a vegan for a month. I was initially blown away by the variety of dishes and the lovely photos. I had tried several recipes from the site and sadly didn’t love them. I had one more printed out though that looked fantastic and I had to try it before giving up. This was a true winner! Brad and I had quite the spread with this dish. I made a cucumber sauce, we had hummus, flat bread, lettuce, little tomatoes, green onions, and of course, these little koftas. Vegetarian or vegan, omnivore or not – you will LOVE these little balls of goodness. Do try to serve them with your favorite hummus and the cucumber dip – they really all work together perfectly.

As noted over on the Fat Free Vegan site, these do take a bit of time. I found it was more the quantity of dishes dirtied rather than time that was an issue. If you are organized the potatoes and spinach happen simultaneously, then mix it all together and dish onto the cooking sheet. I would allocate at least an hour for prep to table, an hour and a half might be more realistic. But it is not all working/active time. Don’t let this scare you – just make it a fun weekend dinner as we did – it was delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 finger potatoes, or 2 medium reds – ~12 oz. total
• 6 oz. fresh spinach
• 2 oz. tofu (I used silken for this)
• 2 t. nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 t. fresh lemon juice
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. cumin seeds
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 t. freshly minced or grated ginger
• 1/2 t. garam masala
• 3 T. chickpea flour (also called besan)

1. Peel the potatoes, dice them into 1/2-inch pieces. Place them in a saucepan, and cover them with water. Boil until the potatoes are tender and then drain them well and mash. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for one minute, or just until wilted. Drain well in a colander. Put the spinach along with the tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt into a food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.
3. Spray a large skillet with canola oil and bring it to medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and toast for one minute. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger and sauté until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garam masala, stir, and immediately add the potatoes and the spinach mixture. Cook, stirring, for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and spoon into a large bowl. (I actually didn’t add any oil/spray until after the spices had toasted – do as you prefer)
4. Add the chickpea flour and stir well. Allow to cool until easy to handle. Shape into about 20 balls, approximately 1-inch in diameter. (Don’t worry about getting them perfect; they will naturally flatten out some during baking.) Place on an oiled cookie sheet or a silicone baking mat.
5. Preheat oven to 450F. Bake for 10 minutes and then turn the kofta. Bake for 10 more minutes and turn again. Bake for 10 more minutes or until all sides are lightly browned.

Cucumber Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 small or 1/2 large cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 c. Toffuti cream cheese
• 1/4 c. diced red onion
• 1-3 T of fresh lime juice
• 1/4 t. ground cumin
• 1/4 t. ground coriander
• salt & pepper to taste

1. If you have time – place diced cucmber in a strainer. Blot before adding. (I did not take the time to do this, but depending on your cucumber, it might be necessary.)
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate and let flavors meld for at least 30 minutes.

Note: original version can be found here from Fat Free Vegan.