For the ‘meat’balls:

Ingredients 

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (italian) parsley
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon ketchup
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea-salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground chik’n or veggie meat substitute

—> I use the Lightlife Gimme Lean Vegetarian Ground “Sausage” (available in the US at natural food stores such as Whole Foods) <—

Method

Combine the beaten eggs, parsley, bread crumbs, milk, ketchup and cheese in a medium sized bowl. Knead in the meat with your hands until well combined. Form into 1inch diameter balls. Shallow fry the meatballs in a large pan until browned.

For the quinoa salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups quinoa (I use trader joes brand)

2 tsp kosher salt or sea-salt

1/2 lb (makes 2 cups) green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 green or red bell pepper cut into thin strips

1/2 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped

3/4 cup parmesan cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup snipped fresh chives

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

Cook the quinoa as per package directions, along with salt and drain well. Let cool in a large bowl. Meanwhile, boil a second pot of water and add the fresh green beans– cook these for 2 minutes (timing is important, do NOT overcook!!) and quickly transfer them to a small bowl of ice water for another two minutes, then drain well.  Now, add the green beans, olives, bell pepper, parmesan cheese and chives to the cooled quinoa, and combine. In another small bowl, combine the sherry vinegar, olive oil, mustard, pepper and 1/2 tsp salt. Add this mixture to the quinoa mixture. Serve fresh or can be refrigerated and served the next day to let the flavors meld together well 🙂