Stuffed Tofu Balls

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Difficulty: Easy
Makes between 12-16 balls

You know I am quite literally obsessed with tofu, so when my pals over at Saclà asked me to make a recipe using their Free From Tomato Pesto, I knew exactly what I was going to do.

Saclà’s range of vegan-friendly options are available at Coles and Woolworths and are so handy to have in the pantry for when you’re lacking the energy to make a killer meal but don’t want to compromise on flavour. Stir one of their Free From Pestos through some pasta and vegetables or try something a little more special, like my Stuffed Tofu Balls.

These Stuffed Tofu Balls are as delicious as they are easy to make and uses only 10 ingredients, most of which you’ve probably got lying around anyway. As an added bonus, they’re gluten free too!

Once you’ve whipped up a batch of these babies, you can eat them as a snack, use them as your protein for a sandwich or wrap or pop them in a salad to keep things interesting.

Ingredients

• • 450g extra firm tofu
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Up to `1/3 cup soy milk
  • 1/3 cup Saclà Free From Tomato Pesto
  • Oil for frying (I used canola)

Method

1. 1. Crumble your tofu into a food processor or blender before adding the nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, salt and lime juice.
   2. Add a tiny bit of the soy milk and slowly increase the speed of your blender. Gradually add the soy milk until you achieve a consistency that is smooth but the mixture holds when squished together.
   3. Using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop, measure out the mixture and roll into balls before setting aside.
   4. Next, using a small life, make a small but deep hole in one of the balls, being careful not to go through to the other side (you don’t want the pesto to leak out!)
   5. Fill a piping bag with the Saclà Free From Tomato Pesto and fill the hole about 2/3 of the way. Carefully pinch together the top of the ball to seal. Tip: If you need to, use any extra tofu mixture to help seal. Repeat with the remaining balls.
   6. Fill a pan with about 5cm of oil and heat over medium-high. Once the oil is hot enough (I often use a small amount of tofu to test), add some of your balls, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
   7. Gently and regularly move the balls around so that they are evenly cooked. Once golden, remove from the oil and onto paper towel to drain.
   8. Serve with your favourite creamy sauce or dip and enjoy!