Cheesy Vegan Stuffed Spinach Bites
Ingredients
2¼ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
¾ cup unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk
¼ teaspoon agar powder
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons lemon juice
8 small cloves garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup fresh or thawed frozen corn
1 fresh jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (see tip)
8 oz. fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups finely chopped onion
8 cups packed fresh spinach
2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
3 cups oil-free marinara sauce , warmed
Directions
Place potatoes in a steamer basket in a large saucepan. Add water to saucepan to just below basket. Bring to boiling. Steam, covered, 15 minutes or until tender. Let cool 10 minutes. Transfer 2 cups of the potatoes to a high-speed blender. Place remaining potatoes in a large bowl; mash.
For vegan cheese filling, in a small saucepan combine ½ cup of the milk and the agar; mix well. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes.
Transfer milk mixture to blender with potatoes. Add the remaining ¼ cup milk, the nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, 2 of the garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper. Cover and blend until very creamy. Stir in corn and jalapeño.
Carefully pour blended mixture onto a large baking sheet in a layer no more than ½-inch thick; let cool. Cover tray in plastic wrap; freeze 1 hour or until cheese is set.
In a food processor combine green beans and onion; pulse until very finely chopped. Transfer to bowl with mashed potatoes. Place spinach in food processor; pulse until very finely chopped. Transfer to bowl with mashed potatoes. Add bread crumbs, almond flour, Italian seasoning, and the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 6 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Mix well to combine.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove cheese from freezer.
Roll ¼ cup of potato-spinach mixture into a ball. Flatten to a 4-inch disk between your palms. Place 1 tablespoon of the cheese in the center, then fold the edges of the disk toward the middle to enclose cheese; roll into a compact ball. Place ball on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining potato-spinach mixture and cheese.
Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Flip balls over and return to oven. Bake 20 minutes more. Serve immediately with warm marinara.
https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-snacks-appetizers/cheesy-vegan-stuffed-spinach-bites/
https://freerecipenetwork.com/cheesy-vegan-stuffed-spinach-bites/