Tempeh Mole Meatballs

After seeing a post for Tempeh Mole Muffins from Laura's blog  I immediately decided I had to make them. I talked about my love for tempeh in a previous post that features one of my favorite ways to prepare it. I thought it was time to try something new and this recipe looked delicious! I modified the original recipe slightly and substituted the sweet potato with pumpkin, swapped fresh garlic for garlic powder (I was all out of fresh!), and adjusted some of the amounts of the spices according to my taste. I also decided to make my tempeh into the shape of meatballs instead of muffins. I ate them throughout the week (see my Instagram pictures @adena86). I loved the unique texture and flavor it gave to my meals! And look how cute they are!

Tempeh Mole Meatballs
Modified from www.sprint2thetable.com

Ingredients:

8 ounces tempeh
1/4 cup egg whites
1 1/2 tablespoons lime
1 T nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder. 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 cup canned pumpkin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Coat a baking sheet or muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Place tempeh, egg whites, and lime juice and pulse. Add all remaining ingredients except for the pumpkin and pulse until mixed. Stir in the pumpkin.
3. Form the batter into meatballs. I used a cookie scoop that is approximately one tablespoon.
4. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until browned and set. Allow to cool.

I made 15 meatballs out of my mixture (yes, I know there is 14 in my picture- I ate one before taking it!). I usually had three meatballs as a serving. This is mostly because I used them as a side dish, or small protein boost to my meals. Feel free to make your serving size larger if you'd like to make it the main protein in your meal. 

Nutrition Facts (per 3 meatballs): 98 Calories, 3.2 g Fat, 6.8 g CHO, 10.6 g Protein