Italian Wedding Soup

I do miss Italian wedding soup a lot. This was pretty taste. I would recommend using the Galaxy brand Parmesan if you can find it. I tried three Whole Foods, but couldn't find anything so I settled for Parm which I do not particularly care for. It has too much of nutty taste for me. The floating bits in the pictures are from the Parm. Apparently that's what happens to it when added to liquids. There is also couscous at the bottom of the soup too which you can not see in the pictures. Some people prefer spiral pasta noodles, though, so pick whichever strikes your fancy! 

Italian Wedding Soup

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
* Ingredients (for meatballs):

• 1 package (8 oz.) Italian style seitan, finely chopped*
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan*
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 "eggs", made as directed by box instructions*
• 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs*
• 1 tbsp olive oil

* Ingredients (for soup base):

• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 2 tbsp vegan Parmesan
• pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup white wine*
• 1/2 cup couscous
• 2 tbsp olive oil

* Recipe (for meatballs):

1. Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Form into small to medium shaped balls.

* Recipe (for soup):

1. Over medium heat in a pot, add the olive oil. Brown each side of the meatballs for about 10 minutes.
2. Remove the meatballs and set aside.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 20-30 minutes.
4. When done cooking, place some broth in a bowl and add several meatballs.

* Note: For my seitan needs, I swear by local seitan gods, Upton's Naturals. You can find it online at vegan stores. You could use other seitan-style meat crumbles such as Boca Ground Crumbles,Gimme Lean Sausage by Lightlife, or Yves Meatless Ground Round Original. For ease, one could just use frozen vegan meatballs too such as Nate's. For vegan Parmesan, I recommend Galaxy brand. I basically only use Ener-G for egg replacement purposes. Make sure your breadcrumbs are vegan as they often have dairy in them! I use Whole Foods brand. Make sure your alcohol is vegan.