Vegan Matzo Balls

I couldn't wait to try the "Vegan Matzo Balls" (page 151), and the companion soup that they go in (see review below).  I have forever loved matzo ball soup, and depending on the time of year, or where I am currently living, it hasn't always been easy to find the matzo meal, or the matzo ball soup mix, required to make this awesome dish.  So, I was really delighted when I was able to find the matzo meal in the local grocery store in this very small Texas town where I am currently parked.  The recipe in this book makes use of tofu to replace the traditional egg ingredient in these delectable dumplings, and the results were melt-in-the-mouth delicious.  What is it about matzo meal that makes such a delicious matzo ball?  I mean, after all, it's basically just wheat-flour based meal and salt.  Must be some kind of magic!

The recipe gives you the option of either baking the matzo balls ahead of time, then ladling the soup over the top of them, or simmering them in the broth itself.  Ms. Robertson indicated that baking them yielded a slightly chewier result, and that was her preference, so I decided to try it that way for the first go around.  I did have to make some adjustments to the recipe, as it called for ¼ cup of oil.  I replaced that with ¼ cup broth, and the dough was still a little dry, so I ended up adding another 2 tablespoons of broth.  I can't imagine the oil would have made these any more tender or delicious! 

But when it came to keeping this whole grain, I failed.  Up until yesterday, I didn't even realize there were whole wheat versions of matzo meal available.  But I started thinking about it, did a quick search on the Internet, and discovered that yes indeed, there are companies that make a whole wheat version.  I've never seen this in any market so far, but I'm sure if I wanted to I could order this online.  Perhaps next time I will pursue this avenue.