Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup

Matzo ball soup is delicious, but shmaltz is pretty gross. This can be made vegan by substituting tofu for the eggs.

Hardware:
- large stock pot
- medium/large pot with lid
- medium pan
- large plastic bag and a rolling pin (a blender or food processor can also be used)
- medium mixing bowl
- cutting board
- large chefs knife
- wooden spoon
- half cookie sheet
- plastic wrap
- small ice cream scoop
- fine sieve or cheese cloth

Software:
- 1 box matzo crackers (or 1.5 cups matzo meal)
- 2 large eggs (substitute 12 oz of firm silken tofu to make Vegan Matzo Balls)
- .5 cup vegetable olive oil
- .5 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1 cup each chopped carrot, celery, and onion
- 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh dill and parsley - note: if you grow your own herbs, or have left over when buying them, they can be chopped, mixed with water and put in ice cube trays. The resulting cubes can be added to dishes like this soup
- 8.5 cups vegetable stock (recipe below) - note: .5 cup of store bought soup can be substituted in the matzo balls in order to cut down preparation time

Vegetable Stock:
o 2 large carrots, chopped
o 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
o 1 large onion, chopped
o 4 ribs of celery, chopped
o 3 cloves garlic, crushed
o 1 cup each fresh dill and parsley
o 1 tablespoon olive oil
o 1 teaspoon salt
o 9 cups water

1. Roughly chop carrots, parsnip, celery, and onion. Place stock pot over medium heat and add olive oil and chopped vegetables. Cook until softened (about 10 minutes).
2. Add crushed garlic, and cook an additional minute.
3. Add water, salt, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
5. Pass through a sieve or cheese cloth to remove cooked vegetables.

1. Place matzo crackers in the plastic bag. Use rolling pin to crush them to a fine powder. A blender or food processor can also be used to grind them.
2. Combine the powder with eggs, .5 cup vegetable stock, oil, dill and parsley, salt and pepper. Be careful not to over-mix.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out golf ball sized balls of dough and roll gently to round them - be sure not to press too hard or compact them, this will make them too dense to cook all the way through.
4. Place the formed matzo balls on cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least a half hour.
5. To cook the matzo balls, carefully drop them into boiling water and cover the pot. Allow to cook, covered, for forty minutes. After forty minutes, remove the lid, the balls will have floated to the surface, but will sink when the lid is removed.

Tip: To ensure that they're light and fluffy (and fully cooked), you can turn the heat off under the pot, but leave it covered with the matzo balls inside. This will allow them to keep cooking, and absorb more water to make them lighter and fluffier.

In a pan over medium heat, cook carrots, celery, and onion until softened (about 5 minutes). Add to vegetable stock. Place two or three matzo balls in a bowl and spoon over stock and vegetables. Enjoy!