Ever since I was a kid, I have longed to try the Ikea restaurant’s famous Swedish meatballs. They’re served fresh in a hot gravy with a side of mashed potatoes and topped with traditional lingonberry jam. It couldn’t get any better.
Photo courtesy of julieseatsandtreats.com
Shopping for furniture while indulging in a Swedish delicacy just seemed too right. Their sweet aroma made my mouth water. I wanted to be a part of this Swedish meatball eating, furniture shopping culture.
Unfortunately, I am a vegetarian and this meant no meatballs for me. Even with claims of the meat balls having trace amounts of horse meat, ten year old me just wanted the damn Ikea Swedish meatballs.
The Ikea Gods have finally answered my prayers. Starting in April 2015, Ikea will now serve vegan meatballs named GRÖNSAKSBULLAR, in addition to the new chicken meatballs, KYCKLINGBULLAR.
These new additions are a response to a new health-conscious and environmentally friendly initiative. The new veggie balls and chicken balls are now available in all US locations, and are served as an order of 10 for $4.49.
Photo courtesy of theeverydayveggie.com
The veggie balls are a healthy blend of green peas, carrot, chickpeas, bell peppers, corn, kale, pea starch, seasonings, onion and canola oil. This combinations allows for the veggie balls to be dairy free, gluten free, soy free and non GMO.
The chicken balls will debut on April 27th and are also gluten free. They will offer customers a healthier meat alternative with 23% fewer calories than the original dish. The new initiative also reduces the overall carbon footprint of the Ikea industry.
Ikea also plans to offer both of their new healthy meatball selections in the frozen section, starting June 30th 2015.
The next time you find yourself cruising through the kitchen section of your local Ikea, take a moment to consider heading over the restaurant to try the new veggie or chicken meatballs. No assembly required.
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