Good vegetarian matzo-ball soup recipe without using the packaged soup-mix?

Tough w/o a real chicken for broth (unless you made veggie broth) and impossible to bind the matzo-meal w/o egg, if you want the authentic flavor. I think that substituting oil for schmaltz is OK, but it still doesnt taste like Grandma’s. Her matzoh balls could knock down bowling pins, but they were good.

The thing about sodium is that it’s not so unhealthy (msg, though you could argue). Restaurants use a LOT of salt and a LOT of butter. That’s why things are so tasty.

I’d recommend just using Bittman’s or Deborah Madison’s recipes for vegetable broth, and then erring on the hearty side.

Let me know if you’d like me to type the recipes if you don’t have the cookbooks handy.

For the Matzo balls:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
2 tablespoons vegetable stock (or water)
½ cup unsalted matzo meal
1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley
½ teaspoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh dill)
½ teaspoon salt

For the soup:
6 cups vegetable stock
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, cut into ¼ inch slices
bay leaf
2 green onions, including green parts, coarsely chopped
¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley
salt and pepper

To make the matzo balls, stir together eggs, butter and vegetable stock in a small bowl. Add the matzo meal, parsley, dill and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 8 hours.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat; add a dash of salt. Using wet hands, for the dough into 12 1-inch balls. Drop the balls, one at a time, into the boiling water. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Matzo balls should be plump, tender and cooked through.

While the matzo balls are simmering, make the soup. Combine all ingredients except green onions, parsley, salt and pepper in large dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and taste. Adjust seasonings to suit taste.