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Vegan Chickpea "Meatballs"

18-20 vegan meatballs
prep time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ½ c. finely diced shallot
  • 2oz of Enjoy Life Foods Sea Salt Lentil Chips (about 1/2 bag or 2 single serve bags)
  • 2 Tbls. flax meal + 1/3 c. warm water
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 Tbls. tomato paste
  • ¼ c. fresh minced parsley
  • 1 ½ Tbls. Dried oregano
  • ½ c. gluten-free flour (rice flour is preferred)
  • Olive oil for pan-frying
For serving:
  • 2 c. favorite tomato sauce, warmed
  • 4 servings gluten-free pasta, cooked
  • Optional: fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Gently saute the minced garlic and diced shallot in a pan with olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, grind up the Enjoy Life Foods Lentil Chips in the bowl of a food processor until they resemble crumbs. This should reduce to about 1 cup.
  3. In the food processor, add the garlic-shallot mixture on top of the Lentil Chip breadcrumbs. Also add the flax meal-water mixture, chickpeas, tomato paste, parsley, and oregano. Blend until super smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
  4. Scoop out into tablespoon-sized balls and roll until smooth. Then coat them all with the rice flour and set to the side.
  5. Preheat your pan over medium heat. Add a good swirl of olive oil, warm about 30 seconds, and then cook the rice flour coated chickpea balls in batches, careful not to overcrowd the pan.
  6. Cook until golden brown on a few sides, approximately 5 minutes per batch. Tip: Do not let them sit on any one side for very long. It helps to turn them frequently.
  7. Serve with warmed tomato sauce and your favorite gluten-free pasta topped with fresh basil. You can also enjoy them in a sandwich or on top of a salad.