Sweet & Sour Chickpea Balls
This vegetarian take on chicken balls can be transformed into a number of dishes throughout the week; try them in sandwiches, tossed with veg noodles, on salads, in your favorite grain bowls or simply on their own dunked into the tangy sweet ’n’ sour sauce.
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Tip: Serve over fried brown rice, with egg noodles or as a protein-rich garnish to an Asian-inspired salad (such as carrot, cabbage, bok choy, sweet peas and a sesame vinaigrette).
Ingredients
Chickpea balls
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
3 tsp grape seed oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp each ground cumin and coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 3 15-oz BPA-free cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
Sauce
1/2 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup frozen and thawed pitted sour cherries
1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp tapioca starch
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp sea salt
Preparation
1. In a small bowl, combine flaxseeds and ¼ cup water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet on medium, heat 1 tsp oil. Add yellow onion and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, ginger and five-spice. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Set aside.
3. To a food processor, add chickpeas and salt; process until combined but still leaving a coarse texture (do not purée).
4. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine chickpea mixture, onion mixture, flaxseed mixture and parsley using your hands.
5. Using a 1 tbsp measure, form mixture into balls and place on a large rimmed parchment-lined baking sheet, making about 32 balls total.
6. In a large nonstick skillet on medium, heat ½ tsp oil. Add 8 balls. Using a spatula, flatten each ball slightly then cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining oil and balls.
7. Meanwhile, to a blender, add all sauce ingredients plus ¼ cup water and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan on medium. Constantly whisk until heated through, about 4 minutes.
8. If serving immediately, drizzle balls with sauce and garnish with green onions. If reserving for future use, store separately, reheat each separately and drizzle before eating.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 4 balls and 2 tbsp sauce
- Calories 199
- Carbohydrate Content 32 g
- Cholesterol Content 0 mg
- Fat Content 5 g
- Fiber Content 8 g
- Protein Content 8 g
- Saturated Fat Content 0.5 g
- Sodium Content 192 mg
- Sugar Content 10 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 3 g