LENTIL BALLS (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
The hubby decided that he wanted to take part in Veganuary this year, so I got stuck in and started thinking up recipes and meals to keep him motivated, mostly to prove that if a mega meathead can do it… anyone else can do it too (without it being about just eating leaves and beans).
To start off with, i know him to be a fussy eater when it comes to vegetables so it was important to include foods that he already enjoys without too much contrast to his daily diet. It is much easier to transition into a diet slowly with smaller changes than trying to do it drastically. I made a list of foods he likes and/ or is happy to eat and combine with other foods, to then think up meals from said list.
On the list (for both of us) were lentils, so i stocked up with plenty of them. We have busy lives, he works shift and i work long days so wanted to create something that i can prep in bulk and cook as i go that adds versatility to meals. I thought of making these because we can add to salads, as a side with potatoes and veg, can be made as burgers or even used as meatballs with pasta.
Exactly what we would need to get started.
Ingredients:
1 Jar Lentils (cooked)
1 Tsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Flaxegg*
Handful Fresh Basil & Oregano
1 Tbsp Pomegranate Molasses (optional)
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 Tbsp Garlic Granules
1/2 Cup Nutritional Yeast
Pinch of Salt
70g Ground Oats
2 Tsp Coconut Flour
50g Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs
(1 tbsp flaxseed to 3 tbsp water)
Method:
In a blender or food processor, add all ingredients except for oats, coconut flour and breadcrumbs and blitz. Depending on what you prefer you can blitz till smooth or leave some lentils whole for a bit of chunk.
Pour mix into a bowl and fold in dry ingredients, until you get a dough-like consistency that you can roll into balls.
If your mix is too wet, add more breadcrumbs until you get desired consistency.
Roll into balls (or patties if you prefer) and store until you want to cook.
To cook:
You can bake them for a healthier, oil-free alternative or you can pan-fry them with a little bit of spray oil in med-high heat. Alternatively you could also deep-fry them but not sure how they would turn out, we have not tried that ourselves. If you do let us know how they turn out!
If you want to use these balls as ‘meatballs’ simply follow your usual recipe, just remember that these need a lot less cook time than actual meatballs do.
If you like getting creative, try making these with different flavours. If you like indian-spiced, use curry paste and curry spices OR if you’re a bbq sort of fan, add bbq sauce and smoked seasonings like we did in first image on this page.
Don’t fancy these? Try these BBQ Lentil & Quinoa Patties instead?
You can also find much more Vegan recipes here.
Look forward to seeing what combos you guys come up with! Don’t forget to tag us if you make them, we love to see. Find us on all social outlets @themusclebakery/ @themusclebaker 🙂
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All recipes created by The Muscle Bakery and subject to copyright.