Magical

I rushed home from work, headed to the gym as per usual and then got to cooking in the kitchen, blending, chopping, packing up the sides and then it was time to make the star of the show…

Lentil and mushroom meatballs! Vegan of course.

I made these meatless meatballs last Thursday night when I really wasn’t in the mood for preparing anything and felt like having to anything more than sit on my bum. But I really wanted to try a new recipe and I fancied having something wonderful to look forward to for lunch on Friday so I trucked on through.

By god I was glad that I did! They were absolutely incredible!!!!

Served on top of cauliflower rice with shredded zucchini dressed in a little cumin and lemon dressing, drizzled with tahini dressing…

I pretty much died and went to heaven mouthful after mouthful.

The meatballs really were delicious. The perfect texture, soft in the middle, crisp on the outside. The mixture of herbs and spices combined with the mushroom and lentils and paired with the tahini dressing was out of this world.

They were a total experiment. I was half expecting them to be a massive flop or potentially one big bowl of mush. Just the right amount of breadcrumbs and flax egg. Melt in the mouth deliciousness.

More cauliflower rice…I just can’t get enough of it. The flavours were completely different to the bed that the tandoori tofu sat on but equally delicious. The currants provided just the right amount of sweetness.

I’m coining these Indian “Meatballs”…just the right amount of spice, subtle enough not to overpower the rest of the dish but taste butt arousing enough to make me wish I had a couple more when my plate was devoid of them.

Yum, yum and more yum!

In case you fancy a different variety, why not try my Italian Eggplant Meatballs…also pretty darn amazing if I do say so myself (look me being all self praising…I’m praising the food really!)

Do you make food for the next day even when you’re tired?

What’s your favourite vegan take on the meatball?

Vegan Indian Lentil Meatballs

 Print this easy peasy recipe

Servings – 1

Preparation Time – 15 minutes

Cooking Time – 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 150g (2/3 cup) cooked Puy lentils
• 1/3 tbsp ground flax + 1 tbsp water
• 80g (3oz) chestnut mushrooms roughly chopped
• 1/2 small white onion finely diced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp dry gluten free breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 1/8-1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1/4 tbsp fresh coriander to serve

Tahini Dressing

• 1/2 tbsp tahini paste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp water

Salad

• 1/2 cup chopped cauliflower florets
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 small zucchini shredded
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp currants

Directions

1. Mix together flax and water and set to one side for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
3. Add onion, olive oil and garlic to a pan and cook for 3 minutes. Add in mushrooms and cook for a further 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on piece of kitchen paper to drain off any excess water from the mushrooms as they cool.
4. Blend lentils in the food processor with cooled mushrooms, onion, garlic and spices.
5. Add in flax egg and mix well to combine, followed by breadcrumbs.
6. Divide the mixture in to six and shape in to balls. Dampen hands as the mixture will be a bit sticky.
7. Place on a non stick baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until crisp on the outside. (I cooked mine for about 17 minutes but ovens will vary).
8. Clean food processor and add in cauliflower. Blitz until fluffy and finely chopped. Mix processed cauliflower with zucchini, currants, and all other salad ingredients.
9. Whisk together tahini dressing ingredients.
10. Serve meatballs on top of the cauliflower rice, drizzled with tahini dressing and sprinkled with fresh coriander. Sprinkle with a bit of paprika if you fancy it.

Tagged as: breadcrumbs, cauliflower rice, dinner, entree, lentils, mushrooms, tahini, vegan meatballs