Vegan Mediterranean Spiced Chickpea Balls
Ingredients
Chickpea Balls
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro
- 4 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
- 2 chia eggs
Spinach
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 10oz bags of spinach
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
Roasted Chickpeas
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
Instructions
Chickpea Balls
- Cook quinoa to package directions. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a small pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft and translucent 7-10 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
- Mash chickpeas, and combine with quinoa, onions & garlic, breadcrumbs, spices, cilantro, lemon juice, and chia eggs in large bowl.
- Heat oven to 375° and line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Form 1 - 1 1/2 inch balls with the chickpea mixture and line up on pan. Spray or drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top.
- Bake 25 - 30 minutes, until balls are golden brown. (For a little extra crisp, broil on high an additional 2 - 3 minutes.)
Spinach
- Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat, add chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, 3 - 5 minutes.
- Add spinach and let wilt, stirring frequently. (It helps to add a little more olive oil on top after the spinach goes into the pan.)
Roasted Chickpeas
- Pat your chickpeas down with paper towels until dry, combine with spices and olive oil.
- Add to oven with chickpea balls for about 10 minutes, or until brown and crispy.
- Serve chickpea balls over a bed of spinach, with the roasted chickpeas as garnish. Top with some additional lemon juice.