Quinoa ‘meat’ balls

Remember these ‘meat’balls’?

And these burgers?

Well, it was really just a matter of time before I combined the two to get a gluten free, high protein hit with a nice spicy smoky kick!  I typically eat a lot of nuts, seeds and beans to maintain a good protein intake, but what I love about these balls is that they focus more on pulses and grains, plus the fact they are perfect for a snack on the go, to toss on top of a salad, to wrap up in a tortilla or to slather in sauce….

I’ve now made these countless times and I pretty much keep to the same proportions and flavours each time, although I nearly always double or triple the batch so I have plenty to freeze.  The ones  in the photos were rolled in polenta prior to baking to give a little crispy coating for my wrap but I often just leave them plain and then they look more like the original

‘meat’ balls.  The only significant difference between these balls and the originals that used rice,  are that these balls tend to be slightly dryer, I think it was the rice that gave them more of a chew so feel free the substitute rice for the quinoa to get a GF version closer to the original if you prefer.

Right, I’m off…I’m on a huge baking mission today since yesterday was sabotaged by my broken down car which had to get to the garage at short notice, therefore my plans for the day had to be totally re-written. Oh well, I guess that’s life… you just have to roll with it sometimes.

On my list to do:  this month’s Daring Bakers Challenge, soup, dips and these meat balls to stock up my freezer. Some more smoosh bars, and also some chia pudding experiments planned…watch this space!

 P.S The tortilla sauce in the photo is a lentil and peanut dip (soon to come)....so good!

Recipe: Quinoa ‘meat’ balls

Ingredients

• ½ cooked lentils
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup mixed wholegrain high protein flours  (gram, buckwheat, oatmeal)
• 2 tbs ground flax
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs oilve oil
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ black pepper
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• Pinch nutmeg
• ½ chilli powder
• ½ parika/cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp molasses
• 2 tsp mustard

Method

Mix everything together in a large bowl. Mixture should be sticky but manageable. From apricot sized balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.(

optional- rolls in polenta for a cripy coating prior to baking).

Bake at 180C for 25- 30 minutes turning over half way through. These freeze well.

(Adapted from my regular 'meat' ball recipe)

Raw carrot cake balls

I seem to be having a bit of a carrot cake kick…what with  this little concoction a week or so ago and a few other ideas up my sleeve!

Well it is almost Easter, and it would seem that carrot cake it a very seasonal cake…maybe that was my subconscious coming into play because I didn’t consider carrot cake to be seasonal until I ‘googled’ Easter baking. To me typical Easter treats are more along the lines of hot cross buns and simnel cake…?

So carrots…but this time less of the cake and more of the smooshed ball variety. A lightly sweet and juicy treat to keep in the freezer and take out for a deliciously chilled nibble (or defrost fully for a softer bite). The original idea was inspired by thes balls, but since I don’t have a juicer and I wanted to avoid the potential hassle of grating and squeezing to remove the juice, I simply  added oatmeal to the mix to absorb some of the liquids. I also thought I’d use carob to coat some of the balls which actually works really well with the flavours of the delicately sweet carrot and apple. You could use whatever you like, I also used coconut flakes for others.

Carob flour is an ingredient I am only just beginning to incorporate into my baking, so you will probably see it crop of more and more as time goes by. I have known of its virtues for a long time but until recently held back from giving it a go.  This is largely due to the fact that it’s simply not chocolate! To elaborate on that point, if you are unfamiliar with the taste of carob don’t fall for those who tell you it’s a ‘healthier alternative to chocolate’ (as I was told many years ago!). Yes its healthy…but no its not chocolate! It tastes a lot different and is naturally sweeter than cocoa. It is another one of those quirky health food ingredients that simply needs to be appreciated and enjoyed in its own right and not as a replacement for something else.

Are you familiar with carob? How have you incorporated it into your recipes? I’d love to know more.

I have kept these carrot balls in the freezer since otherwise they do make for a soft ball, even when kept in the fridge. They only take a couple minutes to thaw out enough to eat without freezing your teeth and I actually really love the chilled texture- almost like an ice cream ball! If you prefer them without the chill simply take out of the freezer about 20-30 minutes before you serve.

If you want to try juicing the carrots and apples- that should work! I haven’t tried it this way yet but it should just make for a firmer ball, that can be stored in the fridge quite happily.

Recipe: Raw carrot cake balls

Makes approx. 12 balls

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots
• 1 medium apple
• ½ cup oatmeal (or GF grains)
• ½ cup dates
• ½ cup walnuts
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ginger
• Pinch salt
• 4 tbs agave
• 3 tbs cashew butter (or almond butter)
• Carob powder/cacoa nibs/coconut flakes for decoration- optional

Method:

In a food processor blend the carrots and apple to puree (note they will be very wet and so the resulting balls will be soft- optional to use a juicer and drain away approx. ½ the juice).

Add all the remaining ingredients and blend in a food processor until all small chunks and well mixed through. You should have a very soft mixture that can still be formed into a ball, if too wet add a little more oatmeal. 

Decant the mixture into a bowl and allow to sit in the fridge for 30 mins to firm up a little. Once chilled roll into balls and then roll in coconut flakes or carob powder to coat. Lay the balls on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze.

Once frozen they can be stored together. They are best removed from freezer a few minutes before serving and eaten chilled. They can be stored in the fridge but will be very soft (unless a juicer is used to drain part of the vegetable juice).