Author Notes: I like to make veggie burgers/balls at home for a few days of meals for the week. Breaks up the monotony…think sandwiches, think salads, think easy. The basic idea of combining veggies, a binder and some aromatics is pretty adaptable. Here I used green plantains (starchy) to bind the balls with some homemade peanut-flax meal. —recordsintheden
Makes: 12
Ingredients
For the veggie balls
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1
green/under-ripe plantain
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5-6
medium sized mushrooms (crimini, white button), roughly chopped
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4-5
spring onions, thinly chopped
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1/2
cup black beans
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1/4
cup cilantro, roughly chopped
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1/3
cup peanuts, unsalted*
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1/3
cup flax seeds*
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1
garlic clove, crushed
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1
tablespoon tbsp coconut oil
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1
teaspoon generous tsp of chili flakes
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juice of 1/2 lime
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salt and pepper to season
For the sauce and sandwich assembly
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1
can light coconut milk
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1/4
cup raw cashews
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1
large garlic clove, crushed
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1
knob ginger about equal size of the garlic, crushed or finely chopped
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juice of 1/2 lime
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pita/lavash/wrap or other bread of choice + salad greens and more cilantro
Directions
- *This is to make a peanut-flax meal to bind. Alternatively you can try garbanzo bean flour or almond meal and it probably won’t alter the flavor/texture too much. Use ~1/2 – 2/3 c of flour/meal of choice.
- Heat 3 – 4 c of water in a saucepan until boiling. Roughly slice the plantains ~1.5 inches thick and boil in the saucepan on medium-high heat until tender to a fork, ~20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a pan, saute the mushrooms and spring onions with the coconut oil. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender/cooked through. Set aside.
- If making the peanut-flax meal, in a high-power blender or food processor pulse the peanuts and flax seeds together until you have a flour/meal-like consistency. You may need to scrape the sides periodically to prevent it from becoming a paste. Set aside.
- When the plantains have cooked, drain and let cool until cool enough to touch. Peel the skins off and add the cooked plantain to a high-power blender or food processor. Blend until mostly smooth. It should come together relatively quickly and may form a sticky/semi dough-y ball. To that, add the black beans, lime juice, cooked mushrooms and onions, garlic, cilantro, chili flakes, and a generous dash of salt and pepper. Blend until mostly blended and no large pieces of food remain, but not totally smooth. This is more a personal preference as I like some of the components to still be distinguishable but not large pieces remain.
- Transfer to a bowl and add one half of the peanut-flax meal. Combine with a spatula, then add and combine the second half. The consistency should be sticky but not wet, enough that you can roll the mixture into balls that will retain their form.
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Preheat the oven to 350F/170C.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, roll the dough into 12 equal-sized balls about the size of a golf ball, placing ~1 inch apart. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the heat up to 375F/190C and bake for another ~15 minutes checking halfway through. They’re done when they start to brown on top and barely form a crust. - For the sauce, in a small bowl, soak the cashews in boiling hot water for ~3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Open the can of coconut milk and gently scoop the cream from the top and place in a blender. You can keep the liquid for another project. Blend the coconut cream, cashews, lime juice, ginger and garlic until well combined.
- Assemble the sandwich with the greens and cilantro (can also make these into patty shapes for burgers!) or have these in a salad. I like to add a few extra chili flakes and a dash of olive oil. Also great with fried eggs.
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Photo by recordsintheden
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Photo by recordsintheden