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    Home » Main Dish » Veggie Chickpea “Meatballs”

    Veggie Chickpea “Meatballs”

    Sep 2, 2017 • Luteal Phase, Main Dish, Ovulatory Phase

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Veggie Chickpea "Meatballs". Vegan, Gluten Free option. Simple, packed full of flavor and healthy veggies and so comforting! #vegan #meatballs #veggie

    It’s a cloudy Saturday morning and I’m writing all snuggled up on the couch, in sweats, hair in a messy bun and OC Housewives on in the background.

    Sort of dreamy, no?!

    I like working on Saturday mornings because it feels socially acceptable to have the tv on in the background ha.

    Cozy and comforting is all I’ve been wanting and craving this week.

    So, lots of snuggles and warming recipes like these Veggie Chickpea “Meatballs” have been on the agenda. The drop in temperature has me in the mood for all things Fall, which is probably super annoying to some people because it’s not Fall yet (it’s only Labor Day weekend) but all the littles went back to school and that’s what I associate the next season with. I can’t help myself! Plus, I feel it in my bones that summer is quickly fading away when I wake up to that certain chill in the air.

    I know you guys know what I mean!

    I also blame this on Target and Home Goods because somehow, everything I see while shopping determines how I should live my life. LOL.

    How do they do that?? They’re scary good at convincing me I NEED the cozy coffee cup and white pumpkin candle and comfy knit sweater and who knows what else.

    I mean, everyone lives their life by what Target has on display.

    It’s totally normal.


    Back to cozy and comforting, which perfectly describes these Veggie Chickpea “Meatballs”. If you’ve been following me on social media, you’ll know about my latest obsession with lentil pasta. I’m not the only one! I got the idea from Lauryn of The Skinny Confidential and so many other bloggers are crazy about this magical pasta too – and for good reason! It’s packed with plant protein, fiber and iron and could not be any more DELISH.

    I swear, if you haven’t tried it yet, YOU MUST. Lentil pasta is popping up everywhere in the stores. Why not pack in a punch of extra nutrition where we can?!

    And what better to pair the pasta with than vegan meatballs! There’s no better time to share a heart-healthy recipe for homemade veggie balls.

    What are the main ingredients?!

    Zucchini
    Carrots
    Chickpeas
    Kale
    Fresh Basil
    Sunflower Seeds
    Breadcrumbs (buy gluten free breadcrumbs or use ground up gluten free oats!)
    Italian seasonings
    Nutritional Yeast

    Veggie Chickpea "Meatballs". Vegan, Gluten Free option. Simple, packed full of flavor and healthy veggies and so comforting! #vegan #meatballs #veggie

    These plant based meatballs are simple, made in the food processor, and baked in the oven until golden brown (or you can fry in a pan), but still soft on the inside. The whole family will gobble them right up! I imagine they freeze well but I haven’t tried freezing them. This recipe will make 12-14 meatballs, depending on what size you roll them into. Perfect for a few lunches or dinners throughout the week, or to feed your family.

    I’m so excited for you to try them!

    Veggie Chickpea "Meatballs". Vegan, Gluten Free option. Simple, packed full of flavor and healthy veggies and so comforting! #vegan #meatballs #veggie
    Veggie Chickpea "Meatballs". Vegan, Gluten Free option. Simple, packed full of flavor and healthy veggies and so comforting! #vegan #meatballs #veggie
    Veggie Chickpea "Meatballs". Vegan, Gluten Free option. Simple, packed full of flavor and healthy veggies and so comforting! #vegan #meatballs #veggie
    Veggie Chickpea "Meatballs". Vegan, Gluten Free option. Simple, packed full of flavor and healthy veggies and so comforting! #vegan #meatballs #veggie
    Print
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    Veggie Chickpea “Meatballs”

    • Author: Shannon Leparski
    • Prep Time: 20
    • Cook Time: 20
    • Total Time: 40
    • Yield: 14 1x
    • Category: Main
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Veggie Chickpea “Meatballs”. Vegan, Gluten Free option. Simple, packed full of flavor and healthy veggies and so comforting!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, for sautéing
    • 1/3 white onion, chopped small
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
    • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (sub for gluten free breadcrumbs or gluten free oats)
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
    • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt and black pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
    • 2 medium carrots, quartered
    • 1 small zucchini, quartered
    • 1 cup kale (or spinach)
    • 1/2 cup fresh basil (or 2 teaspoons dried)
    • 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

    Instructions

    1. Heat coconut oil on medium-heat in a pan on the stove, until hot. Add in onion and sauté until translucent, about 4-5 minutes, then stir in garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes and turn off heat.
    2. preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with coconut oil (or use parchment paper).
    3. In food processor, combine sunflower seeds, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, sea salt, pepper and cayenne. Blend until mixture becomes a fine consistency and transfer to a large bowl.
    4. Next, in food processor, combine carrots, zucchini, kale and fresh basil. Blend/pulse until chopped up small, but not watery. You may have to scrape down the sides from time to time. Transfer into the same large bowl.
    5. Now blend up the chickpeas until sticky when pressed together between two fingers. This will hold the meatballs together. Then transfer into the same bowl and start mixing the ingredients together by hand. Then start squeezing the mixture until it begins to stick together like cookie dough.
    6. Roll into golf-ball sized meatballs (about 12-14) and place on baking sheet.
    7. Bake for 10 minutes then turn them over and bake for 8-10 more minutes.
    8. Serve over lentil pasta with your favorite sauce.
    9. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • You can also fry them in a pan until golden brown on all sides.
    • I have no tried freezing them, but if you do, please leave us a comment below!

    Keywords: vegan meatballs, veggie meatballs, meatless meatballs, Veggie, Chickpea, Meatballs, Vegan, Gluten Free, Pasta

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @theglowingfridge on Instagram and hashtag it #theglowingfridge

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

    Also, I acquired all of these ingredients from Whole Foods using Instacart. Have you heard of them?!

    Instacart is a same-day grocery delivery service that I’ve been dying to try and is seriously addicting because you shop for everything you need online – and it’s delivered to your door within a couple hours, or you can choose a time. It couldn’t be any easier and they deliver from multiple stores in your area!

    Find out what stores use instacart in your area here.

    **Use my code ‘glowingfridge’ for $10 off and free delivery on your first instacart order!!**

    Happy cooking!

    ♥

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vanessa

      January 01, 2022 at 4:58 pm

      What happened to the lemon juice?

      Reply
    2. Laken

      September 01, 2021 at 8:50 pm

      Hi!
      Not sure what to do with the onion and garlic after sautéing. Read the recipe over and over again! But overall very tasty, just confused!

      Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Carol

      February 19, 2019 at 3:58 pm

      Made this recipe and followed it exactly…after cooking the first ten minutes tried to turn them and they were so dry they crumbled !!! Seems to me it needs something else to help bind them together.. such as an egg or two or applesauce ..anyway..a waste of time and money…will NOT be trying these again !!!

      Reply
    4. Abby

      September 15, 2017 at 8:01 pm

      Sounds so yummy!PS I know exactly what you mean about Target determining the season… Haha! I just hate the holiday creep, it makes me sad to see Christmas stuff out before Halloween & Thanksgiving. Those holidays are so wonderful, whhhyyy can’t they shine solo for awhile?! But I digress. Can’t wait to try the recipe 🙂

      Reply
    5. Megan

      September 14, 2017 at 4:57 pm

      Sounds Yummy 🙂 can’t wait to try this recipe, its a bit different from my current Falffale recipe, cant wait to give it a try with the kale, carrots, zucchini and sunflower seeds!!

      Reply

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    SHANNON Leparski

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what about this tracker makes you excited?! I want to hear your thoughts!! you can preorder The Happy Hormone Tracker on amazon or wherever books are sold! Release date is October 20th 🩸 

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EEK!! I’m so excited because it’s turned out to be absolutely adorable and I can’t wait for you ladies to use it!! all the info is on the blog, including more pictures of the inside!! It’s also besties to my first book, The Happy Hormone Guide 💗 >> theglowingfridge.com 
@bluestarpress // #happyhormonetracker #happyhormones #happyhormoneguide
    tangy + simple cucumber salad >> my latest crunchy tangy + simple cucumber salad >>
my latest crunchy craving! it comes together in 5 minutes and is sugar free. I know it’s super simple but I still think it deserves to live on the blog! I love snacking on it, serving it on crackers or using as a side/appetizer. so much refreshing crunch and salty, vinegar-y taste 🥒🥒🥒 new on the blog >> theglowingfridge.com // link in bio // #plantpowered
    now that I’m studying to become a integrative he now that I’m studying to become a integrative health practitioner, I’ve realized to a greater extent how one way of eating may not be perfect for everyone. how being strictly #plantbased isn’t a top priority for everyone. how different we really are. I’ve recently come to accept this, even though I will promote plant based until the day I die. my feelings have evolved over time. I used to be more pushy and believe my way of eating was the only way! but the reality is, there is no one diet and it’s infuriating when doctors push one diet only! its what works for YOUR body and it can change over time (depending on many factors). while this may upset some people, this will be apart of my job. as a practitioner I will have to meet people where they are at and guide them with an open mind. I can’t assume or expect that everyone will want to be plant based tomorrow! while I can always promote “the more plant foods the better” type of mentality (and I promise you, I will!) there is something called bio-individuality, meaning “there is not a one-size-fits-all diet, each person is a unique individual with highly individualized nutritional requirements”. what I will also promote is intuitive eating and really tuning into what your body wants and needs, and allowing that intuition to sharpen and grow (and hopefully it leads to more plants 🌱😬). doing this takes so much practice… to trust what your body is telling you is hard and confusing in the beginning. I think the change for me was allowing what I wanted to eat at first and it slowly evolved to wanting to choose healthier options because I felt better that way, but also knowing when I need vegan mac and cheese or french fries or ice cream and not making a big deal out of it. and not labeling any food as “bad” but rather just “food”. this didn’t happen overnight though! tell me below - how have you become more intuitive with eating habits? how do you tune in? photo by @sarahiltonphotography & I put a little filter on it 💗 #intuitiveeating
    DETOX: in order to detox and not feel like total c DETOX: in order to detox and not feel like total crap, it’s essential to open up your drainage pathways first. although not glamorous to talk about, this is the most important step for any health protocol. setting the foundation… just like building a house. there are no quick fixes in detoxing! for example: you don’t want to jump into a parasite cleanse but have your detox pathways blocked… this includes making sure you are peeing, pooping, sweating and moving your lymph every single day. and when I say pooping, I mean 1-3 times per day. ideally 2-3 or after large meals. if you are constipated while killing off parasites, you are not going to feel good at all because they need to be eliminated quickly and if not, the pathogens/toxins they release can get re-circulated in the body. take it from me because I didn’t know about any of this while doing a parasite cleanse… I was bed ridden, had fevers, my face broke out, I was puffy and bloated. this was not fun at all! ⁣⠀
⁣⠀
>> So how do you open up your drainage pathways (and keep them open)? ⁣⠀
• proper hydration, ideally with mineral drops⁣⠀
• daily movement to break a sweat (I love using my @higherdose sauna blanket in addition to movement)⁣⠀
• balanced whole food diet: lots of veggies and fruit, fiber from real food, nothing processed, no refined sugar⁣⠀
• bowel moving herbs if you are consipated (bowel mover from Microbe Formulas), coffee enemas, tudca (to keep bile moving, liver support) and include a binder if you use any of these (I like bioactive carbon binders from Microbe Formulas)⁣⠀
- clean products: beauty, skincare, cleaning, etc⁣⠀
- air quality: open the windows, get a @airdoctorpro air filter, plants⁣⠀
- proper sleep: 7-8 hours⁣⠀
- healthy mind: mediation, yoga, breath work⠀
⠀
I hope you find this helpful! Let me know if you have questions below! #detoxprotocol #drainagepathways
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    Shannon is a health enthusiast and plant based nutrition advocate, living in Chicago. She studied Health and Fitness at Purdue University and loves everything about the plant based vegan lifestyle, especially creating colorful, nourishing, happy hormone recipes in her kitchen. Read More…

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