Quinoa Balls

 

 

These quinoa balls are like a cosmic combo of super tasty wholesome ingredients and then happen to be cheaper and healthier than popping vitamin pills. And did you know that cashews are loaded with mono-unsaturated fat, the type of fat which helps your pipes and if consumed daily may reduce the risk of heart disease? And if that was not enough, you get to be showered with applause from your hungry guests for your outstanding culinary performance.

 

Ingredients

– 3 cups of cooked quinoa
– 1/4 cup cashew nuts
– Big handful of fresh parsley
– 3 squishy destoned prunes
– 4 1/2 tbsp chickpea flour
– 2 tbsp olive oil
– 1 tbsp lemon juice
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp crushed garlic
– 1 tsp turmeric
– 1 tsp cumin
– 1/2 tsp ginger
– 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
– Black pepper to taste
– 1 cup almond flour

 

Method

 

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the nuts to the pan and shake or stir to combine. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure each nut makes contact with the hot pan. When the nuts reach the desired color, remove them from the heat and let them cool.
2. Finely mince parsley, prunes and cashews.
3. Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Toss the garlic into the pan and let it cook for 1-2 minutes till it is fragrant.
5. Add all the spices, parsley, dates, cashews and lemon juice, stir until ingredients are well combined. Pour the mix into a mixing bowl, add in the quinoa and flour and stir until the mixture is sticky enough to be formed. Shape mixture into balls, roll them into almond flour, place onto an oven tray and brush with a little olive oil. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 200 C.
6. Serve with wedges of lemon. You can also serve with a yoghurt sauce and a crunchy leafy green salad of your choice. Pretty special stuff!