Description
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion, quartered
- 3 cloves garlic
- 5 soft dates (large), pitted
- ¼ cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch sea salt (optional)
- ¼ cup ground flax seeds
- ½ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (may use gluten-free)
- ½ cup nut meal (i.e., almond meal, hazelnut meal, or peanut meal)
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 2 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas, rinsed, drained (or 3 ½ cups cooked)
Tahini Lemon Sauce:
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Water, as needed
- Smoked paprika
Instructions
- In the container of a food processor, place red onion, garlic, dates, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, fennel seeds, oregano, black pepper, and salt (optional). Process until finely chopped.
- Add flax seeds, breadcrumbs, nut flour, and lemon juice to food processor, and process until combined.
- Add black-eyed peas to food processor, and process just a few seconds until the peas are mashed, but not pureed.
- Remove mixture from food processor and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make Tahini Lemon Sauce by whisking together tahini with lemon juice, garlic, and black pepper. Add enough water to make a smooth sauce, according to your desired texture. (A thicker sauce is preferable served on the side with appetizer veggie balls, while a thinner sauce is preferable served on top of an entrée serving of veggie balls.) Sprinkle with smoked paprika.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Roll veggie balls into 24 golf-size balls with your hands, and place on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place on top rack of the oven. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until veggie balls are cooked through and golden brown on surface.
- Serve with Tahini Lemon Sauce.
- Makes 6 servings (4 veggie balls + 2 tablespoons sauce each)
Notes
To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean, American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 veggie balls + 2 tablespoons sauce each
- Calories: 338
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 553 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 13 g
Keywords: greek veggie balls, veggie balls, vegan balls
[…] Get the recipe here […]
If one doesn’t have a food processor, can this recipe be made alternately? Only have a small food processor (2 cup capacity) over here… thank you in advance!
Yes, this is a good question. You can chop the onions, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, and dates finely with your small food processor or even by hand, and then mash the black-eyed peas with a fork or masher, and mix everything together. The main thing is that all ingredients have to be very finely chopped and peas have to mashed.
The recipe doesn’t say where to put the flaxseeds. Flaxseeds are listed in ingredients, but not mentioned in recipe. ??
Thanks for pointing this out, that was a typo on the recipe. The flax seeds get mixed in with the breadcrumbs and other dry ingredients. I edited the recipe, so I really appreciate your letting me know about it!
[…] Greek veggie balls by Sharon Palmer are similar to meat balls…without the meat! These tantalizing little bites […]
Keep on writing, great job!
[…] Greek Veggie Balls with Lemon Tahini Sauce by Sharon Palmer of The Plant Powered Dietitian. These vegetarian meatballs use black-eyed peas in place of meat, paired with Mediterranean flavors like sun-dried tomatoes, dates and herbs. […]