hot honey balsamic chickpea meatballs
A healthy bowl to enjoy in between stuffing your face with PSLs and cookies and all that autumnal shit.
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, rgated
- 1 large egg
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled, divided
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- steamed rice and herbs, to serve
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chickpeas, onion, walnuts, breadcrumbs, parmesan, egg, 4 cloves of garlic, oregano, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse into a coarse but cohesive batter forms. Oil your hands and roll the batter into meatballs. You should get 14-16 depending on how big your balls are. Tehe.
- Mince the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. In a bowl or jar, whisk or shake the balsamic vinegar, honey, the minced garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and sear 8-10 minutes, turning every minute or two to brown each side. Remove.
- Drizzle another teaspoon or two of olive oil in the pan if it looks to dry. Place the brussels sprouts cut side down into the oil. Sear 3-4 minutes, then sprinkle in a pinch of salt and pepper and toss for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the meatballs back to the pan. Pour in the sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens and begins to coat the meatballs, about 2-3 minutes. I prefer to use a spoon to toss the sauce over the meatballs, since the balls are more fragile than the male ego (and regular meatballs), rather than flipping the balls around with a spoon or spatula.
- Divide the meatballs and sprouts over rice. Drizzle with extra sauce and garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
*Walnut substitute: If you don't have walnuts, almost any other nut will work (almonds, cashews, pecans, etc.) If you have a nut allergy, swap out for half the amount of any seed, such as sunflower or pumpkin.
*Brussels sprout substitute: If you're a hater of BS, same, but a different kind of BS...Anyway, use another sturdy veggie you like. Cauliflower and broccoli are my favorite swaps.