Nutty Stuffing Balls

We love this form factor for the usual Christmas stuffing! These Nutty Stuffing Balls are easy and so versatile. Serve them as a vegetarian accompaniment to Christmas dinner or as canapés with Cranberry and Chilli Jam. Check out the rest of our vegetarian canapé recipes for more inspiration.

Nutty Stuffing Balls

Dietary: Vegan, Gluten Free Option

Makes: 24 large or 32 small

Ingredients:

• 1 tin cooked beans or lentils
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 150g carrots, grated
• 150g celeriac grated
• 1 tbsp zataar
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 200g toasted nuts and seeds, roughly chopped
• Lemon juice and shoyu to taste

Gram flour or breadcrumbs to bind

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.
2. Mash the beans with a fork
3. Fry the onion for 10 minutes until caramelising, then add the garlic and fry for another minute.
4. Add the tomato puree and fry for another minute
5. Add the carrots and celeriac and fry on a high heat, adding the zataar and paprika as you fry.
6. When the vegetables are soft, add in the cooked beans or lentils and heat through.
7. Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped nuts and add shoyu and lemon juice to taste.
8. Add gram flour or breadcrumbs to help bind and then shape the mixture into small balls.
9. Roll in sesame seeds and roast at 180C/Gas4 for 15 minutes to firm up.

Festive Tips:

• The choice of nuts and seeds depends on what you have in your cupboard. We traditionally use 100g mixture of hazelnut, cashews and chestnuts and 100g mixture of sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds - but do whatever proportions or mix that you fancy.
• Try making these with green or red lentils, cannellini or borlotti beans.
• The balls can be frozen when cooled and then reheated from frozen by baking in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes.
• You can buy zataar or make your own.

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