Chickpea and Cranberry Balls

My shining glory on Christmas Day were these chickpea and cranberry balls. Chloe went to bed on Christmas Eve and I set about getting myself prepared for the day and made these, rolled them into balls and then prayed that night they’d be as delicious as they sounded in my head and that everyone would like them.

chickpea and cranberry balls | vegan | by Robyn Birkin at Modern Day Missus
chickpea and cranberry balls | vegan | by Robyn Birkin at Modern Day Missus

And they did! Success!

Chloe is a mad fan too. I tell ya, this is what blogging with a babe is like. Frantically try to steal a moment in time to put some ingredients in a bowl. Pick baby up and continue with one hand and pray that you remember the ingredients and quantities because you can no longer write them down. Pause because you can’t go any further so wait until the baby goes to sleep. Finally, finish the recipe and then set everything up for the photograph. Take all of one shot when all of a sudden you see babies hand come into the shot. Run to get your phone because it is SO freaking cute. Too late, baby is already sitting there with one in each hand (say hello on my Facebook page to see the other pic – totally guilty face!). I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

chickpea and cranberry balls | vegan | by Robyn Birkin at Modern Day Missus

So, I didn’t manage to get that many shots, but hopefully you’ll make them yourself because they’re so easy.

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Chickpea and Cranberry Balls
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (makes about 1 tablespoon finely chopped)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
  • 3 shallots (or one medium-sized brown onion)
  • ⅓ cup dried cranberries
  • 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas (or the equivalent of one 400g tin)
  • 2 tablespoons linseed meal
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • ⅓ cup water
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil for brushing
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
  2. Place the linseed meal in a large bowl with the water and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
  3. Place the cranberries and chickpeas in a food processor and blitz until combined and mostly broken up.
  4. Finely chop the shallots and garlic and fry for a few minutes on a low heat until the onion has become transparent.
  5. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, oregano, chickpea/cranberry paste, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper to the linseed/water mix and stir.
  6. It should form a fairly wet mixture. If not, add more water.
  7. Roll into balls and place on a greased oven tray and bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until the balls are golden brown.
Notes
Serve with either gravy or a sweet mix like raspberry jam, cranberry jam or strawberry jam.

To make a nice mix, place 1 tablespoon chia in ½ cup of water and let sit for approximately 5 minutes. Then, blitz with 2 tablespoons raspberries and 1 tablespoon dried cranberries, and then simmer on a low heat until you reach a nice consistency.