Chickpeas & Zucchini Vegan Balls - Recipe by Cristina G.

When I was a child, my older siblings used to make loads of meatballs and vegetable balls.

I always prefered the vegetable variant. 

When I grew up I invented several recipes of vegetable balls. They are all incredibly tasty and easy to make. 

Cumin is a seed not well understood. I used it often. Especially in vegetable balls, bread and some soups. The aroma is so delicate and exotic. 

You need to try it. 

People never know if there is meat or not inside my balls (ha, ha, ha). Unless they are vegan or vegetarian. Then I have to tell them the truth otherwise they wouldn't eat. 

The balls are a great appetizer or a dish party. They can be cooked in advance. 

They can also be frozen. 

Degree of difficulty: Medium/High - depends on your experience
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 20-30 min
Total: 35-45 min
Servings: around 30-35 balls

Ingredients

• 1 big zucchini or 2 smaller
• 1 can of chickpeas (already cooked)
• 1 spoon of cumin seeds or powder
• 100 mg of flour – or more
• 1 tablespoon salt (to taste)

Optional

• 2 tablespoons of sesame seed (or other seeds)
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder or 2 crushed garlic cloves
• ½ tablespoon of chilli powder
• ½ tablespoon of coriander powder
• fresh parsley
• You'll also need 200 – 300 ml of oil for frying (your choice: sunflower, olive, rice, almonds, etc.) Or even better, you could bake them, and you won't need the oil.

Preparation

Check the chickpeas, most of the time are not cooked enough. If still hard, you need to cook them until they are tender – in the microwave or saucepan – from 5 to 10 min. When tender, using a potato masher, coarsely mash and put them in a big bowl.

In the meantime, wash the zucchini, cut it into big pieces and use only the hard part with all the skin – if they are bio. Mine were), if are not bio, you should peel the skin off. Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor. I would suggest squeezing as much moisture out of the zucchini as possible – use both your hands. :p. Dump the squeezed zucchini into the bowl, on top of the chickpeas.

Add the salt, cumin, flour, plus whatever you feel like it, mixed all together and prepare the balls. If you cannot make the balls, because too watery, add more flour. You could also add some porridge mix.

Make balls of the size you like. Or give them whatever shape you like. If you can make the balls because too liquid, add more flour. If you don't want to add more flour, use a spoon and add one full of the vegetable dough in the frying pan when the oil is heated. 

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy nonstick frying pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides (turn them over).

If you prefer a healthier variant, you could bake them for 30 min until golden brown. I must admit, I prefer the fried variant. They have a more intense flavour.

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