Grönsaksbullar (Swedish Vegan Meatballs)

Author: Kate Ford | The Veg Space

Ingredients

For the 'meat'balls:

• 100 g frozen peas

• 1 onion

• 2 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil (plus extra for frying)

• 1 tsp ready-chopped garlic / garlic purée

• 2 carrots

• 1 red pepper

• large handful curly kale

• 400 g tin chickpeas

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

• 1 tsp vegetable stock powder

• 2 tbsp gram flour

• a little plain flour for dusting

For the sauce:

• 1 tbsp dairy-free margarine

• 1 tbsp plain flour

• 200 ml dairy-free milk (soya, nut or oat)

• 125 ml boiling water

• 1 tsp vegetable stock powder

• 125 ml dairy-free cream (soya or oat)

• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard

• soy sauce

Instructions

1. Cook the peas in the microwave or small saucepan for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

2. Peel the onion and cut into quarters, then use a mini-chopper or food processor to chop it finely, (or chop as finely as you can by hand).

3. Heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan or casserole, and add the onion and garlic. Cook over a medium heat.

4. Peel the carrots and cut roughly into 4-5 chunks, then chop finely in the mini-chopper/food processor and add to the pan with the onions. Next, de-seed and chop the peppers in the same way, followed by the cooked peas and curly kale. Let all the vegetables cook over a medium heat.

5. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then blitz to a smooth purée along with the olive oil in the mini chopper or food processor. Add to the pan, then sprinkle over the nutritional yeast flakes, stock powder, gram flour and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients together, then remove from the heat, and set aside until cool enough to handle.

6. Sprinkle a chopping board and your hands with a little flour, then scoop up a heaped teaspoon of mixture, roll it firmly into a ball in your hands and place on the chopping board. Repeat until all the mixture has been used up - you should have around 20 'meat'balls.

7. Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with rapeseed or sunflower oil, and fry the meatballs, turning regularly until they are golden brown all over. Remove from the frying pan to a plate covered in kitchen paper, to drain excess oil.

8. To make the sauce, heat the margarine in a small saucepan, stir through the flour and cook over a gentle heat for 2 minutes. Add the dairy-free milk , water, stock powder and dairy-free cream, and cook stirring continually until a thick, glossy sauce consistency has been reached. Add the mustard and stir, then add a few drops of soy sauce at a time, tasting as you go, until a good level of seasoning has been reached.

9. Serve the meatballs with the sauce poured over the top, with mashed potato or oven chips.