Recipe: Vegan Cheesy Chickpea Bites (Grain Free)

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I love creating new recipes. Coming up with ideas, combining flavours, experimenting in the kitchen - it's one of my favourite things to do.... but there's a problem.

A big problem.... 

I have to come up with a name. 

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Not just for the blog, I have to come up with a name for my husband too...

Well not actually for my husband... he has a name... but I have to come up with a name for my creation so my husband will eat them.

And when it came to this recipe? My friends, I was seriously stumped. When Jesse first asked me what they were I said "er, yum" - only to have him say "but what are they?".

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To be honest, other than delicious I don't really know! These are a cross between a cheesy falafel and a meatless meatball. They're jam packed with good stuff but taste seriously delicious too. 

Best of all? They are seriously easy to make. Just like my Healthy Homemade Baked Falafel Recipe they don't require any soaking, chickpea cooking or chilling - just mix, roll and bake!

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

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Healthy Cheesy Chickpea Bites Recipe

makes around 18 bites that are low fat, gluten free, vegan, 

egg free, dairy free, nut free, sugar free, grain free & seriously delicious!

3 tbsp (20g) flaxseed

1 small onion (or half a large onion)

1x 400g/ 15oz can (about 1 1/2 cups or ~260g drained) chickpeas

2 cloves garlic, crushed*

1/4 cup (15g) nutritional yeast

~1/4 cup fresh parsley (I also add in basil and oregano if I have it!) 

1/4 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp turmeric*

• Preheat your oven to 180C/355F. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and set aside. 
• In a food processor or blender, process your flaxseed until ground. 
• Add in your onion and pulse until chopped.
• Add in your chickpeas and garlic, processing until smooth and scraping down the sides until everything is incorporated. 
• Add the rest of your ingredients, pulsing until combined. 
• Roll your mix into balls (make them as little or as large as you like - or you can make them into patties, just adjust the cooking time) and repeat until all of your mixture is rolled.
• Bake your chickpea bites for 20-30 minutes, flipping after 10 minutes to ensure they're golden on the other side. They'll be ready to take out once they're golden and crisp on the outside - leave them for longer if you want crunchier bites or take them out after 20 minutes if you'd prefer them softer - just keep an eye on them. 
• Allow to cool slightly before serving or store, once completely cooled, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. These can also be frozen in airtight ziplock bags and then reheated when you want to eat them, however, we prefer them fresh!

Notes:

*Optional: 
- If you don't like garlic, leave the garlic out. Truth be known I use about 4 cloves of garlic as I love garlic but Jesse tells me garlic is too "pungent" :P 

- If you can't have/don't like turmeric, feel free to leave this out too.

But tell me, do you struggle to name your foodie creations?

And what's the last thing you cooked/ate?