Quinoa Balls
These crispy quinoa balls are packed with veggies and pan-fried until golden, then served with a creamy tahini dip. An easy, protein-rich vegan appetizer ready in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups quinoa cooked
- 1 cup cannellini beans drained, rinsed & mashed
- 5 florets broccoli
- 1 carrot cooked
- ⅓ bell pepper sliced
- 2 Tbsp rice flour or chickpea flour, or regular flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp dill dried
- 1 Tbsp Italian herb mix
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper ground
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
For the coconut dip:
- ½ cup tahini
- ¼ tsp salt plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup yogurt vegan
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions and let it cool slightly.
- Add the mashed beans, broccoli, carrot and bell pepper to your food processor. Blend until well incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.
- Add the cooked quinoa, salt, pepper, Italian herbs, dill, sesame seeds, and rice flour. Mix together with your hands.
- Once mixed thoroughly, form balls from the quinoa mixture, using about one tablespoon for each. Set aside.
- In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the quinoa balls to the pan and cook until golden and crisp on all sides.
- To make the dip, mix all the dip ingredients until smooth and well combined.
- Serve the quinoa balls with the tahini dip, and pesto sauce on the side if you like.
Notes
Chilling the formed balls for 15-20 minutes before frying helps them hold their shape. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in a skillet or oven to crisp them up again.