Got vegan guests coming and don’t know what to serve as a snack? Try these stuffing balls – no one will be complaining, even the carnivores! My recipe is inspired by Green Goddess Mel Wells’ stuffing, and I have cooked it for the past few years for my boyfriend’s nieces, one of whom is veggie and the other has serious allergies to gluten, eggs and dairy.
Ingredients:
750ml good quality vegetable stock
3 sticks of celery, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, puréed
1 large white onion, diced
1 red onion, diced
fresh herbs – oregano, thyme, sage
good quality sea salt
225g chopped mushrooms
About half a loaf of gluten-free bread, crumbed
1 cup Quinoa
Some nuts or seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries or prunes
2 finely chopped apples
NOTE – for a lower-carb option you could replace some of the breadcrumbs with oat bran.
Method:
Rinse the quinoa and cook it to the instructions on the packet. This usually takes about 15-20 mins.
Whilst the quinoa is cooking, using a large frying pan, gently fry the onions and celery in a little oil until they are soft and starting to colour, but don’t let them catch in the pan. Once they have softened, add the garlic for a few minutes and then the mushrooms and herbs, and continue to cook all the veggies for another 10 minutes on a low heat.
Once all the veg has softened, take a big mixing bowl and mix together the veg, quinoa, breadcrumbs, and the rest of the ingredients, adding the stock a little at a time. It should form a thick, sticky mixture that you can roll into bite-sized balls. Don’t worry if the mix is a bit loose – as long as they will form a roundish shape, it’s totally fine.
Place the stuffing balls onto a baking sheet and cook in a hot oven (around 200*c) for 10-12 mins. You don’t want them to be too dry, but slightly crips on the outside. The other option is to pop into a ceramic baking dish and then slice it up after its baked.
They can be served hot with mushroom gravy (for the vegan guests) or go against the grain (sorry – couldn’t help myself!) and wrap them in bacon and serve with a meaty gravy. They’re also really tasty with a cranberry jelly dip 🙂
Merry Christmas – Love Hayley x
@SaddleStreet 