Lentil Quinoa Balls

Health Highlights

Ingredients

1 tbsp	Chia seeds, ground (+ 3 tbsp water, or flaxseed)
1 cup	Green lentils, raw
1/4 cup	Quinoa, uncooked
3 tbsp	Olive Oil, Extra Virgin
1 medium	Yellow onion (minced)
1 tsp	Garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp	Italian herb seasoning, McCormick
1/4 cup hulled	Sunflower seeds (ground)
1/2 cup	Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup	Basil, fresh
1/4 tsp	Sea Salt
1/4 tsp	Black pepper
2 cup	Marinara sauce, low sodium

Combine chia seeds and water in a small bowl, stir and set aside to setup for 10 minutes.
Use a food processor to blend the sunflower seeds to a fine powder.
Rinse and drain the lentils, cook according to package directions. Drain the excess water, and then transfer to the food processor.
Rinse and drain the quinoa. Cook it according to package directions, then add to the food processor.
Saute onions in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Add the cooked onions to the food processor. Don't wash or drain the pan because you're going to cook the lentil balls in the reserved onion infused olive oil.
Add basil, Italian seasonings, bread crumbs, garlic powder, flax mixture, salt and pepper to the lentil mix. Pulse until you have a fine crumb and all ingredients are combined.
If the mixture feels dry, add 1 tbsp olive oil to the mixture.
With your hands, form golf ball sized lentil meatballs.
Add marinara sauce to a large sauce pan, stir it around to coat the whole pan.
Add the lentil balls to the pan, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until heated through. The lentil balls are delicate, so be careful when moving them in the pan.
Serve immediately over pasta or zucchini noodles.

Calories 390

Calories from fat 148

Calories from saturated fat 20.6

Total Fat 16.5 g

Saturated Fat 2.3 g

Trans Fat 0.0 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 5.5 g

Monounsaturated Fat 7.3 g

Cholesterol 1.8 mg

Sodium 454 mg

Potassium 668 mg

Total Carbohydrate 50 g

Dietary Fiber 8.9 g

Sugars 6.7 g

Protein 15.1 g