INGREDIENTS:
“Meat” Balls:
1½ cups black garbanzo beans
3 large portobello mushroom caps | chopped
1-2 cups garbanzo bean flour
⅔ cup yellow onion | grated
¼ cup yellow bell pepper | grated
1 large shallot | minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp onion powder
1½ tsp sea salt
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
French Onion Sauce:
3 tbsp grapeseed oil
3 large yellow onions | thinly sliced into half sized moons
1 large shallot | chopped
2 tsp sea salt
5 sprigs fresh thyme
key lime zest | 1 key lime
1 tbsp key lime juice
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
1 cup hemp milk
⅔ cup spring water
Mashed Roasted Butternut Squash:
1-2 butternut squashes
1½ tsp sea salt
1 tbsp date syrup
⅛ tsp allspice
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mashed Roasted Butternut Squash:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut squash down the middle from top. Once sliced in half, scoop out seeds.
Brush squash with grapeseed and sprinkle a generous amount of sea salt.
Bake for 1 hour or until very tender.
Scoop out flesh and place in a large bowl.
Using a hand mixer or electric mixer, mix squash flesh until smooth and creamy.
Add remaining spices and date syrup. Mix well and set aside.
"Meat" Loaves:
Add black garbanzo beans and mushrooms to food processor and process.
Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add spices, onions, peppers, seasonings, key lime juice zest and tamarind concentrate to mixing bowl and mix.
Add 1 cup of flour at a time, until mixture comes together, add more flour if needed.
Form miniature meat loaves, even in size. If mixture is too dry, add spring water until a loaf may be formed.
Place loaves on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.
French Onion Sauce:
Add grapeseed oil to a large saucepan and turn heat to medium high. Add onions, shallots, sea salt and fresh thyme.
Cook onions uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until caramelized.
Once onions have turned a brown caramel color, remove thyme sprigs from pot.
Add tamarind concentrate, key lime juice and stir until well combined. Note: Key lime juice will deglaze the bottom of pot. Deglazing is a cooking technique used for removing and dissolving browned food residue from a pan to flavor sauces, soups, and gravies.
Cook for an additional 6-8 minutes or until combined.
Add hemp milk and stir.
Add a few tablespoons of spring water at a time until a smooth gravy consistency is reached. Set aside.
Add mini loaves to plate and coat with sauce.
Serve with mashed butternut squash and enjoy!