Apple & Lentil Stuffing Balls - Bakemas Day 20

I’ll take a plate of these for Christmas dinner please and thank you!
I guess I’ve only recently started making vegan/healthy versions of food I would normally eat, I’m not one for substitute meat it’s never appealed to me in the slightest especially because a lot of it involves soy. Honestly I like vegetables I’m good sticking with them, I don't even miss meat but sometimes there’s just something I can’t quite live without.

My favourite part of Christmas dinner is the sausage stuffing balls down to the specific sausages we use they are seriously the best so even though I originally was just going to make stuffing with...well that recipe will probably make an appearance next bakemas, I’m so glad I changed the plan and made a vegan version of the sausage stuffing we make every year. They’re basically sausage meat with a lot of onion and apple mixed in rolled into balls and rolled in dry stuffing mix, it sounds so simple and ‘what’s the big deal’ when you say it like that but they’re amazing!

I was so impressed with these, and I don’t mean that in a pat myself on the back kind of way I mean that in a wow food kind of way. I feel like my whole 'vegan/healthy food versions' experience has been one big wow moment. Obviously they’re not identical I mean meat and lentils are not the same thing but they’re pretty close and I swear by look you wouldn’t even be able to tell. The one thing that only really makes a difference to me is I can’t quite work out what spices are in the sausages we get, they’re from a farm around this area and have such a distinctive taste but regardless of that these are delicious. I ate a couple from this batch and froze the rest for Christmas but every now and then I get one out the freezer and I have a funny feeling by the time the 25th rolls round there won’t be any left. You will need
1 tbsp chia seeds, blended + 3 tbsp warm water
1 tin green lentils
½ clove garlic
½ tsp ground sage
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground ginger
Salt & pepper
60g/8 tbsps oats, blended
½ onion
½ eating apple, I used a braeburn
Sage & onion stuffing mix/finely chopped nuts
about 1 tbsp margarine

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 Place the blended chia seeds in a little dish with the warm water, mix together and set aside.
Drain and rinse the lentils and place in a food processor with the garlic, sage, nutmeg and ginger, season well with salt and pepper and blend until it forms a smooth paste. Add in the blended oats and chia mix to the food processor and blend again until everything is incorporated.
While the mixture is blending cut the onion and apple into small bite sized pieces.
Put the blended lentil mixture into a bowl with the diced onion and apple and mix together.
Pour the stuffing mix or chopped nuts onto a plate.
Roll the mixture into balls then roll in the stuffing mix/nuts until fully covered then place on a baking tray. Put a small knob of maragine on top of each stuffing ball then cook in a peheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Eat cold or hot.

Makes 10-12 balls.