Fall seems to have officially arrived in Colorado – the air is crisp in the morning and remains cooler throughout the days. I love it! I’ve already pulled out my pumpkin decorations and bought my Jack O’ Lantern at Costco.

Fall calls for savory meals, so for lunch the other day, I made a cous-cous dish with the loads of garden tomatoes that are popping up, adding these simple, full of protein basil chickpea balls for some extra heartiness. I altered the recipe from thecrunchychronicles.com, using fresh basil and panko flakes.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Flax Seed Meal
6 Tablespoons of water
1/2 cup of Panko flakes
1 can of chickpeas (reserve about a tablespoon of the water they are in)
A handful of fresh, chopped basil
Pinch of Salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon of garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
Red Pepper Flakes to taste

1. Mix your flax seed egg – meal & water – and let sit for 10 minutes (in the fridge)
2. Get a food processor out and mix your chickpeas & flax egg (once ready) to a smooth paste (some lumps are ok)
3. Add remaining ingredients (I did this is a bigger bowl)
4. Roll the balls into small rounds with your hands
5. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes

I sauteed garden peppers, garlic, coconut oil and kale to top my cous cous & paired it all with these delicious treats, adding garden tomatoes as a topper. It was filling and full of plant goodness!

Enjoy!