This makes a perfect mid-week meal option or even something you could whip up for a dinner party! Everything can be prepared in advance and heated through on the night. The balls themselves are rather like falafel in texture and are great eaten cold as well as warm, so any leftovers can be taken for lunch the next day.  The spinach, seed and nut pesto goes perfectly with these and makes a fab sauce.

You can try different herb combinations in these and if you like your balls hot and spicy then throw in a few chilli flakes for a bit of a kick!

This will serve 3 – 4 people

For the no-meatballs you will need:

1/2 cup of Quinoa

1 1/2 cups of Cashew cheese (ricotta can also be used)

1/2 cup Basil (fresh or dried, chopped)

1 cup Almonds

1 Tbsp Arrowroot flour (or cornflour)

2 Tsp Himalayan rock Salt

Black pepper (to taste)

For the courgette:

2 – 3 medium Courgettes

a little Olive or Coconut oil

For the pesto:

Click here for the pesto recipe:  Spinach, Nut and Seed Pesto

Click here for the Cashew cheese recipe: Cashew Cheese

Preheat the oven to 200 C.  Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the packet until cooked through (but not too soft). Drain off any excess water. Place the almonds in a processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add all the other ingredients and pulse until well combined.  Take 1 – 2 tablespoons of the mixture and roll in to balls and place on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive or coconut oil.

Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes until nicely brown (turn during the baking to ensure all sides get browned).

Whilst they are in the oven you can prepare the pesto – add more oil to the recipe if you want a runnier sauce. Just before the balls are cooked use a mandolin to thinly slice the courgette in to wide ribbons (you can also use a knife, but just be really careful!). Gently sauté the strips of courgette in a large frying pan with a little oil until slightly soft. Pile on to a plate, add some balls and drizzle with pesto. Enjoy!