Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Wash and de-stem the baby portabella mushrooms, then place them into a food processor/blender and pulse until they are diced (not blended). Empty them into a large bowl along with the drained and rinsed black beans and lentils. Add the diced red onion to the bowl. With your hands, mash the lentils and black beans until they are no longer whole, but not too mushy. Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Parmesan cheese, flaxseed meal, almond flour, cassava flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Using a spoon, stir to combine.

Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the meatball mixture and gently roll between your hands to form a ball. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat. Bake for 30 minutes, flip them, and then bake an additional 10 minutes.

While the meatballs bake, make the gravy. In a large skillet, add a little olive oil and sauté the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet over medium heat, add the coconut butter and quickly after whisk in the flour and vegetable broth. (If using coconut butter, note that it browns very quickly, so have the flour and broth measured and ready.)

Whisking continuously, slowly add in the plant milk, coconut cream, Dijon mustard, jelly, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Increase the heat to high, whisking frequently until it starts to bubble and thicken, then turn the heat down to low. Add the mushrooms to the gravy and then let the gravy simmer until the meatballs are ready.

Remove the meatballs from the oven and add to the skillet with the sauce, gently toss to coat with the gravy, then serve the Swedish meatballs over mashed potatoes or noodles with extra gravy. Garnish with fresh microgreens and parsley, if desired.