Plantain-Black Bean 'Veggie Balls' with Coconut-Cashew-Ginger Sauce

Directions

1. *This is to make a peanut-flax meal to bind. Alternatively you can try garbanzo bean flour or almond meal and it probably won't alter the flavor/texture too much. Use ~1/2 - 2/3 c of flour/meal of choice.
2. Heat 3 - 4 c of water in a saucepan until boiling. Roughly slice the plantains ~1.5 inches thick and boil in the saucepan on medium-high heat until tender to a fork, ~20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a pan, saute the mushrooms and spring onions with the coconut oil. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender/cooked through. Set aside.
3. If making the peanut-flax meal, in a high-power blender or food processor pulse the peanuts and flax seeds together until you have a flour/meal-like consistency. You may need to scrape the sides periodically to prevent it from becoming a paste. Set aside.
4. When the plantains have cooked, drain and let cool until cool enough to touch. Peel the skins off and add the cooked plantain to a high-power blender or food processor. Blend until mostly smooth. It should come together relatively quickly and may form a sticky/semi dough-y ball. To that, add the black beans, lime juice, cooked mushrooms and onions, garlic, cilantro, chili flakes, and a generous dash of salt and pepper. Blend until mostly blended and no large pieces of food remain, but not totally smooth. This is more a personal preference as I like some of the components to still be distinguishable but not large pieces remain.
5. Transfer to a bowl and add one half of the peanut-flax meal. Combine with a spatula, then add and combine the second half. The consistency should be sticky but not wet, enough that you can roll the mixture into balls that will retain their form.
6. Preheat the oven to 350F/170C. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, roll the dough into 12 equal-sized balls about the size of a golf ball, placing ~1 inch apart. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the heat up to 375F/190C and bake for another ~15 minutes checking halfway through. They're done when they start to brown on top and barely form a crust.
7. For the sauce, in a small bowl, soak the cashews in boiling hot water for ~3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
8. Open the can of coconut milk and gently scoop the cream from the top and place in a blender. You can keep the liquid for another project. Blend the coconut cream, cashews, lime juice, ginger and garlic until well combined.
9. Assemble the sandwich with the greens and cilantro (can also make these into patty shapes for burgers!) or have these in a salad. I like to add a few extra chili flakes and a dash of olive oil. Also great with fried eggs.