mushroom and butter bean balls
with creamy mustard sauce

- 150g brown mushrooms
- 400g can butter (lima) beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, finely chopped, plus extra sprigs to serve
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 green onion (scallion), thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 cup cooked brown rice+
- 1 egg
- ½ cup (75g) wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, extra, crushed
- 2 cups (500ml) almond milk
- 1 tablespoon seeded mustard
- ⅓ cup (25g) flaked almonds
- toasted seeded bread, to serve
- Place the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Place in a large bowl. Place the beans in the food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to the bowl.
- Add the chopped thyme, garlic, green onion, salt, pepper, rice, egg and flour. Stir well to combine. Using wet hands, roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the brown onion, extra garlic and thyme sprigs and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the mushroom balls and cook,turning, for a further 2 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Add the milk, mustard, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes, turning. Remove from the heat. Top with almonds and serve with seeded bread. Serves 4.
+ ½ cup (100g) uncooked brown rice makes 1 cup cooked rice.