Chickballs [oil-free, gluten-free, vegan]

A neighbor of mine shared a WFPB meatless "meatball" recipe she found online and said it was excellent. It didn't specify the amounts of the spices (or even specifically which you should use). So, I tweaked the recipe just slightly, and they came out fantastic! The original recipe is by Yumna @feelgoodfoodie / FeelGoodFoodie.net. I wasn't able to find this recipe on her website (which, warning, isn't vegan), but you can watch her video on TikTok or just follow my version below.

1 cup walnuts
½ yellow onion
15 oz of chickpeas
½ cup rolled oats
¾ cup breadcrumbs (whole grain is best)
5 T water (a little more if needed to form the batter)
2 T ground flaxseed
2 T tomato paste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t basil
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Put walnuts in the food processor first and process until chopped finely, then add the onion and process until chopped finely, and finally, add the rest of the ingredients in and process until everything comes together like a dough/batter. Add 1-2 T of water if needed. The dough/batter should be moist, but it should not stick to fingers. Fill a 3T-cookie scoop with the batter, form into a ball, place on parchment paper-lined baking pan. Do the same with the rest of the dough/batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the "meatballs" are just firm to the touch (but not hard). Serve with oil-free marinara over pasta or as a meatball sandwich!