1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Make the meatballs: In a small bowl, stir together the chia seeds and water. Let it gel for a few minutes.

3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the toasted pecan halves and oats. Pulse the mixture until you have a coarse meal. Transfer the pecan and oat mixture to a medium mixing bowl and place the food processor bowl back on the base.

4. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan. Add the onions and stir. Sauté the onions until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and stir. Season with pepper. Stir and sauté until mushrooms are tender and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Season the mixture with salt and stir once more. Turn off the heat and transfer the mushroom mixture to the food processor. Let it cool slightly. Then, pulse until you have a chunky consistency that’s almost a paste. It should stick together, but you should still see little pieces of mushroom. Transfer the minced up mushroom mixture to the mixing bowl with the pecans and oats.

5. To the mushroom and pecan mixture, add the grated ginger, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, onion powder, liquid smoke, parsley, gluten free breadcrumbs and a good amount of salt and pepper. Add the chia gel into the mixing bowl as well. Using a rubber spatula, thoroughly mix everything until you have a sticky and slightly chunky paste. Give it a taste to check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. You may need to adjust the texture of your meatballs depending on the moisture. You can add almond flour or extra breadcrumbs to ensure the meatballs help stick together.

6. Divide the mixture into equal portions and roll into balls. Place mushroom meatballs on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the surface of the balls with olive oil. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until balls are firm on the outside and browned on the bottom.

7. While the vegan mushroom meatballs are baking, make your sauce. Add all the sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk
together to combine. Set to the side.

8. When the meatballs are done. Remove the kaffir lime leaves from the sauce (or keep them in for extra flavour and remove when serving).

9. Pour 1/3 of the sauce into an oven proof skillet. Transfer the cooked meatballs into the skillet and pour over the remaining sauce. Pop the skillet onto the center rack of your oven. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and thickening. Optional to set the oven to broil and broil the meatballs for 1-2 minutes for a nice golden brown finish.

10. To make the garlic bread: Slice the ciabatta baguette in half as if you were making a big sandwich. In a small saucepan, gently heat the olive oil over medium low. Add the finely minced garlic to the oil, along with the salt and chili flakes (if using). The garlic should simmer ever so slightly. Let it cook for about a minute, stirring constantly. Take the garlic oil off the heat and stir in the parsley.

11. Preheat the broiler of your oven. Place the halved ciabatta on a baking sheet, cut side up (cut the halves in half to fit on the baking sheet if necessary). Brush the ciabatta with the garlic olive oil mixture all the way to the edges. Slide the baking sheet into the oven under the broiler. Broil until the edges of the ciabatta are quite brown and toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on it though! Remove the garlic bread from the oven and cut into smaller pieces.

       
To Serve the meatballs : Top with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts, some fresh chopped basil and fresh parsley or cilantro and lime wedges.