Black Bean Meatballs

Black bean meatballs, garlic broccoli, served with pasta and marinara sauce. You could serve the broccoli separate from the pasta and meatballs, however, I threw it all in the same bowl. The recipe below yields about 20 meatballs and serves 4.

Black Bean Meatball Ingredients:

1 Flax egg (11/2 Tablespoons ground flax seed + 1/4 cup water)
3 Cups black beans (drained and rinsed)
3/4 Cup walnuts
1/2 Cup rolled oats (or quinoa flakes or bread crumbs)
1/4 Cup nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tablespoons vegan Worcestershire or coconut aminos
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F
2. Mix together 1/4 cup water and 1 1/2 T ground flax seed.
3. Put walnuts and rolled oats in processor. Pulse until meal-like.
4. If you have enough room, add in black beans and pulse until well mixed (don’t over mix). Otherwise put walnuts and oats into bowl and process beans separately.
5. Put mixture into large bowl. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well with hands.
6. If mixture is too sticky, add in more oats. If it’s too dry, add in a little water.
7. Scoop out about 1 tablespoon at a time, roll into balls, and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
8. Bake for 15 minutes and carefully flip, cook another 15 minutes until their brown and cooked through.

Garlic Broccoli Ingredients:
4 Cups broccoli, frozen
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat frozen broccoli in a covered pot with garlic, salt, and pepper until heated through.
2. If pot becomes dry, add a little water.
3. You can also use fresh garlic and broccoli if you prefer.

To serve meatballs with pasta:

1. Cook 8 ounces of your favorite pasta according to the package (could be whole wheat, lentil, or rice).
2. Serve with your favorite organic whole foods pasta sauce.