Black Bean and Mushroom Vegetarian Meatless Balls
My husband, Greg, is a meat eater. The man stockpiles meat like a doomsday prepper. I have even considered buying him a separate freezer for Christmas for his “collection.” As a pescatarian, it can often be difficult to make food for the two of us that satisfies his “meat tooth,” is healthy and something that I want to eat.
Last weekend we went to Flip Side, which is a burger restaurant here in Columbus. They have the Impossible Burger. I think that by now, most people have heard of the Impossible Burger, but if you haven’t it is a soy protein based burger that mimics the texture and flavor of beef. We both decided to try it and I have to be honest, it kind of freaked me out. I haven’t had beef in about 25 years. It really did make me wonder if they gave us the wrong burgers and that ours were in fact meat. The patties were flavorful, but a bit too salty for my taste. My husband went online and looked up the nutrition to see how it compares to beef and it was disappointing to find that beef is a better nutritional choice?
Most pre-made vegetarian versions of meat products are heavily processed and often have too much salt. The Impossible Burger has ingredients like Methylcellulose, Soy Leghemoglobin, Mixed Tocopherols and Pyridoxine Hydrochloride? What the hell are those things? I don’t go to the grocery store to pick up some Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, so it makes me think the ingredients are not real food?
This week I decided to try and make a healthy vegetarian meatless ball from real ingredients! These Bean Balls have a hearty texture, are full of flavor, and low in Weight Watchers points. I am serving them with a modified version of my Mom’s homemade spaghetti sauce. Her version is a family canning recipe that makes use of our harvest of fresh tomatoes and green peppers in the fall. My version uses tomato sauce that you can buy from the grocery store. The recipe makes 16, 1/2 cup servings that can be frozen for later use.
Are you ready to make some bean balls?
Black Bean and Mushroom Vegetarian Meatless Balls
Author: Jodi Boatman Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook time: 57 Minutes
Total Time: 77 Minutes Yields: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
Bean Balls:
1 C of cooked black rice, follow package directions.
1 15.5 can of black beans, drained and rinse
1 15.5 can of chickpeas, reserve 1 TBSP of liquid, drain and rinse
3 TBSP vegetable broth
1 TBSP chickpea liquid
2 eggs
6 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped small
1/2 medium onion, chopped small
1 TSP garlic, minced
pinch of salt
1/2 TSP Mrs. Dash Original, Divided
1/3 C plain bread crumbs
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP nutritional yeast
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TSP parsley (dried or fresh)
1 TSP basil (dried or fresh)
1/2 TSP oregano, dried
1/2 TSP thyme, dried
1/4 TSP salt
Directions:
Blend black beans, chickpeas, vegetable broth, chickpea liquid and eggs until almost smooth in a blender. Add to a large mixing bowl.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Add onions, mushrooms, garlic, salt and a 1/4 TSP of Mrs. Dash and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft and a bit brown. Set aside to cool.
Add black rice, bread crumbs, olive oil, nutritional yeast, onion powder, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, salt, a 1/4 TSP of Mrs. Dash Original and mushroom mixture to the bean puree and mix until combined. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least and hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Roll mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a foil lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Spray top with cooking spray. Cook for 30 minutes. Flip balls and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
Makes 16 balls, 4 ball per serving
Serve with Mom’s Canned Spaghetti Sauce (without the canning) and spiralized zucchini noodles.
