Hawaiian Black Bean Balls

One of my kids favorite meals is Waikiki meatballs.  Since I don't eat meat I decided to try an alternative and see if they went for it.  I started with a really basic black bean burger recipe and formed them into balls instead of patties.  Then I made the sauce as usual and served over brown rice.  The result was good not great.  The balls stay kind of mushy or bean like in the middle.  Next time I think I would form them into small balls and then flatten them a bit so they get more crispy.  The cool thing about these is that they actually look like meatballs.

Black-Bean Balls
2 cups black beans, can use 1 can or 2 cups homemade which is what I did
1/2 cup- 3/4 cup ground oat flour (place 1/2 cup or so of oats into food processor)
small handful of chopped cilantro (doesn't really need it but would be good as a burger)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 chia seed egg (1 T chia seeds and 3 T water)
2 T BBQ sauce
1 T nutritional yeast (optional)
1-2 Tablespoons coconut oil

Place the beans in the food processor and blend until smooth then add the cilantro, salt, garlic, and BBQ sauce. Mix well then add the flour a little at a time.  I may try it with breadcrumbs in the future.  Then refrigerate for 30 minutes, that makes it easier to roll into balls.  Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or oil of choice) and heat in a large pan then add the balls.  Fry until crispy on both sides.  I think it will work better with smaller balls. Then pour Hawaiian sauce over them.


Hawaiian Sauce
1 can pineapple tidbits (13 1/2 oz) reserve juice
2 T cornstarch
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 T soy sauce

Mix cornstarch and sugar.  Stir in reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Add pineapple tidbits and pour over meatballs.

*The picture shows pineapple chunks not tidbits because I didn't have any.  My kids prefer it this way though.

The Verdict: 2 out of 3 kids liked it.  Veggie mom and dad thought it was good but might need some tweaking in the future.  I will definitely make this again.  Good source of protein! The green beans were cooked in some coconut oil with a dash of seasoning salt and the kids just thought that was great.  They even asked for more.  They will be veggie kids before we know it. :) Good luck!