Now that's a spicy....beanball?

That's right you heard me, beanball (I really like saying beanball...say it with me beanball!).



Second recipe of the new year...Cajun Beanballs & Spaghetti. I'm not really sure if the title of the recipe truly explains all that is involved here. You're thinking, spaghetti? Easy! But please understand that I made the beanballs and the spaghetti sauce from scratch....from scratch spaghetti sauce tastes so much better than that stuff they stick in jars or cans. So here are the recipes (see note at end for additions I made to the recipes)....

Black Eyed Pea & Tempeh Beanballs

12 ounces tempeh
1 (15-ounce) can black eyed peas
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
black pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt

First, prepare a steamer to steam the tempeh. Once the steamer is ready, break the tempeh into bite-size pieces and steam for 10 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, use a fork or potato masher to mash the beans. They should be well mashed, with no whole beans left, but not completely smooth like a puree. Add the minced garlic, herbs, spices, soy sauce, tomato paste and vinegar, and mix well. When the tempeh is ready, add it to the mixture and mash well. It's good if it's still steaming hot because that will help all the flavors meld before baking. When the mixture is cool enough to handle, add the bread crumbs and salt. Using about 2 tablespoons of the mixture per ball, roll the mixture into 20 walnut-size balls, placing them on the baking pan. Spray with nonsitck cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the balls, and bake for 10 minutes.



Mom's Marinara

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
black pepper
1 (24-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat a 2-quart pot over medium-low hat. Saute the garlic in the oil for about a minute. Add the thyme, oregano, and pepper, and saute for a minute more, adding a splash of water if necessary. Add the tomatoes and salt, and stir everything together. Cover the pot, leaving a little gap for steam to escape, and cook for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and seasoning and serve.

Cajun Beanballs & Spaghetti

1 serving Mom's Marinara
12 Black-Eyed Pea & Tempeh Beanballs
8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
2 cups zucchini, cut into thin half-moons
1 cup thinly sliced scallions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the zucchini to the pot. Drain the pasta and zucchini, measure out four equal portions onto four plates. Spoon Mom's Marinara sauce over the top of the four plates, add three meatballs and 1/4 cup of sliced scallions to each plate and serve.



The girls really liked the beanballs, I believe I even heard one exclaim that they were better than meatballs!! So...second recipe of the new year another hit!! Yay!! I did make some changes to the recipes. The first change was that I went to two stores and neither one had canned black-eyed peas, so I substituted white beans. If you aren't into black-eyed peas, please know that changing the bean type won't affect the recipe, it still worked out great with a different bean. The second change I made was to add a whole red onion to the marinara sauce. I sliced it thin and added it when I sauteed the garlic, I also added a splash of balsamic vinegar to the onions as I cooked them down. It only enhanced the sauce. That's it, otherwise I followed the recipes as written. This recipe makes four big, hearty servings and is a total of 11P+. The recipes come from my new cookbook, Appetite For Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. 125 low-fat vegan recipes, I'm sure you will be reading about more of the recipes in her book this coming year!

Oh, one more thing.....DESSERT!!! For dessert I made Baked Banana Splits. So decadent, so delicious and only 3P+!!! Here is the recipe....

Baked Banana Splits

1 banana, peeled and sliced in half
2 teaspoons chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Marshmallow Creme
1/2 tablespoon chopped walnuts
3 maraschino cherries

Place peeled and sliced banana on piece of foil. Top with chocolate chips, marshmallow creme and walnuts. Close foil over banana and bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and scoop out onto plate, make sure to pour sauce over banana. Top with cherries and serve while still warm.



It was so good, I licked my plate....no really, I did!! Until next week!!