Once a veggie burger - now a meatball

As I have said before, I became vegan after reading "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.  I recommend anyone who has not read his amazing book to run, not walk, to the nearest bookstore, buy it and read it.

If reading isn't your thing, no worries!  He and T. Colin Campbell, the author of another amazing book, The China Study, paired up to make the movie, Forks Over Knives.  This movie explains fully why it is better to eat a vegan diet.  It's very well done.  Thank you Dr. Esselstyn and Mr. Campbell!

Esselstyn's book is more than a convincing argument to change our diets, however.  The last part of the book is entirely dedicated to recipes that he and his wife, Ann Crile Esselstyn devised.  They are an amazing couple.

One of the best recipes in this book is the Black-Bean Oatmeal Burger.  I had been looking for a good veggie burger recipe for way too long.  Every burger with tofu in it has a spongy consistency, and others fall apart so easily that flipping them or even removing them from the pan is impossible.  This one is different.  My husband, who is usually not a fan of veggie burgers, really likes this recipe.  I usually serve it on Ezekiel Buns with red onion, lettuce, tomato, avocado, roasted red peppers, fresh basil, ketchup, mustard and BBQ sauce.

 Just thinking about it makes my stomach growl....

Today though, I decided to do something different.  I wanted to make BBQ meatballs, and I knew I needed to start with a veggie burger base.  I prepared them according to the recipe below, but I coated them in BBQ sauce before baking.  Delish!  I served them with a baked sweet potato, teriyaki portabellas, steamed green beans and fresh blueberries.  Colorful, flavorful, healthy and filling.  John notes that the more barbeque sauce used on the meatballs, the better. 

Here is the recipe.

Black Bean-Oatmeal Burgers

1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 ounce can tomatoes with zesty mild chilies
1 garlic clove, minced, or 1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
2 green onions
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup cilantro or parsley
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Process first seven ingredients in a food processor until blended
3. Add oats and stir
4. Form into patties, put on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
5. Turn oven up and broil for 2 more minutes, until tops are nicely browned.

Here is a picture of the raw ingredients ready to be mixed together.  (Tip:  I use my hands once I add the oats to make sure it combines evenly.  Nothing is worse than a mouthful of a burned clump of oatmeal.)

Here are the meatballs after they have baked, before I put them under the broiler.  I topped them with the barbeque sauce here, after the first baking cycle (which, for me, turned out to be 13 minutes) but before the broiling step.

Here are our dinner plates!  If it looks like we eat a whole lot of food, it is because we do.....

Did I mention the coolest thing about Dr. Esselstyn? One time I had a question about Omega 3 fatty acids and high intensity exercise and I wrote the "Contact Us" portion of Dr. Esselstyn's website.  The very next day, Dr. Esselstyn himself called me from his car (he was on a roadtrip) to personally address my questions.  He spoke to me for almost a half hour.  He is literally made of awesome.