(Makes ab 20 balls – serves 4)

 These are pretty substantial and a bit on the bitter end (mostly as a result of the Cacao/Cocoa). You could add some Honey, Agave Nectar, or Cinnamon to sweeten them a bit—but the Cilantro Sauce also provides a nice balance with some sweetness! These would ALSO be AMAZING with a fruit-based Salsa, such as a Pineapple or Mango Salsa—and you could even add some Mango Nectar to the Cilantro Sauce for some added sweetness!

As the recipe indicates, use a food processor to chop the ingredients if you have one – it will save you time and energy!

The great thing about this recipe is that if you don’t have the time or energy to make the balls, you could still make a delicious Black Bean and Quinoa Salad in half the time (or less). Keep the Beans whole and, rather than mixing the Tomato Paste, Cacao/Cocoa, and ACV into the Balls, you can add them to the Cilantro Sauce as a dressing! With the balls, the Pepitas are on the outside, so they get toasted in the oven. If you’re making a salad rather than the balls, I would toast them for flavor and texture.

Ingredients

Black Bean Quinoa Balls

1 C Black Beans Cooked/Canned & rinsed

1 C Cooked Quinoa

1 C Pepitas/Raw Green Pumpkin Seeds  

½ C Red Pepper, Finely Chopped

½ C Red Onion, Finely Chopped

2 TBSP Tomato Paste

2-3 TBSP Cacao/Cocoa Powder

1 TBSP Garlic, Finely Chopped

1 TBSP Serrano or Jalapeño Pepper

1 TBSP Cumin Seed, Toasted & Crushed (You can always use powder, if you don’t have seeds!)

1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar

Zest of 1 Orange

½ tsp Sea/Mineral Salt

Cilantro Sauce

2 C Cilantro Leaves & Stems, Roughly Chopped

1 C Scallions, Chopped

½ C Lime/Orange Juice (I would use at least half Orange Juice – the more Orange juice, the sweeter the dressing will be. As indicated above, you could also use Mango or some other kind of nectar)

2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1 tsp Sea/Mineral Salt

To Make …

1.     Pulse the Beans in a food processor until they’re broken and soft, but not paste. 

2.     Add Black Beans and Cooked Quinoa to a medium size mixing bowl. 

3.     Chop vegetables in the food processor, one ingredient at a time – and add to the mixing bowl with other ingredients. 

4.     Add remaining ingredients for the balls into the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. 

5.     Pulse the Pepitas in the food processor until broken into small pieces, but not powder, and place into a small bowl that will allow you to roll the balls in them.  

6.     Use a 1 oz ice cream scoop to create 1 oz balls (you can also use a scale) and roll into balls. Roll them in the Pepitas until covered and place on a lined baking sheet. 

7.     Bake balls in the oven on 400°F for 30 min, rotating baking sheet half-way between (15 min per side).

8.     While Black Bean Quinoa Balls are cooking, place ingredients for the Cilantro Sauce into a blender and pulse for about 30 min. You want everything to be well incorporated, but you also want to maintain some texture – not completely liquid. As indicated in the ingredients, you can use the stems of the Cilantro for this sauce. The stems have a lot of flavor and they’re great in sauces or finely chopped in a salad. 

9.     Once the balls are fully cooked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool directly on the baking sheet or on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. 

10.  Serve with the Cilantro Sauce or a fruit Salsa. Be very liberal with sauce (ALWAYS!) and sprinkle extra Pepitas if the spirit moves you. This sauce is essentially a Chimichurri without the Hot Pepper (since there’s Pepper in the balls), but feel very free to use a Chimichurri, or any other herb-based sauce that inspires you. These would also be great in a tortilla or flat bread (like a Falafel) or on a salad. If you eat cheese, these would be amazing with a Queso Fresco, semi-soft Goat Cheese, or softer sweeter Feta. 

ENJOY!!!