Spaghetti and Bean Balls!

Just like so many runs recently, the 15-miler went great yesterday.  And it didn't rain at all like I thought it would.  I actually did slightly more than 15 miles in 1:52:06, for the 7:25 pace that I was going for.  Since 15 seems like nothing compared to 20, I had been sort of downplaying this run in my mind.  But I noticed during the run that my legs are definitely starting to feel the effects of all this mileage recently.  Even so, I finished this one relatively easily (relative is the key word here), a now I have a lot more confidence about the upcoming 20 at 7:30 pace.  So all is well on the running front, but taper time will be a welcome friend once my last long run is done.

Fun with Bean Balls

After a decent-but-not-great butternut squash lasagna from The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook, Erin and I tried another recipe from it yesterday—spaghetti and bean balls!  You might recall that last week I made spaghetti with lentil sauce, in an attempt to assuage Erin's recent meat craving.  It was pretty good, but this was better.  Don't be turned off the subtitle of this cookbook if you're not a "pregnant or breastfeeding woman"—it's really just a lot of good, whole foods.

It's a simple recipe to make, requiring just a little bit of chopping/processing and 15-20 minutes in the oven.  You could probably experiment with other flavors and vegetables here.  I'm thinking onion, garlic powder, crushed red pepper.  But they were pretty tasty even without this stuff.  Soft, but tasty.

It seems like there should be so many "bean ball" jokes I could make, but I can't think of any.  So I won't try.

Here's my adapted recipe for the bean balls.  You can serve them over pasta or on a sub roll.

Spaghetti with Bean Balls

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 2 15-0z cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 carrot, minced (or processed)
• A big handful of fresh parsley, minced (or processed)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (or processed)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp olive oil or canola oil
• 1-2 Tbsp your favorite Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, garlic, salt, etc)
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups of marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a large bowl, combine carrot, parsley, garlic, Italian seasoning, bread crumbs, oil, and beans.  Mash with a potato masher (or use a food processor) until the mixture is sticky and relatively homogeneous.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Form the bean mixture into 1-inch balls and align on a cookie sheet.  Bake for about 20 minutes, turning once midway through, until the bean balls are nicely browned all over.  While the bean balls bake, heat up the marinara sauce in a saucepan, and add the bean balls to the marinara when they're done.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes to combine the flavors.  Serve over pasta or on sub rolls.

3 Fun Things Around the Blogosphere

1. Robin from Westford Mommy, who is trying to BQ on the same day I am, wore a No Meat Athlete technical shirt in her recent 5k.  And she finished 7th among women!  Congrats to Robin!
2. There's a fun Thrive Challenge going on where you can enter to win a 12-pack of Vega Vibrancy Bars.  All you have to do is submit a recipe or story about a Thrive-friendly snack you're incorporating into your diet.  Even cooler: they told me it was inspired by my 30-day challenge!
3. At my other blog, Health Blog Helper, I just wrote a new post about basic search engine optimization.  SEO is something that has been such a huge part of the success of No Meat Athlete, and other bloggers can get very similar results to what I have just by doing these three easy things.

Alright, that's it no-meaters!  Happy hump day and NFL-eve.

Related posts:

1. Black bean and walnut croquettes
2. The Vegan Answer to the Meatball Sub
3. Mexican Black Bean Burgers with Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa
4. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
5. Smoky Black Bean and Cheddar Burritos with Baby Spinach