vegan "meat" balls

I don't know if I can call them "meat" balls if they don't have anything to do with meat. If I call them protein balls they sound like something sweet, and if I call them bean balls, well, I just don't think anyone would make them. So vegan "meat" balls it will be, until I think of a better name.

This recipe is adapted from the minimalist baker, who uses tempeh instead of beans, and a few more ingredients. My version of vegan "meat" balls are as simple as it gets, and if you make the sauce ahead of time, or have a jar of marinara sauce on hand, dinner can be ready in less than 20 min.

• olive oil
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flax meal mixed with 3 Tbsp water) 
• 1 15 oz can of white beans
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 2 tsp italian seasoning
• salt + pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Prepare the flax egg and set aside. Chop onion and garlic. Heat 1-2 tsp olive oil in frying pan, add garlic and onion and cook until soft. Add onion and garlic to a food processor along with beans, parsley, seasonings, and flax egg.   Process into a thick chunky paste and transfer mixture into a bowl.

Add bread crumbs and fold together, mixing the last bit by hand if necessary. Heat 1-2 more Tbsp olive oil in frying pan, roll mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and arrange in pan. Cook on low, flipping/rotating when necessary. Cover the frying pan in between flipping them so they get heated up all the way through, cook for about 10 minutes. You might have to have a sneaky little taste test to see if they are hot inside. I wasn't too concerned with how crispy and golden they got on the outside because I was trying to use as little oil as possible, but if you are into frying them crispy, do a little more oil and rotate until all sides are golden.

Serve with whole wheat pasta or zucchini noodles and your favorite pasta sauce. Enjoy!