Black Rice, Roasted Garlic, Bean Balls, and Tomato Sauce

Ciao everyone<3

So, not gonna lie, this is a delicious recipe..

By  delicious, I mean vveerryy delicious..

By vveerryy delicious, I mean everyone in my whole family LOVED it as much as I did!

Let me tell you, with meat-loving, non-strictly-health-only family members, that first statement above can be a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

Especially when you know how extremely packed with nutrition the meal is!!! Happy times:)

So, I don't know what you were thinking for dinner plans tomorrow night.. but I have an idea for you..

Black Rice with Roasted Garlic, Bean Balls, and Tomato Sauce to die for..

(OK, please don't risk your life for the sauce.. but definitely plan on making it soon!)

 Also, this meal is also excellent when paired with a simple spinach salad for hungry guests, which you can add some olive oil and balsamic vinegar to, with oregano and basil, and topped with olives..)

Ingredients:
Black rice
Roasted Garlic
Chunky Tomato Sauce
Bean Balls

Directions:
1) Start with making the black rice:
Cook according to packaged directions.. I used a blend of black and mahogany, because it was on sale;)

This will be your simplest part of the dish, as the only thing you will be adding is some roasted garlic, to complement the explosive flavors of the bean balls and sauce!

2) Next, get the roasted garlic going:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and set out a piece of tin foil. Take 2-3 bulbs of garlic and shed the outer layer of skin, and pull out the stick in the middle. Cut off the tippy tops of the cloves. Set bulbs on tin foil, close together. Fold foil like a pouch over cloves and set in oven to cook for 35-40 minutes (less time for roasted-soft, more time for smushy-soft).

3) Now, start those bean balls!
Take the following ingredients and throw them into a food processor:
1 (15oz) can pinto or great northern beans, rinsed and drained; 4 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast; 2 teaspoons worcestershire; few squirts soy sauce/tamari; black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, basil, tarragon, paprika

Grease a tin foil lined baking sheet

Form bean batter into 15 balls, onto sheet; bake for 12 minutes in the oven with the garlic, turn and bake for another 23 minutes

4) On to the tomato sauce:
You can use whatever one/recipe you like... but this is the one I love:
Take 1 can of no salt added, diced tomatoes and about 1/3 cup water; add to a pot and turn on high heat. Add in fresh basil and parsley, along with onion powder, a good amount of black pepper and dash of salt. Continue to boil and stir while other things are cooking. Your sauce should be cooking at least 15-20 minutes by the time everything else is done.

5) Assembly and serving:
-Peel some of the garlic cloves, tear apart, and stir into rice. Scoop into serving dish.
-Put the rest of cloves on a dish to serve (to be eaten with meal, like roasted chestnuts).
-Pour sauce into a serving dish.
-Stack bean bealls in a serving dish (optional-pre-pour some sauce over them)
-You're ready to fly!!


ENJOY<3
-TheRedLady-