Adzuki Bean Meatballs

I had just a cup of dry adzuki beans left and wanted to do something non-Asian with them.  Off to the internet, where I found a GF/Vegan meatball on The Happy Lentils.  Ok, but a read through of the comments said they fell apart.  Switched it up to a non-GF/Vegetarian recipe, with what I hope are better results.

I'm not posting the sauce recipe because these don't have to be Italian themed.  I used commercial tomato-basil spaghetti sauce.  You could do a coconut curry, or a peanut sauce, barbecue, or teriyaki with these.  Probably not Alfredo.  The inherent sweetness might clash.  They could be on their own, like falafels.  How they are served is up to you.

*1 C dry adzuki beans
*1 medium or 1/2 large yellow onion
1 medium carrot
1/2 C fresh basil or *3 Tb dried
*1/2 C pecans or walnuts
*1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 egg
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1.  Sort and rinse beans.  Soak in plain water for about 8 hours.  Drain and rinse again.  Refill pot and simmer for 45 minutes.  Drain very well while you prepare the rest of the mix.

2.  Get out the food processor.  Peel and chop onion and carrot.  Add those and nuts to the processor and pulse to give them a head start before the softer items go in.

3.  Add everything else and pulse into a thick paste.  If too thin to hold a shape, add a tablespoon of flour and pulse again.  Allow mixture to rest 5 minutes before shaping.

4.  Preheat oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment.  My batch didn't quite fit on one.  Make about 2 dozen patties or balls, either with your hands or assisted by a scoop or spoon.  I found the one-ounce cookie scoop to be my ideal tool.

5.  Bake until they don't dent easily when poked, about 15-20 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly, then add to whatever sauce or dish you're serving.  I don't recommend serving with toothpicks.  They're still going to break apart fairly easily once pierced.

Makes about 2 dozen, four main-course servings

Difficulty rating  π