Mixed Veggie Mash & Black Bean Balls
This low-carb vegan vegetable mash is super creamy and flavorful! The airfried black bean balls are crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and extra yummy when topped with the tahini sauce!
I am forever on a quest to find healthy low-carb vegan comfort food and this one definitely hits all the right spots! The mash is super creamy and flavorful, the black bean balls (aka vegan meatballs) are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Plus their flavors are so wonderful together with the mash! And then the tahini sauce on top is just the cherry on top. A perfect flavor combination in my opinion!
Do you love mashed potatoes? Like really love it? I LOVE mashed potatoes! And yet, I don't eat it very often. When on Whole30 or eating a low carb diet, it's difficult to find good substitutes. Theoretically, potatoes are allowed on Whole30 and I have made good mashed potatoes using coconut milk and/ or ghee before. But if you're trying to reduce your carb intake, then that's still not the right recipe for you. And mashed cauliflower is always a bit... meh. Somehow too thin to convince my brain that this is a good substitute for mashed potatoes.
This mixed vegetable mash, however, is a really good substitute! I used carrots, broccoli and cauliflower in almost equal parts and due to the higher starch content in carrots, it's quite similar. Of course, if you're expecting this to taste like your regular old mashed potatoes, then you're not gonna be convinced. However, if you're looking for a healthier but super delicious version to nourish your body with lots of vegetables, then this recipe is for you!
It's kind of funny because this recipe came to me on a walk home. I wanted comfort food since it was a cold day and I was considering my possibilities due to what we had in the fridge. I knew there was no meat or anything like that and no lentils in the pantry either. But then I remembered we still had a few cans of black beans that I had purchased recently! I love black beans. They're by far my favorite kind of beans! What is your favorite kind of bean?
So I decided to make small black bean balls to top my vegetable mash with! In order to get a good texture, I blended half of the can of black beans and left the other half mostly whole. I bashed them a few times with a potato masher just to break them up a little bit. Then after adding lots of spices, I also added some chopped bell pepper for extra texture. Shaping the small balls was such fun! And then I airfried them to get them crunchy on the outside without having to deep fry them.
Don't forget to make the tahini drizzle sauce! It's so lovely on top of the black bean balls!
Will you make this for dinner soon? Or how about my Vegan Hokkaido Squash Curry?
This low-carb vegan vegetable mash is super creamy and flavorful! The airfried black bean balls are crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and extra yummy when topped with the tahini sauce!
- 330 grams frozen broccoli
- 340 grams frozen cauliflower
- 330 grams frozen carrots
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 can black beans (250g)
- 2 teaspoons Obatzda spice (see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- 1/2 cup small bell pepper pieces
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- For the mixed vegetable mash
Add frozen vegetables (either still frozen or already defrosted) to a steamer together with 2 cups of water. Steam on HIGH for 5 minutes, then slow release steam. This will take 5 to 10 minutes.
When the steam has all been released, add steamed soft vegetables to a blender together with olive oil, salt and garlic powder. Blend until smooth. Divide between two plates and top with a knob of coconut oil.
- For the Black Bean Balls
In the meantime, drain and rise the can of beans. Put half of them in a blender and blend them very well with Obatzda spice mixture, salt, nutritional yeast and almond milk.
Mash the other half of the can a bit using a potato masher so that the beans are still chunky.
Add to the bowl together with the chopped bell pepper (the smaller, the better). Mix well!
Shape mixture into about 14 small balls (mine were the size of a ping pong ball). Add to an airfryer basket and spray with olive oil. Airfry at 200°C for 15 minutes. Serve on top of the vegetable mash.
- For the tahini sauce
Mix together tahini, lemon juicce, water and salt. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the black bean balls. Enjoy!
Obatzda spice: it's a mixture of wild garlic, dried onions, sweet paprika powder, spicy paprika powder, salt, caraway seeds, chives and black pepper. These are the spices that are used in a traditional Bavarian cheese spread. I used this one.
