Black Bean "Meatball" Hoagie (Gluten and Dairy Free)

Pulse oats in your food processor 3-5 times to roughly chop then add in one can of  drained and rinsed black beans. Pulse and additional 5-6 times creating a chunky paste. Add in the egg, thyme, oregano, garlic and salt and blend in the processor until most of the large pieces are gone. You will be left with a thick paste.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the remaining can of drained and rinsed black beans with the basil, cheese, white rice and the mixture from the food processor. At this point the mixture was pretty loose for me so I placed my mixing bowl in the fridge for 15-20 minutes so that it could firm up.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Fill a drinking glass halfway with tap water and retrieve your batter from the fridge along with a small ice cream scoop. Scoop balls of batter and place them on the prepared cookie sheet about 1- 1 ½ inches apart dipping the scoop into the water every few "meatballs" to prevent the batter from sticking to the scoop. Once the baking sheet is full with "meatballs" place it in the fridge until the oven has preheated. This will ensure that the "meatballs" keep their form until you pop them into the oven.

* I tried to form the "meatballs" with my hands and it didn't work out so well. Not that it matters because I covered them with sauce and rice shreds so I couldn't see them but, I think that the ice cream scoop will help them keep their shape.

Once the oven has heated bake the meatballs for 10 minutes, rotate the baking sheet halfway and bake an additional 10 minutes. 

No matter how yours look at this state don't fret or gloat because you are about to smother and cover them with yummy tomato goodness and the best faux cheese that I have EVER had.

Did I mention that I am a cheese snob? To learn more about that you can read here or you can trust me when I say that if you love cheese but cannot partake of it for whatever reason you should give Rice Shreds a chance. They actually melt like cheese and they taste great. We have been whipping up omelettes and quesadilla's with this cheese substitute all week and it has yet to disappoint!

OK, enough about cheese and back to the recipe!

Heat tomato sauce in a small pan and lightly toast hot dog buns until they are warm. Spoon a small amount of sauce into the buns and place 2-3 "meat balls" depending on size into each bun. Since mine came out a little flat I rounded the top of then with a spoon after they were in the bun. Place the hoagies close together on the sheet pan so that they support each other and spoon sauce over the tops and down into the buns. Sprinkle with the Rice Shreds and red pepper flakes and place the pan under the broiler to melt.

Ahhhh....melty yummy goodness! Sprinkle basil leaves over the top and get ready to feel like you are really eating a Meatball Hoagie!

Happy National Sandwich Month everybody!