Sunflower Seed Butter Sauce Drenched Carrot Noodles with Black Bean ‘Meatballs’
Delicious Asian-inspired black bean ‘meatballs’ pair perfectly with my raw Sunflower Seed Butter Sauce Drenched Carrot Noodles for a meat-free dinner that is to die for!
Nut Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free
I received a free sample of Kikkoman soy sauce mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Kikkoman and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
If there’s one staple I always have in my fridge it’s soy sauce. The umami flavor just does it for me. Not to mention my simple simple SIMPLE stir fry is a household favorite in the weekly meal plan rotation!
But now I have a new favorite recipe on repeat…my Asian-inspired black bean ‘meatballs’ with a side of sunflower seed butter sauce drenched carrot noodles.
Yup, DRENCHED. So so so good.
Oh em gee. This sunflower seed butter sauce is soooo dreamy and creamy… a must-try for your Meatless Monday dinner!
And I even have a short story to go along with this dreaminess… When I was younger, my brothers would always order “cold noodles” when we got Chinese food. Given that I couldn’t eat nuts or sesame seeds I ((obviously)) could never try them. But they always looked so creamy and delicious and I clearly wasn’t creative enough ((yet)) to try and DIY with a nut free twist…
So when the opportunity to make a delicious recipe with Kikkoman’s soy sauce arrived, sunflower seed butter sauce “cold noodles” came to mind!
To kick things up a notch, I made protein-packed plant-based “meatballs” to go with my raw sunflower seed butter drenched carrot noodles. And they’re SO easy to make (I promise!), with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen: canned black beans (rinsed), Kikkoman’s Less Sodium Soy Sauce, some spices and oats. While this recipe may seem a tad more complicated, I know you can do it! BAM!
But if you’re feeling cramped for time before dinner, you can easily prepare the batter for these balls ahead of time and then just throw them in the oven while you quickly whip up the sauce (it takes 5 minutes) and spiralize some carrots (another 5 minutes). And, if you’re not nut free, you can definitely swap almond butter or peanut butter.
[Tweet “{#ad} #NutFree Sunflower Seed Butter Sauce Drenched Carrot Noodles #vegan #peanutfree”]
This recipe contains no added table salt and you won’t miss it at all! My sodium-slashing secret? A splash of Kikkoman soy sauce!
Did you know that one-half teaspoon Kikkoman Soy Sauce in place of one-half teaspoon table salt slashes the sodium content of the recipe by 1000 mg?! The umami flavor of soy sauce provides a huge flavor explosion for your taste buds and you’ll be so satisfied by this recipe — it contains every major nutrient you need, protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.
This recipe is…
- 100% plant based and vegan
- Easy to prepare in less than an hour
- Tree nut free, peanut free and sesame seed free!
- Lower in sodium than traditional take out
- Under 300 calories per serving!
Let’s slash sodium and get cookin’…
You need these Sunflower Seed Butter Sauce Drenched Carrot Noodles!
PrintSunflower Seed Butter Sauce Drenched Carrot Noodles with Black Bean ‘Meatballs’
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Asian-Inspired Black Bean ‘Meatballs’
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seed butter (alternative: almond/peanut butter)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/4 cup quick oats
For the Sunflower Seed Butter Sauce Drenched Carrot Noodles:
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sunflower seed butter
- 1 tablespoon Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce
- Heaping 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Heaping 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (or sesame oil)
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon water to thin (or more, as needed)
- 4 large carrots, spiralized (or shredded carrots)
Instructions
For the Asian-Inspired Black Bean ‘Meatballs’
- In a small bowl combine ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water. Mix and set aside to make a flax ‘egg.’
- In a food processor, pulse black beans with soy sauce, garlic, sunflower seed butter, spices and flax egg until nearly smooth. Mixture should be nearly smooth, but not as silky and smooth as hummus. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the quick oats.
- Refrigerate mixture for about 15 minutes (or in an airtight container overnight).
- When you’re ready to bake the balls, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Roll the batter into 1-inch balls, about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter per ball, and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, remove carefully from the oven and flip the balls. Return to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes.
- Serve with sunflower seed butter sauce drenched carrot noodles.
For the Sunflower Seed Butter Sauce Drenched Carrot Noodles:
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for the carrot noodles. Mix well until sauce-like consistency forms.
- For thinner sauce, add additional water, a teaspoon at a time.
- Add spiralized (or shaved or shredded) carrots and coat well. Serve with black bean meatballs.
Notes
Nutrition Facts (per 3 balls): 126 calories, 3.3g fat, 422mg sodium, 17g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 6g protein
Nutrition Facts (per 1/4 sauce recipe): 151 calories, 13g fat, 169mg sodium, 7g carbohydrates, 5g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 "meatballs" and 1/4 of sauce
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Now that I’ve officially shared my first recipe of 2017, welcome to the new year!!! What’s on your meal plan this week?!
XO
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What a fun recipe! I just have to try it out…so many unique parts of it: Vegan meatballs, carrot noodles and a yummy looking sauce. You mixed up all the classics with yummy results!
Looks so delicious! I bet that sauce is good on everything!
I’ve been eating it with everything this week… it’s almost turning into a problem…. 😉
Love the idea of black bean “meatballs”! This recipe looks jam-packed with yummy flavors.
I’m obsessed with bean balls! You may also love my Spooky ‘Eyeball’ Subs then too! http://chelseyamernutrition.com/spooky-black-bean-eyeball-subs/
I love Asian inspired food! This recipe sounds fabulous. Do you think I could blanch the carrots to soften them a bit, or would it get mushy? I’m so excited to make this!!!
I think it may work better if you lightly saute or bake the carrot noodles instead (that’s how I cook my sweet potato noodles too — for about ~20 minutes at 375F, depending on your oven) versus blanching them if you wanted to soften them. If you don’t overcook the carrot noodles I’m not worried about them becoming mushy! 🙂 Hope that helps!
Such a creative take on Asian meatballs and noodles!
Thanks so much Deanna!!
This looks so flavorful! Love that you used carrots as the noodle base 🙂
They’re so good and crunchy!!!