Some of you who have made Taylor’s Protein Balls or Taylor's Rice Croquettes and have asked if there is 'another recipe like that.' Well, here you are. These pecan balls can be served in any number of ways and freeze well—if there are any left to freeze! 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup cooked steel-cut oats* (soak overnight, if possible, then rinsed and drained)

NOTE: Place 1/3 cup steel-cut oats and 1/3 cup brown rice in 2 cups of lightly salted water. Bring to a boil then turn down heat and let them cook until soft, while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine
  • ¼ cup chia seeds
  • ½ tsp sage
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1 Tbsp mock-chicken seasoning
  • 4 egg whites or equivalent in eggbeaters
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 cup sourdough bread crumbs

Preparation

Place all ingredients (except for brown rice and steel-cut oats) into a large bowl and mix well.

Add cooked brown rice and steel-cut oats. Mix well. Let stand for ten minutes. (May add slightly more liquid, if needed, but remember that if there is too much liquid the balls will tend to spread out during baking instead of staying more rounded. Or you may add slightly more bread crumbs for needed consistency).

Form into balls (about the size of an unshelled walnut) and place on a greased cookie sheet. 

NOTE: I usually just spray mini-muffin pans with coconut oil and put batter in each cup to nearly the top. It's much faser than forming them into balls. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 45-60 minutes(depending on your oven) until balls are done and brown on top.

Serving

For example:

  • Serve on top of spaghetti or linguini with marinara or gravy or pesto sauce
  • Place in a baking dish and cover with brown gravy or mushroom gravy (return to oven to heat through) then pour over mashed potatoes or over any type of pasta that has been cooked and drained

*Steel-Cut Oats

Some nutritionists recommend using steel-cut oats (rather than rolled oats or instant oats). This is because the steel cut style are “cut” rather than “rolled,” which involves less processing. Steel-cut oats are crunchier and some think they have a better flavor. And because they are more dense they take longer to digest and cause less of a spike in glucose levels. Some comparisons rate them higher in fiber and slightly lower in fat.

If you plan ahead and rinse and soak the steel-cut oats overnight, you may realize additional benefits. According to Sue Gregg (www.suegregg.com), soaking, fermenting, or sprouting the grain before cooking or baking will neutralize a large portion of the phytic acid, releasing these nutrients for absorption. This process allows enzymes, lactobacilli, and other helpful organisms to not only neutralize the phytic acid, but also to break down complex starches, irritating tannins, and difficult-to-digest proteins, including gluten. After soaking, drain steel-cut oats and use in desired recipe.