Vegetarian Meatballs

I recently had some lovely friends over. One is vegetarian, so I thought it would be a good reason to explore some meat alternatives. Hence, the creation of a chickball. That doesn't have the same ring as meatball. Oh, well, whatever you want to call it, here's the recipe:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed (white kidney works too)
2 eggs
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. reduced-fat Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 meat-free beef flavored bouillon cube, crumbled.
Pulse chickpeas in a food processor. You don't want to puree them, just get them to a crumbly stage. Add navy beans and blend for about a minute. Texture should be slightly lumpy, with no whole beans.
Transfer beans to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. You can roll them into balls, but I just spoon the mixture into a greased muffin tin. Bake at 400F for 10-13 min, then broil on the middle rack for another 3 minutes.
I served the meat-less balls with salad, rice and home-made tomato sauce (same recipe as New Year's Eve dinner post)

Samoas?

Ever had a girl scout samoa?  

                                           I haven't. But I've heard they're an amazing cookie.

The traditional samoa has a shortbread base, a chewy coconut layer on top, then the whole thing is dipped in and drizzled with chocolate. Not exactly the best cookie health-wise. All the recipes I've found online call for butter, sugar and caramel. Caramel is made from butter and sugar, my two biggest no-no's. So, I present to you my made-over recipe: (which contains no butter or sugar ;)
1 c. toasted unsweetend coconut. (Please please please do this! just stir coconut in a heavy saucepan on med-high heat until it starts to brown. you need to watch it carefully so it doesn't burn)
1/4 c. unrefined coconut oil
1-2 T date paste (my palate has adjusted to lightly sweetened desserts. If you need more sweetness, give the dough a taste and adjust accordingly)
1/3 c. nondairy milk (you could use coconut, to go with the theme ;)
2 tsp ground flax
1 tsp vanilla
1/2-3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt.
Chocolate Sauce:
1 T chocolate chips
1 1/2 T coconut butter
2 tsp peanut butter
Combine coconut oil, date paste, milk, flax seeds and vanilla. Add 1/2 c. whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt to form a thick dough. (If the dough seems really wet, add the extra 1/4 c. of flour.) Mix in toasted coconut. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten into disks, and use your finger to make a hole in the center on each cookie. Bake for 8 minutes @ 350F
Now you have two choices: clean up the kitchen or mix up the chocolate sauce.
For the chocolate sauce, microwave the three ingredients for 30 second intervals until melted.
Let the cookies cool before dipping the tops in chocolate.
Enjoy!