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1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.
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2
Set aside.
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3
In a small shallow bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs with the Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
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4
Set aside.
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5
Place the beans into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until the beans are in small chunks.
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6
Add the pine nuts, garlic clove, remaining 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs, olive oil, remaining 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
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7
Process until the mixture is complete pureed.
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8
Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and combine it with the chopped tomatoes, onion, and basil until the mixture is well blended.
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9
With moistened hands, form the mixture into golf-ball sized shapes and then roll them in the crumb mixture.
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10
Place the dredged bites on the cookie sheet.
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11
Spray the prepared bites with cookie spray and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
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12
Serve warm, with lemon-basil aioli.
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13
To make the aioli: In the bowl of a small food processor or a blender, combine the aioli ingredients.
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14
Puree until the mixture is blended.
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15
(Inspired by Nutty Black Bean Bites in Clean Eating Magaine, May 20.)
