Friday, May 2, 2008

Saturday

Black bean croquettes with fresh salsa (recipe in the comments)
Corn tortillas and lime wedges
Herb salad with M's famous salsa verde dressing

Hot tea
Pralines
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This is a new recipe from Eating Well that M and I have been wanting to try. We are big fans of croquette like things and vegetarian croquettes are something we're always excited about. One of our earliest food debacles occurred over some white bean croquettes that would not hold their shape during cooking no matter how long we chilled them or how we changed the ingredients. We were gluttons for punishment back then and tried them three or four times before giving up! This time the recipe is simpler and the croquettes are baked. The Mexican style is also appealing and makes them very different than most meals like this that we make. I loved the texture of the croquettes and the blend of the salsa and croquette flavors.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, avocado, oranges
Time: 45 minutes (20 minutes baking)
Make ahead: I think these will save well, but should eb reheated in the oven, not the microwave to maintain the crunch.

Reaction
J: "Croquette-ish and surprisingly easy."
M: "The ends justify the beans - I really liked it!"

1 comment:

J said...

Black Bean Croquettes with Fresh Salsa – Eating Well and M & J
Serves 3

2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed
1 t ground cumin
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
¼ cup plus ½ cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs, divided
3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
2 scallions, sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 ¼ t chili powder, divided
½ t salt + more to taste
1 ½ T extra-virgin olive oil
1 avocado, diced
Juice from ¼ lime

Corn tortillas
Fresh lime wedges

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Mash black beans and cumin with a fork in a large bowl until no whole beans remain. Stir in corn and ¼ cup breadcrumbs.

Combine tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, ½ t chili powder and salt in a medium bowl. Stir 1 cup of the tomato mixture into the black bean mixture.

Mix the remaining ½ cup breadcrumbs, oil and the remaining ¾ t chili powder in a small bowl until the breadcrumbs are coated with oil. Divide the bean mixture into 8 balls. Lightly press each bean ball into the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the croquettes until heated through and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Stir avocado, juice from ¼ lime, and salt to taste into the remaining tomato mixture. Taste for salt and lime. Serve the salsa, warm corn tortillas, and lime wedges with the croquettes.