Wednesday

Black bean croquettes with fresh salsa (recipe in the comments from May 2, 2008)
Fresh oranges

Hot tea
Conversation hearts
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We last had this right as we made the decision to move to Buffalo. I almost think of them as a Buffalo dish! T loved these last time, as we told him they were Black Bean Cakes. From his perspective, all kinds of cake rock. We love these ourselves and the croquettes turned out as wonderful as last time. that said, we had an incident with our avocado that made the salsa less perfect. This avocado seemed just barely ripe at the store - just how we like them for salsa cruda. BUT when I cut into it tonight it was hard and gummy! We eat a LOT of avocado and this has never happened!!! It made the salsa a little skimpy for two and there's none for T tomorrow. Sigh. Sometimes fresh produce just doesn't work out.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, avocado, oranges
Time: 30 minutes to prep + 20 minutes to bake
Make ahead: I think these will save well, but I would eat them cold or heat them in the oven.

Reaction
J: "Gummy avocados don't pass muster."
M: "This wasn't as flavorful as last time. Hmmm."

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!"