black bean croquettes

Jeff thinks he's hilarious because he calls these "black bean balls", and being a guy, the word "balls" is sooo funny.  Guys are dorks.  I think that croquette is kind of a stuffy sounding word, but it really is better than "balls".

This is one of those foods that even people like my mom who will try most foods at least once had to be forced to try.  For some reason people don't always see these as appetizing.  I don't know why, they look perfectly innocent to me.  Just give them a chance.  The croquettes are basically a tortilla-less burrito.  Who doesn't love burritos?

This recipe fits into my favorite category.
Meals that simultaneously:
1.  taste great
2.  are fairly healthy
3.  all or most of the ingredients are already in my fridge/ pantry
4.  a good source of protein
5.  easy to make and eat

Yeah, anything that fits all five points has got to be worth a shot, right?

The croquettes are great to bring to a party because you can eat them hot or room temperature, and you can eat them with your hands.  Also, you can prep them ahead of time, then ball them up and bake them quickly for an easy weeknight dinner.  These can be an appetizer or a side dish, but we usually have this by itself for dinner.  They're hard to stop eating!

It looks kind of random, I know, to use tupperware to mash food in, but this works best because of the flat bottom.  Mashing food in a bowl with sloped sides is ridiculous.  Sometimes I mash the beans and corn thoroughly and sometimes I leave small evenly sized chunks.

Oil, breadcrumbs, and salt.  Stir these together with a fork.  I like Progressive breadcrumbs because they are already seasoned.

Add the breadcrumbs and salsa.

The breadcrumb mixture should be like wet, course sand.

Form into balls.  These can be any size you want.  They are easiest to eat when they are small, because you can pop the whole thing into your mouth.  If you get lazy, that's ok.  You can make bigger balls, which is much quicker.

Pull out of the oven when the croquettes are golden, but not too crispy.

ingredients:
2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 C corn kernels
1/4 C plus 1/2 C breadcrumbs, divided
1/3 C salsa, plus more for serving
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp olive oil

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2.  Mash black beans in a large bowl until chunky and no whole beans remain, if you are having trouble with this heat the beans for 30 seconds in the microwave.  The heat will soften them and make them easier to mash.
3.  Stir in cumin, garlic, corn, 1/4 C of breadcrumbs, and 1/3 C salsa.
4.  In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/2 C of breadcrumbs, the salt, chili powder, and olive oil.
5.  Roll the bean mixture into balls (I made 15), the size is up to you, I aim for a four bite ball.
6.  Lightly press bean balls into the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat.   If you make the balls fairly small you might have to make more of the breadcrumb and oil mixture.  Place the balls on the prepped baking sheet.
7.  Bake the croquettes until heated through and the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Serve warm or room temperature with salsa for dipping.