I love it here in Vancouver. The people are friendly, the mountains are amazing, & the gorgeous summers are for enjoying the outdoors. However, the rainy, winter days (that sometimes last weeks!) are awful! They’re cold & gloomy. It’s been like this for days! Needless to say, I’ve been missing Florida & all it’s sunshine!
Anyway, I felt like making something that would remind me of home in South Florida & my Cuban roots. How about croquetas (croquettes)? Perfect. Now, the challenge was to make them healthy & vegan. (Crazy the work I’m willing to do to satisfy a craving & not feel guilty!)
They don’t look as pretty as the ones at the Cuban bakeries in Miami, (how do they get them so perfectly shaped?!) but they are very, very tasty & easy. Also, since they’re healthy, you shouldn’t feel guilty about eating 2 or 3…or 4 or 5…
Ingredients:
- 1 can (14oz) Organic Black Beans – drained & rinsed
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 cup Chopped Tomato
- 1/4 cup Onion
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 1/4 cup Fortified Nutritional Yeast
- 1/3 cup Cooked Quinoa (room temp.)
- 1/3 cup Bread Crumbs
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Place beans in bowl & mash with fork or potato masher.
- Combine cumin, tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, nutritional yeast & quinoa. Mix well with mashed beans.
- In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs & evoo.
- Divide the bean mixture into croqueta shapes & press firmly onto breadcrumbs, turning to coat.
- Place croquetas on non-stick baking sheet & bake until golden brown. About 25 minutes.
* Serve with salsa of your choice or guacamole…yum!
If anyone has a tip or an easier way of forming the mixture into the croqueta shapes, please share!
Happy Eating!
- Lesley
