Black Bean Croquettes with Fresh Salsa and Adobo Polenta

Yeah, you kind of wish you could eat dinner at my house! Granted, we don't eat around 9PM when Alex gets home, and there are squeaky toys and bibs scattered underfoot...but at least the food is good!

My sister introduced me to this wonderful new website, http://www.eatingwell.com/, and I've been hoarding away recipes for the past week. This one caught my eye because it's very similar to our favorite Tamale Pie, and it seemed fairly simple. I was able to throw it together in about 20 minutes, and it was perfect! I upped the spice because we love adobo sauce in just about everything. The fresh salsa recipe was really easy and a perfect balance to the croquettes. I will definitely make these again! Probably without the polenta, as it was a little starch heavy.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs, divided
2 cups finely chopped tomatoes
2 scallions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon chili powder, hot if desired, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 avocado, diced

Instructions:
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 1/4 cup breadcrumbs. Combine tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and salt in a medium bowl. Stir 1 cup of the tomato mixture into the black bean mixture.

Mix the remaining 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, oil and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder in a small bowl until the breadcrumbs are coated with oil. Divide the bean mixture into 8 scant 1/2-cup 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 into the remaining tomato mixture. Serve the salsa with the croquettes.