The credit for this meal goes entirely to Lauren. She was walking by the meat counter at Meijer, saw some kebabs in the display case and thought "I bet we could make those better and cheaper" (I think they were selling for $2.99 per skewer). I'll admit I was initially skeptical, because meat skewers do not look very filling. When I see a plate like ours my first thought is always "awesome, but what is everyone else going to eat?". 

The plan for tonight was a broiled chicken parmesan sub. Unfortunately I got overruled. Lauren plays volleyball on Monday nights and when her games start late she usually wants lighter fare for dinner. So when I emailed that idea she countered with Black Bean Croquettes, which sounded totally unappealing given the photos and memories of the failed texture of our previous attempt at making them.

Then we remembered that Rachel also made these and made some slight alterations to give it the crunch we had been looking for and since she was kind enough to email those changes to me, all I had to do was search my gmail to recall what they were. So Rachel, thanks. These are partly your creation.

Base recipe is the same as before:

• 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
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Twice this week and once about three weeks ago I saw an episode of Good Eats about how to make chicken wings. Tonight Lauren and I decided to make it happen. The picture you see here is the finished product. The rest are a photo blog of how the chicken wings came to be. At the bottom of this entry is the chicken wings episode of Good Eats, which we followed pretty much step for step.

With some scissors, we made holes in the outer edges of the screens to give them some height and make them stackable.This allowed us to place two trays of wings inside the 5 gallon stock pot I normally use to brew beer. If you aren't in to building anything, you could also use a stainless steel colander provided that the bottom half, where you'd lay the chicken, fits inside of your pot and you're able to cover the top sufficiently. Though as you'll see later the entire process is kind of lengthy, and doing it in small stages will only make you wait longer.
As for the wings, we bought a 5 lb family pack of chicken wings at Meijer. On Good Eats Alton Brown mentions that due to high demand for breast meat in the US, the chicken wing has remained relatively cheap. This is true. Our package of wings cost $8.95 for approximately 15 whole wings, which I "butchered" (a normal person might say cut) into the 30 "wings" you'd be charged for in any bar or restaurant. Here is a quick how-to on that:
Cut off the tip and throw it in the trash. Then squeeze the remaining wing like a pair of pliers. This will reveal the softest point (the joint) between the flat and drummette. Cut through it. There, you're done.5 lbs of chicken wings cut up and ready to go.
Arrange the wings on your steamer tray, bring a couple inches of water to a boil and set the tray inside your steaming pot for 10 minutes. If you're wondering why you have to steam them, the episode explains that it helps remove some of the fats and oil that would otherwise cause major smoke issues in the oven.When 10 minutes is up, remove your steamed chicken wings (the skin will be slightly tacky) from your tray and set them (uncovered) on cooking/drying racks atop a paper towel lined baking sheet. Preferably one with a lip.Place your baking sheets on the bottom shelf of a cold refrigerator (30-35 degrees). Both of these details will help prevent any salmonella issues both with your chicken and anything else in the fridge. As it turned out, our nifty steaming rack also served as a shelf so we could stack our chicken wings in the fridge. Leave the chicken in the refrigerator for 1 hour.The rest is easy. After your hour is up, remove the paper towel from beneath the racks, replace it with parchment paper and bake your chicken wings for 40 minutes at 425 degrees in the center of the oven. At the 20 minute mark flip your wings. If you are cooking two trays at once make sure to rotate the trays at this time.

Once 40 minutes is up grab the biggest bowl you can find and toss your wings (while they're hot!) in your favorite sauce. 1/2 cup of sauce per dozen is a pretty good ratio to use. We used Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Wing Sauce on one half and Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ Sauce (+1 tbsp Honey, +1 tbsp brown sugar) on the other.

They were so awesome. A little time consuming, but well worth the effort. Its pretty easy to see that they're quite a bit meatier than what you'd normally get at restaurant, but for what its worth we had 30 wings between us and only finished about 18.

Until tonight, I've always been mildly annoyed that I can't fully enjoy bone-in wings at a restaurant because I'm afraid of making a mess of myself. This took care of that. And I didn't have to mess around with the hazards of in-home frying.

Last night we were looking for something new that made use out of the odds and ends grocery items we've accumulated during the couple of weeks. So I checked Food Network and found a writeup on the 30 Days of Healthy Eating recipes they're promoting. As is the case most of the time, I found and suggested the recipe and Lauren approved. Only this time I got a little bonus because the Black Bean Croquettes can double as a vegetarian entree. Her roommate is vegetarian so I tend to perceive my ravenous desire to cook and eat meat as somewhat of an albatross. I hate to see somebody make a grilled cheese sandwich while I'm in their kitchen making chicken Parmesan. It make me feel guilty.

So this recipe was not only good on its own merit, but it scored brownie points from Lauren and my own conscience.

Black Bean Croquettes
* 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

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.

I just wanted to share a quick recipe with anyone that might need a last minute idea for Thanksgiving. My mom makes them for Thanksgiving every year. I credit spinach balls for helping me turn the corner on the "I don't like vegetables" days of my youth.

Spinach Balls (makes 35-40)

4 - 10 oz packages frozen spinach
4 - large eggs
3 tbsp - italian dressing
1 - bag of large, caesar cut croutons (crushed)
1 - medium purple onion, chopped
1 - red/yellow/orange sweet bell pepper, chopped
1 - clove garlic, minced
1 tsp - Nutmeg
2 - tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tbsp - extra virgin olive oil (optional)
1 pkg - Shredded cheese (Asiago, Parmesan, Mozzarella)

Defrost, drain (extremely well, press if necessary), and chop (if not already chopped) frozen spinach. Crush croutons into crumbs, scramble eggs and mix in bowl. Add nutmeg, cayenne pepper, garlic, olive oil to crumb/egg mixture. Add spinach in 4-5 separate handfuls, mixing/kneading by hand for even distribution. Add chopped pepper and onion, mix/knead by hand. Add 1/2 package of shredded cheese, mix by hand, add Italian salad dressing, mix by hand.

Scoop into ping-pong ball sized portions and place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet, sprinkle with cheese, cook in center of over at 350 for approx 15-20 mins or until exterior is slightly browned/crispy.

Some ingredients/seasonings (such as the salad dressing) can be added/subtracted/changed to taste. Much of the flavor comes from the crushed croutons, so if you wanted to go for a stronger garlic flavor you could get a different type of crouton, salad dressing and cheese to make that work. The onion and pepper are primarily for color.