48/365 Black Bean And Walnut Croquettes

My husband's loving words about dinner today was that it resembled "giant pucks of dog poo".  Luckily he's had these black bean and walnut croquettes before so he knows they really do taste good.  They also have a nice chewy texture, with toasted sesame seeds on the outside and a warm and soft middle (the recipe says to coat them with bread crumbs, but I like to use sesame seeds for some extra calcium).  I served them with hummus and black rice today, but they're also really good in sandwiches.

People often ask if we feel satiated by our vegan meals and have a hard time imagining a satisfying dinner, without meat as part of the main course.  I still plan our meals to include a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables and fats, just as I would have planned any other type of meal.  These croquettes were packed full of protein as they included a whole can of beans and a 3/4 cup of walnuts.  The carbohydrate requirement was met by the whole-grain black rice we had on the side.  If you've never had black rice before, it may look strange but it's absolutely delicious.  We had hummus on the side and mixed some salsa into the rice to get our vegetables in.  I would normally have included a spinach salad as well but we were out of spinach today.  The nuts in the croquettes and the oil used for cooking these provided a component of fat, which is also important to feel satiated.

On another note, this is how I found my daughter today.

I don't know why she has decided that her shopping cart is now a chair, but I hope she finds something else to amuse herself with soon before she does herself any damage.  I think she's probably just excited about her new found climbing skills but I'll admit that it makes me very nervous.