Sometimes you win some. And sometimes you lose some. And I will say, today I definitely had more winnin’ than losin’…
1. I paid my credit card off! In total. In full. Gone. Bye bye! And I couldn’t be happier! Not to bore you with my financial situation, but waaaaaaayyyyyy too many years of schooling and a number of moves left me with some credit card debt. I was determined to pay it off and guess what? I did! And I am super proud of myself! 😀
2. I found a wine-colored shamrock plant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know, I know. I am easily excitable. But I’ve been looking for one of these plants for some time now. Who knew that Whole Foods would have them!?!? AND for only $3.99!
3. I had the best meditation session ever tonight! (Ok, maybe not ever, but pretty dang good!). We had a guest from Vermont talk to us about listening and then we did some mindful listening exercises (much harder than you might think).
4. And now, I get to share this recipe with all of you! 🙂
What can I say about this recipe, other than Nom! It was the culmination of another one of my many daydreams about food. “How can I use oatmeal in a savory way,” I thought to myself while riding the Metro. And this is what I came up with. The verdict? The flavor was spot on. Paradoxically enough, the complexity was harmonious. I will say that next time though, I will make three small changes: a) I will try baking the croquettes instead of sautéing them, b) I will make the oatmeal with the reconstituted miso soup to emphasize the miso flavor even more, and c) I will use a bit more oatmeal for more binding power. Setting aside my perfectionism, I can say this is one of the best off-the-cuff creations that I’ve made in awhile (ah, I won’t mention the red-wine coconut carrot muffins that I made tonight…).
I hope all of y’all had lovely Sundays too, full of things to do the happy dance over! And if not, try making these croquettes. They are sure to make you all giddy inside! 😉
Lima Bean Croquettes with Miso-Mint Reduction
Ingredients:
Topping:
1 cup grape tomatoes–cut into quarters
2 tablespoons mint–chopped
splash balsamic
dash salt
dash pepper
fresh watercress
Croquettes:
1/2 red onion–finely chopped
1/2 green pepper–finely chopped
2 carrots–finely shredded (I used veggie peeler)
2 cloves garlic–minced
1 16 oz. bag frozen lima beans–roasted
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds–lightly toasted
1 cup water
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1-2 teaspoons lemon zest
1-2 tablespoons chopped mint
olive oil
salt
pepper
flour
Reduction:
miso soup packet (excluding the dried tofu and seaweed)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon mint
Method:
*For topping: Mix all ingredients except watercress. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Add frozen lima beans to large glass baking dish. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast lima beans in oven, turning 2 times for approx. 30-40 minutes. Once lima beans are cool enough to handle, add to food processor and pulse until the lima beans form a coarse meal. Set aside (and try not to eat them all before you make the actual croquettes! :D)
*Add sunflower seeds to a small, dry frying pan over medium low heat. Toast for 5 minutes, shaking the pan constantly for even toasting. Add sunflower seeds to food processor. Pulse until seeds are a coarse meal. Set aside.
*Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to medium-large sauté pan. Saute onion, pepper, and carrot for approx. 10 minutes. Add garlic. Saute until all veggies are soft. Set aside.
*Add 1 cup water of water to small sauce pan with a dash of salt. Heat over high until boiling. Once boiling, mix in oats. Drop heat to medium. Cook until oatmeal in tender, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
*In a large bowl, mix lima beans, cooked onion mixture, cooked oats, sunflower seeds, lemon zest and chopped mint. Adjust seasoning.
*Add 1/2 cup flour, dash salt, and a dash pepper to pie plate. Mix.
*Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Form lima bean mixture into patties and dredge lightly in seasoned flour (be sure to shake off all excess flour). Saute in oil approx. 2 minutes. Flip and sauté second side for 2 minutes. Repeat until all mixture is used up.
*For reduction: Add 1 cup water and contents of miso soup packet (excluding the dried tofu and seaweed) to small sauce pan. Heat over high stirring constantly. Reduce until you have 1/4 cup of sauce. Stir in mint.
*To plate: Add one croquette to plate. Top with fresh watercress and diced tomatoes. Drizzle reduction and fresh mint. Savor!
congrats on paying off the debt! and this croquettes really do look amazing!
Way to go on paying off your debt. You must feel as though you have a new lease on life. These croquettes are looking pretty good, the Mr. loves lima beans and I don’t cook them often. Gonna give these a try and I want to hear about those muffins.
WOOHOO! Congratulations on paying off your debt. Love how you plated the dish. Looks absolutely delicious.
That’s awesome!! I wish someone had fully explained the burden of student loans to me when I was younger because I am STILL paying mine from 15 years ago. I’m so excited for you – that must be such a huge relief!
Way to go on the pay-off! And the croquettes look and sound yummy – what a unique way to use lima beans.
Wow, what a beautiful dish!! And congrats on paying off the credit card!
Well done! That debt can me an ever consuming monster that I want to punch in the face! You’re an inspiration, darling 🙂 In more ways than one! This croquette is pretty much genius!
Sounds and looks amazing! I used to ate lima beans as a kid but am sure that I would love them in this inventive dish. And congrats on paying off your credit card debt…that’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it?
Gorgeous dish! If it tastes even half as good as it looks you have a fantastic dish here. I am betting this one will make the Foodbuzz Top 9.
Wonderful, I know that must make you feel soooo good. This is a beautiful dish and that photo is killer. Miso mint reduction, very creative. Loving the use of lima beans. Have a wonderful week.
Congratulations! And it sounds like you had a fabulous day! I love lima beans but never thought to make them into a croquette. Great idea, thanks.
My hubby loves lima beans… I think it’s brilliant you roasted them!! I would have never thought to do that and I have a bag in my freezer too. Heck yes… I’ll be roasting up some lima beans soon. PS.. Congrats on paying off your credit card!! I know that’s must feel like a load off your mind. 🙂 PSS… too cool about a wine colored shamrock plant.. who knew? 🙂 PSS… thanks for the compliments on my photos… I still am researching my camera but I think I have it narrowed down to two I can afford. I realize now I will need to get a macro lens and they are $$… part of me thinks I should just save my money and stick to my point and shoot. 🙂
Sounds pretty exciting and exotic! I d love a bite now, you made me crave for it.
thanks for this amazing share!
The first two on your list are enough to make anyone happy for several days-I want your plant!
I do have to thank you for making something with Lima beans that does appeal to me. I am not real big on that legume, but I know this recipe will get it into my diet-which is a good thing. Very creative!
Congrats on the loss of the credit card. That is a momentous, amazing accomplishment and you should be incredibly proud of yourself.
As soon as I read the word ‘oatmeal,’ I had to go back up and look at the picture because I couldn’t believe that you actually used it in the dish. I still don’t. Bravo for taking a hum drum breakfast food and turning it into something so delicious!
This looks splendid! The garnish looks so refreshing too! Nice recipe just in time for the spring:-)
That definitely calls for a celebration – bravo! Look at that plate – loving the flavours in there – miso mint? Wow!
Yay for lima beans! And I just bought a box of oats so this is pretty much meant to be for me. Congratulations on paying off your credit card! I know the weight lifted off of your shoulders must be HUGE!!
Oh my – this sounds fancy! I love miso, and would love to try this sauce. Looks like a wonderfully elegant and healthy plate.
Congrats on paying off your debt, that is awesome!!!
This reductions delicious with these croquettes!
These look so good! Great celebration meal for the: “I Just Paid Off My Damn Credit Card!” party, that should totally have.
When I try to get creative, I generally get a big flop…so congrats on making these coquettes that both look great and taste just a good! And congrats on paying off your credit card…hooray!
Wow great recipe and a good one to try for sure! And yup we feel proud for sure when we pay of the credit card debts! And I agree there are days of winning and days of loosing and yours is a definite win 🙂
Congrats Tiffany! Must be nice feeling free! 🙂 Oh this dish looks like spring dish. Very colorful and lively. I love the miso mint reduction! You are very creative!
Nice work in paying off the debt! It’s great to hear things are going great! And what a creative use of oatmeal. 🙂
What a beautiful dish!!!
Miso mint reduction…. WOW!!!
I am so glad to be here, you ave a wonderful space here.
Heading to explore more!!!
I swear, only you could have me second guessing my dislike of lima beans! This actually sounds really good. Glad you’re having a great week!
Awesome ingredients added inside and love the pairing you did to go with the salad.
What a gorgeous dish! I love miso – this is such a creative way to use it.
Congrats on paying down that card! I’m trying to do the same.
These look so good, and I love your idea to doing it again but cooking the oats in the miso. I bet that flavor punch would rock!
Good job on paying off your credit card, Tiff! It feels great, right???
You lima bean croquettes look very delicious. I really love everything in it!
What a recipe! I am loving all the flavors in this dish. Yum.
Yummy dish! Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations on paying off your credit card–and on this dish! This is the kind of vegan food that doesn’t make you miss meat and dairy.
Glad to hear you had a fantabulous day! These croquettes are a wonderful thing to end it with! They sound delicious and I am loving everything that went into them! They are also beautifully plated and look like something I could pay $22+ for in a fine restaurant :)!
Tiffany….and here I was thinking that I was the only one who likes lima beans! And I loved how you used oatmeal to make the croquettes! They look scrumptious! And so glad you had a great day! It’s those little things like finding the plant that can make your day. But paying off your debt is HUGE. Congrats! : )
Such an innovative idea that you’d came up with this fantastic croquettes made with lima beans! Congrats on clearing off your debt too..
YAY YAY on the pay off 🙂 and share picture of the flower. I so wanna see it 🙂
Well done on paying off the credit card – I try to keep mine for emergencies but the balance has a way of creeping up! Love these healthy croquettes – they are absolutely packed with gorgeous flavours.
yay!! for winning lots (!) and for paying off your credit card. best. feeling. ever!!! This recipe sounds totally, totally fantastic- can’t wait to try!!
Yay for paying off credit card debt!! What a great feeling!
That miso mint reduction sounds out of this world!!
This looks so good it would actually get me to eat lima beans. 🙂 There aren’t too many things that I don’t like and lima beans are one of them, but I wouldn’t hesitate to eat this. YUM!
Congrats on paying off your credit card…such a feel good goal to meet.
Thanks for the comments folks! 😀