Black-eyed Pea Croquettes

This recipe was adapted from Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet. I've recently made some vegan friends and they are challenging my assumption that all good food must include two of my favorite ingredients: butter and cheese. 

So...here goes!

Yield: ~ 30 croquettes, depending on how large you make them
Prep time: ~ 30 min, plus overnight for soaking the peas
Cook time: ~ 30 min for frying

Croquettes:
3 c black eyed peas (soaked overnight)
1/2 c fresh (if possible) herbs (combo of basil, thyme, cilantro, parsley)
2-3 T lemon juice (depending on how lemony you like things)
1 round tsp garlic powder
1 round tsp salt
1 round tsp cumin
1 T soy sauce or Braggs
Canola oil for frying

Dipping sauce:
1/2 c maple syrup, brown rice syrup, or table syrup (or a combo!)
1/4 c apple cider vinegar (or to taste, you may like it thinner, or thicker, so adjust this as you see fit)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili flakes (or to taste)
2 T spicy brown mustard, not the yellow stuff...
1/4 - 1/2 c chopped green onions (or to taste)

Drain the peas, put them in Cuisinart  and blend. You may need to blend in batches. With the last batch of peas, add the fresh herbs (this will save you from having to chop them!). In a large bowl, combine all the croquette ingredients. With wet hands, shape filling into egg-shaped balls. I shaped a whole cookie sheet full of them, so I could just fry them all at once. 

When you have shaped the croquettes, heat about 1/4 inch canola oil in a cast iron or nonstick skillet, when the oil is hot (but not smoking), place croquettes in pan. Keep a close eye on them and flip when browned (approx 3-5 min). 

When croquettes are browned on all sides, place them on paper towels or wire rack to drain. You will need to add more oil to the pan as you cook batches of these. 

For sauce:
Whisk all the ingredients together. As I mentioned, you can modify these tastes...like spicy? add more chilis. Like sweet? add less vinegar...you get the picture.