Black Bean Cakes

justcallmetoni's Note:

A recent trip to Cocso and I'm now the proud owner of a large stockpile of black beans. That has sent me combing my cookbooks for meal options using this healthful and versatile ingredients. Keeping what I find here for quick and easy access until I have a chance to try them. The original recipe for these delectable cakes included a tablespoon of chorizo, though I intend to make them vegetarian. These can also easily be made vegan with the use of a little soy yogurt. Serve these as a substantial appetizer or along with a lovely green salad as a light meal or lunch. With the chorizo, these are 3 points per serving. The recipe can easily be modified to be Core. The cakes also freeze well for reheating later.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans , drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable broth or 2 tablespoons water or 2 tablespoons chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chorizo sausage , finely diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon oil (omit if using sausage)
• 1⁄3; cup onion , small diced
• ¼ cup red pepper , small diced
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• ½ teaspoon jalapeno , finely diced
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 egg white
• ¼ cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• ½ tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon cilantro , chopped
• 1 ½ tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 ½ tablespoons low-fat sour cream
• ½ cup salsa (chose mild, medium or hot according to your tastes)

Directions:

1. Place half the rinsed beans in a blender or food processor with the broth and puree into a paste. Add more liquid if needed. Mix together the bean paste with the reserved whole beans in a mixing bowl.
2. In a nonstick skillet, add the teaspoon of oil (or chorizo) onions, garlic, red pepper and jalapeno and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the cumin and chili powder and continue to cook another minute. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
3. Combine the sauteed vegetables with the beans. Add the egg white, cornmeal, lime juice, cilantro. Let stand for 5-8 minutes to begin softening the cornmeal and allow the flavors to combine.
4. Form the mix into eight equal sized cakes.
5. Spray a non-stick skillet over medium high heat with cooking spray. Add the bean cakes to the skillet and cook until browned, just a minute or so on each side.
6. Combine the salsa with the yogurt and sour cream.
7. Serve the bean cakes with a dollop of the dairy/salsa topping and garnish with additional cilantro if desired.

Reviews

[Lecelu]

These weren't bad but they didn't blow me away. I doubled the cumin and chili powder. I omitted the jalapeno all together because I don't like a lot of heat. I added half of a green bell pepper for some more color. They didn't have a ton of flavor but it's a good starting point for a recipe. I'll be making them again for sure with a few changes. I liked the texture a lot.

[Maito]

These were yummy! I took the advice of other reviewers and doubled the cumin, chili powder, garlic, and used a whole jalapeno (seeded). They were nice and spicy. I couldn't taste the chorizo, so I would leave it out next time (or add much more). Tried them as burgers (it made 4) with avocado and red pepper. I am not sure if I would recommend the large size though, they were hard to flip, and fell apart a bit. I did cook them at least 3 minutes per side to make sure the egg was cooked through. Took me close to an hour from start to finish. Great flavor. Thanks, toni!

[Kittencalskitchen]

I can't say that DH loved these but I really enjoyed this recipe, I increased most of the ingredients and used dryed pepperoni in place of the chorizo, I chilled the mixture for a couple of hours before shaping, thanks Toni!...Kitten:)