Friday, February 6, 2009

Spicy Black-Bean Cakes

So here's my last Martha Stewart recipe of the week. Since I had those carrot and parsnip fritters last week, I have been thinking about what other vegetables could be made into a patty form. I guess the possibilities are pretty much endless, but this one appealed since I had most of the ingredients on hand. Since I cook for one and prefer to cook in season, I freeze a lot of things so that I can have them when they aren't readily available at the farmers market. Several months ago, I bought a huge basket of jalapenos and have them in my freezer for whenever I need them. Hopefully by the time we get to this spring and summer, I will clear a lot of things from my freezer so I can make room for next year's goodies. These bean cakes are really easy to prepare and healthy, especially since they are broiled versus fried. I think I still have to learn some tricks with my broiler. I almost had a situation similar to my herbed-baked eggs. Luckily, I was able to save these before they totally burned, but they weren't as crispy as they could have been. I loved that the heat in these is subtle and kind of creeps up on you. They are slightly sweet from the sweet potato and the lime sour cream added some nice coolness AND heat with the jalapenos in it.


The weekend is almost upon us, do you have any plans? Winter has finally descended on La La land (at least for this weekend), I am staying in and making soup!


Spicy Black-Bean Cakes with Lime Sour Cream
(Adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast)

For the cakes:
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (ribs and seeds removed, if desired)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sweet potato, coarsely grated (about 1/2 a sweet potato)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

Lime Sour Cream
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 jalapeno, mined (ribs and seeds removed, if desired)
Kosher salt

To make the cakes:
Heat the broiler. In a small skillet over medium heat, warm 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Cook the scallions until softened, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 30 more seconds. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl.

Add the beans to the bowl; mash with a fork or potato masher, leaving about a quarter of the beans whole. Season generously with salt and pepper. Fold in the sweet potato, egg, and breadcrumbs. Divide into 4 balls of equal size; flatten into patties.

Brush a baking sheet with a small amount of olive oil; place the patties on the sheet, 1/2 inch apart. Broil 4 inches from the heat until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. With a thin, metal spatula, carefully turn the cakes. Broil until crisp, 2-3 minutes more. Serve with the lime sour cream.

To make the sour cream:
In a small bowl combine the sour cream with the lime juice, and jalapeno; season with salt.

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22 comments:

Erica said...

mmm these sound great! I am a huge fan of black bean anything. Weekend plans- Body Attack group fitness training. How cold is it supposed to be there this weekend? We're supposed to heat back up at last!

Kristen Mullane said...

This looks absolutely scrumptious! And easy! Most of these things are staples in our kitchen, so I'll definitely me trying these soon.

Andrea said...

It was your wonderful blog where I saw persimmon chips! I've changed the post to give credit ;-)

Heather said...

black beans are seriously one of the most versatile foods ever. i just love them. these look so delicious!!

Diana said...

You and your fancy cakes! I love them! :)

Hope you enjoy your lazy soup-laden weekend! I'm looking forward to mine too!

Amy of Sing For Your Supper said...

YUM! These look delicious - I love anything with black beans...and sweet potatoes? Oh yeah! I'll definitely be trying these soon - thanks!

-Amy
www.singforyoursupperblog.com

Reeni said...

I love black bean burgers! These look so good with sweet potatoes in them, yum!!

vanillasugarblog said...

These sound so good. Very creative, and glad to see they are seasoned well. Sometimes some bean burrgers are horribly under-seasoned.

jd said...

Those sound really, really delicious!

I'm always on the look-out for new bean cake/patty ideas, so I can't wait to try your recipe.

Thanks for the inspiration!

PS Your photos are beautiful!

Esi said...

You guys have certainly put a smile on my face on this cold, rainy Friday!

Erica, it's really not that cold...like in the 60s, but for LA that's freezing.

Kristen, thanks! Hope you like them.

Andrea, you are too funny and thanks!

Heather, I always seem to have black beans around so I love using them up like this.

Diana, I know, I am on a vegetable cake kick!

Amy, hope you like them too!

Reeni, thanks!

Dawn, I agree. I loved that the recipe just said "season generously" instead of giving a specific amount so I didn't feel short changed.

JD, they are really delicious and thank you for the compliment!

Anonymous said...

What an interesting recipe. I love black beans, but only ever use them in a soup. Can't wait to give this a try.

Paula said...

Oh Esi, these are awesome! I love stuff like this, and yours look terrific. I have to substitute the breadcrumbs 'cuz my littlest one can't eat wheat (I use crushed Rice Chex instead!!). That lime sour cream sounds terrific! How much lime juice do you need? YUM!

Joie de vivre said...

How creative! You forgot the lime juice in your lime juice sour cream recipe.

Esi said...

Paula and Joie - I just updated the sour cream recipe. It's 1 teaspoon :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, the jalapeno in this recipe. Bet they were good! Wanna another? My son loves these ones!

Unknown said...

GREAT combo of flavors :) love it!! hope you enjoy staying in, i am getting outside since it's going to get over 40 tomorrow! haha

Anonymous said...

I love black bean cakes, but I've never made them with sweet potato. Sounds delicious!

cravinggreens said...

These look delicious!

veggie belly said...

Esi, this looks incredible. I love patties and fritters of any sort and your blog is so full of them!

Anonymous said...

These look so good! I love black beans and can't wait to try them. The dip sounds amazing, too!

Andrea said...

I'm visiting my sister in Chicago this weekend, and we're going to cook together! Instead of bringing a book, I decided to cook off your blog, and assuming we don't get too lazy, this is what we're going to make!

Esi said...

Andrea, I love it. I hope you have fun in Chicago and enjoy!!