Crispy Black Bean & Corn Cakes

I make all kinds of vegetable and bean  cakes and fritters.  If you type fritters in the search, you’ll see everything from broccoli quinoa fritters to Thai style corn cakes. They satisfy my craving for something hot, crispy and golden brown. These black bean and corn cakes are a popular recipe over at my old blog, Jilly Inspired. I decided to share them here too. They’re a bit fluffy with a moist, soft interior.  The beans are rich in protein for a satisfying meatless meal.

Sweet corn, spicy chili, creamy black beans, tangy lime work together in perfect harmony to create a balanced dish. The addition of paprika and cumin lend pleasant smoky notes. My favorite Mexican flavors are in every  cloud-like bite. Serve with cooling sour cream or thick Greek yogurt for dipping.

 

Crispy Black Bean and Corn Cake Recipe

Makes about 10 cakes

Some Notes:

For a gluten free choice, Pamela’s Baking Mix gives these cakes a moist, fluffy interior and a crisp exterior. Use it in place of the self rising flour.

They’re lightly and quickly pan fried in healthy olive oil. It’s sort of like making pancakes. Don’t squish them down with a spatula. Let them do their thing. Brown on one side then flip over and finish cooking on the other. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches if you have to. Be gentle with them and they’ll reward you for it.

Pair them with freshly steamed rice and you have a complete protein. Eat them with salsa, creamy avocado, sour cream or thick Greek yogurt and you’re in for one tasty, healthy meal. Guacamole would be great too.

Smoked paprika gives these cakes a mild smoky flavor which I love, but you can leave it out with good results.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained. I used reduced sodium.
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small  jalapeno pepper, finely diced. Omit pepper if you don’t like it spicy or take the veins and seeds out of the pepper.
• 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen corn
• 2 limes, zest one and place the zest in a medium bowl.
• 6 scallions, diced and divided. Put half of the chopped scallions in the bowl with the lime zest.
• A generous handful of fresh parsley or cilantro. About 1/4 cup. Add to the bowl with the scallions and lime zest.
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup self rising flour or Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking Mix
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika (optional but so good)
• Salt to taste
• Olive oil or neutral tasting oil for cooking

Serving Suggestions: Sour cream, limes, salsa, rice, avocado, hot sauce

Instructions:

1. Place the rinsed and drained black beans in the bowl of a food processor and whiz to a chunky consistency. Don’t process the beans all the way down. They should still have some structure.
2. Place the red bell pepper, chili, corn and reserved scallions in a nonstick skillet with some olive oil and salt and cook until tender. Add the cumin and smoked paprika to the vegetables and stir to combine. Set the vegetables aside to let cool.
3. Put the processed black beans in the same bowl with the rest of the diced scallions, vegetables, lime zest, cilantro or parsley, milk, salt and eggs.  Add enough self rising flour to the bowl and stir everything together. Start with 1/3 cup of self rising flour and add more if the mixture seems too wet.
4. Heat a large nonstick frying pan on medium high with a tablespoon or so of oil. I used my non-stick Scanpan for this recipe. Drop batter by 1/3 cup fulls into the hot pan. Cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with lime wedges, lite sour cream or Greek yogurt and other accompaniments. Enjoy!