Black Bean Cakes

James and I visited a restaurant called Sunny Point Cafe in Asheville, NC during one of our days off at camp. Oh. Em. Gee! Absolutely recommend this place!
We Googled "best breakfast in Asheville NC" and Sunny Point came up first and multiple times... so that's where we were goin.
The menu is deliciously extensive with very simple foods that they have made culinarily complex and delicious! James asked the waitress what was Sunny Point's claim to fame... she immediately said the Huevos Rancheros (which I had been eyeing something fierce). Apparently the HR was featured on Good Morning America as the best breakfast in America!!! Obviously I got that and James got their Breakfast Sandwich (also tasty).
Well here is the menu's description of the Huevos Rancheros:
Savory black bean cakes served with Snow Creek chorizo sausage, feta cheese, roasted tomatillo salsa, and herb tossed red skin spuds topped with two free range eggs any style, cilantro crema, and crisp tortilla strips.
Oh, yes, please!!!
I nearly cried with the deliciousness of this dish and was threatening James with a fork if he took more than one bite.


Well, here we are, a month or so later and I am craving Huevos Rancheros like its my job! And in spite of the fact that it is definitely not vegan, I am challenging myself to make something that remotely harks back to that plate of heaven.


But, here's the vegan part--- BLACK BEAN CAKES!  mmmmmmm... rather good actually.
So, I know that Gina was looking for good vegan burger recipes... and I think I found one! Now, I did try the just plain black bean patty and it was... okay, but it would be great with BBQ sauce, lettuce, and a slice of pineapple (add cheddar or provolone to really throw it over the edge), or whatever burger toppings you desire.

Black Bean Cakes (12-16 small patties)
2 15-oz cans cooked black beans
2 tbl canola oil
2 tbl yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin (add a little chili powder too)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup masa de harina (Mexican flour... we used regular flour)

Rinse and drain black beans.
In a small saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium heat.
Cook onion, garlic, cumin, and salt until onions are translucent.k
Place drained beans and onion mixture in a small mixing bowl and mix together with an electric beater (don't beat them to puree, just enough to break up the beans).
Gradually add flour, allowing mixture to absorb it before adding more. Should be a dough-like mixture when you're done with this part.
Test dough by rolling it in the palm of your hand.
Add more flour if it sticks to your hand until it doesn't stick and holds the shape of a ball.
Divide the dough into 16 small balls and flatten into cakes.
Place a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the pan.
Cook cakes until lightly browned on each side, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.


And there you go! Black bean patties. If you really want a meaty flavor, use a beef bouillon cube (vegan if you can find it) and water to reconstitute some TVP (to be explained later) to mix into the recipe, just cut the beans down in half.


Enjoy!

Why, hello there!

Good afternoon, my lovely readers!
I thought you'd all be tickled to hear that I'm back in New Jersey and back online.
Where have I been? Well, James and I went to work at a camp for Aspergers, high-functioning autism, and ADHD kids in Zirconia, NC--Talisman Camp! It was my third summer and James' first. Once again, it was awesome! James got to see me in action with the kids and he got to learn why I really just don't like kids. Hahahaha!
Now you see, it was camp... food was... lacking in veggies.
I'll say it: I. Miss. Veggies!
And, I gotta admit... carb, carb, protein, carb was making me feel ill.

So, James and I decided that we are going back to 95% vegan lifestyles again.
95%? Why not go all the way?
Well, for a few reasons: 1) soy milk is ridiculously expensive, 2) the occasional cheeseburger won't undo everything, 3) cheese on the rare occasion would be nice, and 4) because that's the way we want it.

We saw after our experimental vegan month how much better we looked and felt (and, hey, I lost quite a bit of weight--no complaints here). And even with the constant exercising we did while working at camp, we still didn't feel as good as we had on our vegan diet.
So, ta da! We're doing this "vega-tarian" kind of diet. And now that we have a blender, we can start doing smoothies! Mmmmmm... thanks Shannon!