Black Bean Cakes

I love crab cakes, so why not a vegetarian version with black beans?  Sounds good to me!  These delicious patties were perfect with sweet potato fries for a yummy vegetarian dinner.  If I’d had any buns, I think I might have eaten these as homemade veggie burgers, yum!  Grating the sweet potatoes was incredibly annoying and tedious (it took about 10 minutes), but I think the next time I make these I’ll dice the sweet potato and then throw it in the food processor to get it shredded with a lot less work.  Adjust the amount of heat by using only one jalapeno instead of two and avoiding the jalapeno in the sauce.

Ingredients (serves 5-6):

Lime Sour Cream:

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

3 tsp lime juice

1 small jalapeno, minced

salt to taste

Bean Cakes:

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

4 green onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapenos, finely diced

1 tbsp cumin

2 (14.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

salt and black pepper to taste

2 cups grated raw sweet potato (food processor…seriously, save yourself the tedium)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

1. To prepare lime sour cream, mix the sour cream, lime juice, 1 small minced jalapeno, and salt together in a small bowl. Cover, and refrigerate.

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook green onions until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic, 2 diced jalapenos, and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Transfer contents of skillet to a large bowl. Stir in black beans, and mash with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in sweet potatoes, egg, and bread crumbs. Divide into 10 balls (if serving by themselves) or 6 balls (if serving as burgers), and flatten into patties.

4. Set oven to broil. Lightly grease baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Place bean patties on baking sheet, and broil on lower rack for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn cakes over, and broil until crispy, about 3 minutes more. Serve with lime sour cream.