Black Bean-Chipotle Cakes with Mango Sauce
Black Bean-Chipotle Cakes:
1-2 dried chipotle peppers, soaked in water (to cover) overnight
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (one 15 oz. can), rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon each: cumin powder, sea salt, and Mexican oregano
5 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup dry cornmeal or polenta
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons fresh organic lime zest, minced
1/4 cup (packed) cilantro, chopped
1-2 tablespoons oil (coconut, sunflower`or safflower)
Mango Sauce:
the flesh of 1 RIPE mango, chopped (1 1/3 cups chopped mango)
juice of 1 lime (2 tablespoons juice)
1/8 teaspoon each: paprika and sea salt
1 tablespoon orange juice (the fresher the better)
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar or
maple syrup
1 medium-large clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper (ground), optional
Garnishes:
1/2 to 1 avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons (packed) cilantro, minced
4 lime wedges
Although these sound fancy, they come together in under 45 minutes and are light enough to eat anytime! Be sure to use all of the garnishes, as they add lots of flavor and contrast. Please note that you will need to plan ahead for this dish, as it calls for presoaked chipotles.
1- After the chipotle(s) have soaked for 8 or more hours, remove them from the water and allow to dry a bit. Place in a food processor along with the beans, cumin, salt, oregano, garlic, cornmeal, and onion. Blend well, until thoroughly emulsified.
2- If your pine nuts are raw, place them in a dry skillet and toast them over medium-low heat until they are aromatic and lightly browned. This should take well under 5 minutes, and you will need to shake the pan often so that they toast evenly. When they are done, immediately toss them into the food processor. Add the lime zest and cilantro as well. Pulse these items in until mixed, but do not blend too long, as the idea here is to retain most of the texture of these last three items.
3- Next, it's mango time. Place your ripe, juicy mango chunks in a blender along with all of the other sauce items. Blend very well until your mixture is consistent and creamy. Set aside.
4- To prepare the bean cakes: Place the dry polenta in a shallow dish or bowl. Remove 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) of the bean mixture at a time. Form into a flat ball shape and roll in the polenta to coat all sides. Continue to make these polenta coated balls until your bean mixture is all used up. Fry the coated bean cakes in the oil in a large skillet until each side is lightly browned and crisp.
5- When the patties are done, serve them topped with the mango sauce and garnished with the avocado slices and cilantro. Each person may squeeze a bit of lime from their wedge over the top. Enjoy!
Gluten Free/SoyFree
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Hey all,
I had forgotten I submitted this recipe, and realized there might be a few changes I would make to it. I think when I made it last, I had found that it is better with only one chipotle. It was too overpoweringly chipotle-flavored with more than that. If anyone has any ideas on improving this recipe, I am all ears! I liked it, and had a cute pic to go with it, but ultimately didn't put it in my cookbook as it needed a little something...I think the addition of lime zest to the cakes helped, but I am open to other suggestions-Thanks!! :)