Black Bean Cakes With Corn Salsa and Avocado Cream

For all my Vegetarian readers (and trust me you non-vegetarians will love this too) I have a kick ass recipe.  Matt had a late night at work last night which = the freedom to cook anything I want to cook, and that is always a vegetarian meal.   These cakes were surprisingly easy to make and full of so many delicious flavors.  Trust me when I say, Vegetarian meals do not have to be bland and boring.

 

Small piece of advice do not skip the refrigeration part with the cakes before you cook them.  It really helps to bind them together before you cook them so they don't fall apart.  The corn salsa and avocado cream were amazing.  I was shoveling down spoonfuls of them while I waited on the black bean cakes to cook.  This recipe was good, real good.  It will be made many more times in the Mason Household (even if it is only when Matt works late).  Plus it is healthy.  Two bonuses.  I served my cakes with a healthy dose of hot sauce, no meal is complete for me without some sort of hot sauce.  No brainer you should make this meal asap.

Black Bean Cakes With Corn Salsa and Avocado Cream {Adapted From Baked Bree}

Black Bean Cakes:
1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup red onion
1/2 cup red pepper
1/2 cup corn kernel
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (I didn't have this spice so I just doubled the Chili Powder)
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
1 cup bread crumbs

Corn Salsa:
1 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup red pepper
2 green onions
10 teardrop tomatoes (I used diced regular tomatoes)
juice of 2 limes (I only used the juice of one lime)
salt and pepper
(I added a few dashes of Texas Pete and one diced Jalapeno)

Avocado Cream:
1 avocado
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon cumin
1 Tablespoon lime juice
salt and pepper

Instructions:

1.Mix together garlic, onion, red pepper, corn, egg, chili powders, oregano, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.

2.Mash the black beans a bit and add to the bowl.

3.Stir in the bread crumbs.

4.Form into patties, and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or so. It helps keep the patties together.

5.Mix together all of the ingredients for the salsa while the black bean patties are chilling.

6.To make the avocado sauce, put the avocado, sour cream, lime, and cumin, in the blender. Blend until smooth. It is a very thick sauce, you can thin it with more lime juice or some water. (I did not use a blender I mashed my avocado with a fork and then hand mixed it with the sour cream and lime juice).

7.Heat a pan over medium heat. Pour in a few Tablespoons of olive oil and put the patties in the pan. Resist the urge to flip the cakes to soon. They will fall apart. Cook until they brown and then flip. Cook the other side.

8. I put mine on a bed of chopped spinach leaves. Top with corn salsa and avocado sauce. And hot sauce if you like.

 **If you have never checked out the Baked Bree Website, you should.  It is chocked full of so many fabulous recipes.**