Crispy Black Bean Cakes

It's been so long since I made these that I was having a hard time coming up with anything to write about them. I thought maybe I'd go with how this last weekend, I may have overindulged just a wee bit at a winery bachelorette party and ended up feeding my quesy stomach nothing but carbs the next two or three days - toast, hash browns, grilled cheese, and finally graduating to chicken noodle soup. And then I'd wittily segue into how after all that starch, your body craves anything BUT carbs, and these crispy black bean cakes would be perfect, with all their filling protein and fiber and small amount of fat.

And now it's been almost a week since that even. I keep meaning to post, really, but unlike February - that interminable, awful month that felt like a year - March, well, it it did not creep by. And I can't promise the next couple months will be any more exciting on this blog - weddings and parties and traveling and visitors galore for the next six weeks means real life is definitely going to take precedence.

But these black bean cakes were too good to not go back and post about. Let's just say, I was quite sad when Ryan decided that was the day he was going to start taking leftovers for lunch. My leftovers, for my lunch. But because I am such a wonderful significant other, I let him take them and have since been making a conscious effort to plan four-serving meals instead of three.

These can either make a light meal for two with vegetables or a salad on the side, or you can do what we did and use a couple each as another "carb replacer" alongside easy chicken breast and roasted cauliflower or brocolli (just add the same seasonings from this recipe and stick 'em both in the oven). Another plus to these? Except for the serving garnishes, which can be omitted (but let's not kid ourselves, avocado is one of my favorite things and there's no way in heck I'd skip it), this is definitely a pantry meal, great for those i-don't-want-to-go-to-the-grocery-store-what-can-i-make nights.

Crispy Black Bean Cakes
(serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side)
adapted from April 2008 Food & Wine

1 tblspn vegetable oil, plus more for frying
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3-1/2 c flour
1 egg, beaten
1 c plain dry breadcrumbs (preferably Japanese panko for a crispier crust)
avocado, sour cream, green onions, lime wedges (all optional but highly recommended for serving)

1. Cook the onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until softened, about 3 min. Add the cumin and cayenne and cook another minute or so.

2. Scrape the onion mixture and about 1/2 the beans into food processor (I just used my immersion blender and it's cup; you could also just do it the good ol' fashion way using a fork to coarsely mash) and pulse a few times so it is still not entirely smooth.

3. Add remaining beans, 1/4 c bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Form into 8 patties (it helped me to chill it for a couple minutes first, and to flour my hands to keep the mixture from sticking).

4. Put the flour, egg, and bread crumbs into separate bowls. Dip each cake into each bowl, first dusting with flour, then dipping into egg, and finally coating with bread crumbs.

5. Pour enough oil into a skillet to just cover the bottom (1/8 inch) and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add cakes (I had to cook them in two batches because of the size of my pan) and fry about 2 minutes per side, until browned on the outsides.

6. Drain on paper towels and serve with sliced avocado, sour cream, green onions, and a squirt of lime juice.