We're here to help you with your good questions and your recipe searches. Here's one from Jake. Can you help him?
Just recently, I just went to a local organic restaurant and they had a black bean pancake on the menu. Intrigued, I ordered it and absolutely fell in love with it! It was savory and even more delicious with the serving of guacamole and salsa that was served with it. Since then, I have been looking online for a recipe but they were just not quite right.
Have you come across anything such as this and a recipe I could use?
Jake, it's hard to say without any more description. Was it a thick, meaty patty? Or a thin crepe-like pancake? Was it filled with black beans, or was the pancake itself made with beans?
Here are a few recipes we found online, but maybe readers can pitch in with their own favorite recipes.
• Black Bean Pancakes with Corn Salsa and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce at VegWeb
• Black Bean Fritters at Nikibone
• Spicy Black Bean Cakes at Epicurious
• Black Bean Cakes with Chunky Guacamole and Lime Crema from Emeril
Related: Looking For: Chai-Spiced Cookies Recipe
(Image: Flickr member 3liz4 licensed for use under Creative Commons)
The pancake looked like a traditional pancake although much wider so I guess it was more runny/liquidy when pouring. The beans themselves were incorporated into the batter as a puree but also had some chopped up thrown in as well. The recipes I had seen online have peppers, onions, and the bunch thrown in but this didn't have any (from what I could tell and taste). Again, it was on the savory side was one of the most unique pancakes I have had.
view Jake S.'s profile
I make a black bean "burger" that looks similar to the picture there. 1 can drained black beans, 1 egg, chili powder, kosher salt, pepper, a few dashes of hot sauce (or salsa if you have it), panko bread crumbs. Mash with a potato masher or fork until well incorporated. Store in fridge for 15-20 minutes to let mixture set up. Form into patties and pan fry in oil 2-3 minutes on each side or until crispy. Simple, cheap and delicious.
view 733's profile
The Martha Stewart Everyday Food cookbook has a recipe for black bean cakes that include sweet potato as well.
view gochrisgo75's profile
Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian has a bunch of bean things--the griddlecakes would probably be something like she describes.
view mandarinmarie's profile
He!
view mandarinmarie's profile
veganomicon (by isa chandra moskowitz) has a delicious black bean burger recipe that is very easy; takes 30 minutes from start to finish.
view jillrenee in boston's profile