Black Bean Cakes with Cilantro-Avocado-Lime Slaw {gluten, dairy, soy free}


I can't believe how much I loved my dinner last night. It was so good, I had to hurry right along to share it with you... now! Please make this soon. I promise you'll enjoy it. {Inspired by a recipe from The Family Dinner.}

For the Slaw, You'll Need:
2 Cups Cabbage {finely sliced}
1 Carrot {shredded}
1/2 Cup Sweet Onion {sliced, diced, in strips... you choose!}
Salt & Pepper
2 tsp. Sugar
2 tsp. Vinegar
1 tsp. Lime Juice
Cilantro {washed and chopped, a little or a lot}
Avocado {diced}

To Make the Slaw:
Combine cabbage, carrot shreds, and onion in a mixing bowl.
Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper, sugar, vinegar, and a squeeze of lime juice, and stir or toss to combine.
Add cilantro to taste. {I used a ton, because we love the stuff.}
Gently stir in diced avocado.
Set aside while you make the bean cakes.

For the Bean Cakes, You'll Need:
1/2 Cup Onion {finely diced}
2 tsp. Ground Cumin
Salt & Pepper
1/2 Cup Diced Green Chile's {make your own, or use a 4 oz. can}
1 Can {15 oz.} Refried Black Beans
3/4 Cup Black Beans {drained and rinsed}
1/2 Cup Cornmeal
1 Tbsp. Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Lime Juice
3/4 Cup Crispy Rice Cereal
Olive Oil {for cooking}

Update: this recipe originally called for an egg, but I've since tried making the cakes without egg, and was very successful! These black bean cakes are vegan now!

To Make the Bean Cakes:
Combine diced onion, cumin, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and green chiles in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine the seasonings.
Add refried beans {I didn't actually use the entire can. I left about two inches in the bottom of the can.}, black beans, cornmeal, vinegar, and a squeeze of lime juice to the mixing bowl.
Mix the ingredients to combine well, digging in with your hands if necessary. I did!
Set the mixture aside for ten minutes or so, or place in the fridge for a longer stretch of time if you prefer to make meals ahead of time.
When you're ready to cook your bean cakes, stir or mix in the rice cereal.
Heat olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet. {I used my electric skillet.}
Scoop a portion of the mixture into your hand, roll it into a ball {You choose the size, but mine were a bit larger than a golf ball and I wound up with ten cakes.}, and then gently flatten the ball into a patty.
Place cakes in the skillet, allowing them to cook for several minute on each side over medium-high heat.
Be gentle, as these won't hold up quite as well as a meat patty or similar food item. Use a spatula t scoop the cakes up and carefully flip them, adding more oil before putting the cakes back down if necessary.

To serve, top the warm Bean Cakes with cool, crunch Slaw.

I shared this recipe on... Life as MOM, Foodie Friday, My Meatless Mondays, Made from Scratch Monday, Fresh Bites Friday, Just Another Meatless Monday

13 comments:

  1. Your sweet compliment has me smiling this morning, Jessica. Thank you! ...and yes--these *are* delicious. Some recipes get me more excited and giddy than others, and this is definitely one of them :)

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  2. These look fantastic - just like I expected ;)

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  3. I just love the slaw on top! Brilliant! Guess what!? You're featured!! Come take a look: Favorites from Foodie Friday

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  4. Oh fun!! Thanks a bunch for the feature :)

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  5. Well, as I was going down your list of ingredients, I was mentally checking off what I have on hand to make this delicious looking recipe. I have everything for the slaw, but not the cakes. It looks so good, that I'm going to whip up the slaw this evening (we picked a beautiful head of cabbage from the garden last night) and will work on getting the ingredients for the cakes later this week. Thanks for sharing in our recipe hop this week and I hope to some of your recipes again ☺

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  6. Wow these looks great. Found you through Just another meatless monday and Im definitely pinning this for future use. It all looks delicious!

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  7. I have to eat corn-free also. Is there anything that would work as a substitute for the cornmeal?

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  8. Oooh... that's a good question, Ilene! My first thought is that you might try almond meal. I'll spend some more time considering other options, though, and post another comment here if I come up with a good idea :)

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  9. where Do you get your almond meal? I also have to go corn free but would like to try this :)

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    1. Hi Jenny! I buy Bob's Red Mill brand Almond Meal. It comes in the little packages like other Bob's products. Some brands also label their product Almond Flour.

      You can also make your own with a high-quality food processor or coffee grinder and some raw almonds :)

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  10. Hi Christina,

    In the directions, you mention mixing egg into the mixture for the cakes, but it is not listed in the ingredients. Is this just one egg? Thanks! These look delicious!

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    1. Hi Emily! You are correct! When I initially put this recipe, I included a single egg. Later, I discovered that I could make the bean cakes completely vegan by eliminating the egg, and so I took it out. What I failed to do, however, is remove that step from the instructions! I'll modify the post now. If you wish to include an egg, you may do so. If you wish to omit the egg, your results will be nearly identical, and equally delicious :)

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