Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish

I'm pretty far from vegetarian, but I'm pretty open to delicious food. I also run out of food sometimes and have to be creative with what's in the fridge and pantry.

So one day I had leftover black beans, chipotle in adobo sauce and corn and needed to use them quick. I remembered this recipe from Annie and went for it!

I only made about 1/4 the amount the recipe calls for and I didn't have all of the ingredients it is quite forgiving! I'm not a fan of bell peppers (scandalous, I know) so I left them out. I also didn't have a jalapeno for the corn relish or avocado to make an avocado crema. I just subbed in my favorite chipotle ranch instead! It was plenty spicy enough.

These black bean patties were packed with flavor and were super filling. I didn't even finish two! These would be great for Meatless Monday or really any day of the week :)

Black Bean Patties
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
2 roasted red bell peppers, divided
2 eggs
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic
1/2 chipotle in adobo, chopped
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 – 2/3 cup cornmeal, breadcrumbs, or panko (or a combination)
salt and pepper
Canola oil

Place 1 can of drained black beans, 1 coarsely chopped red pepper, eggs, oregano, cumin, garlic, and chipotle in a food processor. Pulse process until well-combined and relatively smooth. Finely dice the remaining red pepper. In a bowl, lightly mash the remaining can of black beans (not completely, just enough to smash each one). Add the diced red pepper, onion, and the mixture from the food processor.  Season to taste with salt and pepper (I used about 3/4 tsp. salt). Stir in the cornmeal/breadcrumbs a little at a time, and mix lightly until the mixture firms up. It doesn’t have to be super firm, but enough that you can pick up a piece and roll it into a ball in your hands. Place the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes or longer. Form the mixture into patties. Heat a nonstick skillet with a little canola oil over medium heat. Add the patties in batches and cook until done, flipping halfway through (about 5-6 minutes total for small patties and 8-12 minutes total for bigger burgers).

Corn Relish
2 tsp. canola oil
2 cups corn
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 lime, juiced (about 2-3 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the canola oil. Stir in the corn, and let it sit for about 1-2 minutes before stirring. Continue to saute until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and jalapeno, just until fragrant – about 30-60 seconds. Place the mixture in a bowl. To the bowl, add the tomato, lime juice, cilantro/parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Avocado Cream
1 avocado, pitted and cut into a few pieces
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Recipe from Annie's Eats, originally from Elly Says Opa

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Winner announced Friday!

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

This week, I had the privilege of hosting a dinner for my five 

high school seniors in our student ministry. 

We ate some awesome food.

It started with the salad course- I tossed romaine and baby spinach with sliced Roma tomatoes, black olives, carrots, shredded cheese and croutons. 

I had marked this salad dressing on Pinterest weeks ago, 

and with the chipotles in adobo sauce leftover from making enchiladas, 

it was the perfect time to try it!

Also, it should be noted that I'm a big fan of ranch dressing- plain, chipotle, poblano, southwestern, avocado... so I had big expectation for this dressing.

You'll need:

2 chipotle chile from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 tsp fresh time juice (I squeezed half a lime)
1/4 cup (scant) chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

What to Do:

Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth.  Use immediately or refrigerate in a covered container.  Dressing may be kept, refrigerated, for up to one week.

Things to Note:

It's super easy. It'll take you longer to measure out each

 ingredient than to actually prepare this dressing. 

You can use fresh garlic in place of the garlic powder, but remember that it will get stronger the longer you keep it!  

The original recipe called for one chipotle, but I like a little more heat so I put two in mine... plus you get more of the pretty pink color that way!

It looks awesome in a Mason jar. 

Don't Mason jars make everything look more awesome?

This would also be great with snacking veggies, french fries, 

on tacos or sandwiches, etc. 

Adapted from Pinch My Salt