Chipolte Black Bean Cakes with a Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

A good friend of mine, Donna, who frequents many of the same vegetarian email lists I do, recently shared her recipe for her Red Bean Burgers. It sounded like a delicious recipe, with jalapenos, onions, and bbq sauce, and as soon as I read it, I knew it sounded like a tasty idea.

With that idea in mind, I created these Chipolte Black Bean Cakes, topped off with a Cilantro Yogurt Sauce. The smokiness of the adobo perfectly compliments the black beans, and is a perfect companion to the creamy cilantro sauce. And with the grilling season right ahead of us, I think these will be the perfect non-meat option.



Chipolte Black Bean Cakes
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 c minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 c breadcrumbs
2 canned chipolte chilies, plus 2 tbsp adobo sauce
1 egg white, beaten

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
pinch sugar
4 oz yogurt

In small skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion, saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic, saute for 2 minutes, until both are tender. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl, mash beans lightly with potato masher or fork. In food processor, blend chilies and adobo sauce well, and add to beans. Add onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, and egg white. Stir well. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Shape mixture into 4 patties, and place on waxed paper. Refrigerate patties for a few hours to give flavors a chance to meet.
These patties can be grilled or pan fried. If grilling, spray rack with oil. If pan frying, heat a small amount of oil in skillet. Cook 3 minutes each side, until crispy and browned.
For cilantro sauce, place all ingredients except for yogurt in food processor. Blend until ingredients are finely minced. Add to yogurt in bowl, and stir well to combine. This will need to chill in the refrigerator for awhile for flavors to meld.