Spicy Black Bean Cakes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 green onions, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, pressed
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 (14.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups grated raw sweet potato
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook green onions until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic, 2 diced jalapenos, and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.


2. Transfer contents of skillet to a large bowl. Stir in black beans, and mash with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in sweet potatoes, egg, and bread crumbs. Divide into 8 balls, and flatten into patties.


3. In the oven, set cooking rack about 4 inches from heat source. Set oven to broil. Lightly grease baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil.


4. Place bean patties on baking sheet, and broil 8 to 10 minutes. Turn cakes over, and broil until crispy, about 3 minutes more.



*I made these for the first time last night and loved them! I omitted the garlic- made a half batch and used a whole egg instead of half. They are just slightly dry but taste phenomenal! Will tweak a little more next time and update if I find something that works better.

Best Vegetarian Chili

INGREDIENTS


1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
optional: a sprinkling of white pepper, thyme, Nature's Seasoning

1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 or 2 zucchini, chopped
Fire Roasted Corn from Trader Joes/ or corn on the cob, sliced off (2-3 ears)
1 sweet potato (microwave for about 4 minutes first to make it softer)

2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed (sometimes I just do 2)
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans


DIRECTIONS
Chop the veggies. Open & drain all of the beans and dump them in the crockpot. Sprinkle in seasonings and tomatoes. Cook in the crockpot on high for 4 hours.