Southwest Sweet Potato Corn Cakes with Chipotle-Baked Black Beans

Yesterday's installment of my weekly vegan brunch at my house was full of flavor and full of fun! I made some Southwest-inspired food, for a little spice to warm us up from in the inside out...because it is really flippin cold here in Kansas City!!!
Everyone seemed to really enjoy the food, and I thought it was pretty good, too! So I'll share my recipes with you...really easy and tasty, a great combination!!!
Southwest Sweet Potato-Corn Cakes
with Chipotle-Baked Black Beans and Avocado-Cumin Aioli(serves 8-10)
For the Black Beans:
1 lb dried black beans, soaked overnight in cool water
1- 4 oz. can tomato paste
1 3 or 4 oz. can chipotles in adobo sauce, diced
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs hot sauce of choice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp chipotle powder or chili powder

In a large pot filled with water, cook black beans for 1 hour, until tender. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, chipotles with their sauce, molasses, vinegar, hot sauce, garlic, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and chipotle powder. Stir until well combined. Add the cooked black beans to the prepared sauce and stir to coat completely. Pour beans into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring halfway through. While the beans bake, prepare the Sweet Potato Cakes (below).

For the Sweet Potato Cakes
3 lbs sweet potatoes, diced:
2 cups corn kernels
2 cups masa harina
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk
1/4 cup olive oil or melted margarine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs baking powder
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp Adobo seasoning
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook sweet potatoes for 10-12 minutes, until cooked throughout and fork-tender. Drain and return to the pot. Mash well, a few chunks remaining is fine.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the masa harina, baking powder, and spices. Stir to mix well. Fold in the corn and garlic, and then stir to coat with dry ingredients. Add in the mashed sweet potatoes, soymilk, and oil or margarine. Mix together ingredients until completely combined.
Heat a griddle or skillet or medium-high heat. When pan is hot, lightly oil to prevent cakes from sticking. Scoop 1/4 cup of the sweet potato batter and place onto the hot pan. Spread the batter out to approximately 3-4 inches in diameter, 3" if you want a thicker cake and 4" if you want thinner. Allow to cook for 5 minutes and then flip and cook the other side for 5 more minutes, until both sides are browned and the cakes have become firm. Place cooked cakes onto a baking sheet and let finish cooking in preheated oven for 1o minutes, which will allow them to become firm and cooked completely. Remove and serve immediately, topped with Chipotle-Baked Black Beans and Avocado-Cumin Aioli.

For the Avocado-Cumin Aioli:
2 ripe avocados
4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt

In a blender or food processor, combine all of the ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use; this is even better if made a day in advance.

And, to finish of such a wonderful meal, there had to be a wonderful dessert: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa and Terry!! These are some of my favorite cupcakes in that cookbook!! I double the amount of Cinnamon Buttercream, because I'm a frosting kind of girl, and I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose, because I'm also a whole grains kind of girl! I love these soooo much....and everyone else did, too!!
Here's a few pics of people enjoying some tasty food on a lovely, cold Saturday afternoon! Thanks to everyone who braved the weather for vegan food and supporting sustainability!!

I can't wait til next Saturday!!

Southwest Black Bean Burgers

I know, everyone has their own veggie burger or black bean burger recipe...but I made this one up the other day and really liked it a lot! It is really similar to the black bean burger that was on the menu at Main Squeeze (where I work) a few years back, and customers went nuts for it! It is really simple to make and has a little bit of a zip to it from the chipotle powder, and it is really cheap for all the penny-pinchers out there--holla! I top these with some avocado, red onion, lettuce, and my "kickin' ketchup" (recipe below), and pile all that on a whole wheat bun! Serve it with some roasted veggies or chips 'n salsa, and dinner is served! Or lunch. Or breakfast, really.

Southwest Black Bean Burgers (serves 6)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 Tbs flaxseed meal, whisked with 1/4 cup warm water
juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbs)
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbs chipotle powder or chili powder
1 Tbs paprika
2 Tbs hot sauce...I like Frank's or Cholula brands
2 Tbs soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
--1/2 cup whole wheat flour plus 1/2 tsp black pepper, for rolling

Preheat oven to 375 F and lightly oil a sheet pan.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, and olive oil. Use a potato masher or fork to mash this all together, until the beans have been mostly smashed and this mixture reaches a paste-like consistency. Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the flour/pepper mixture, and mix together until well combined. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and black pepper. Measure out 1/2 cup of burger mixture and form it into a ball. Roll the ball in the flour mixture to coat. Place on the greased sheet pan and flatten into desired size/thickness. Repeat until all of the burger mixture is gone--this should make about six good-sized burgers.
Bake for 20 minutes. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before removing from sheet pan (this is crucial, folks!). To serve immediately, brown in a skillet and serve on a bun with kickin' ketchup (follows). To serve later, store in an airtight container and refrigerate. These will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

Kickin' Ketchup (makes about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup organic ketchup....no high fructose corn syrup!!!
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp hot sauce
1 Tbs lemon or lime juice
1 Tbs spicy brown mustard

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Refrigerate in an airtight container. Will keep for several weeks.

Now any night can be burger night :)

A Hill of Beans

My love of beans has grown immensely lately. Is it because dried beans are dirt cheap (even organic ones!)? Or is it because they are really tasty and nutritious? Or is it because they are so very versatile? Well, I would have to say it's all of those reasons! So here's some bean-based meals I've made over the past week!!Northeast Nourishment: Boston Baked Beans, New England Brown Bread (both from VegNews), and Fresh Green Beans with CranberriesSouthern Comfort: Creole Black-Eyed Peas with Sweet Potatoes, Jalapeno Corn Bread, and Garlicky GreensIsland Delights: Caribbean Black Beans, Coconut-Mashed Yams, and Garlic Ginger Roasted Broccoli

While beans are my new favorite ingredient, I can't leave behind my other wonderful plant-based proteins!! I have been cooking a bunch this past week or so, and here's more evidence!Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh from Veganomicon, Jalapeno Cornbread, and Sauteed GreensVeggie Tofu Scramble with Roasted Potatoes and Wheat Toast from Cafe Berlin...I love Sunday breakfast!!Buffalo Seitan Wrap!!! I have created a new recipe!! I have been wanting to make Buffalo Wing-style seitan for a while, and I finally did! This wrap has vegan ranch, avocado, lettuce, red onion, and tomato along with the breaded and sauced seitan. Sinful.

Laura's Buffalo Sauce

2 cups cayenne hot sauce....Frank's is the best!!

1 Tbs soy creamer

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp paprika

4 cloves garlic

1 lemon, peeled

1/4 cup chopped yellow onion

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Toss with seitan and serve hot with vegan ranch dressing! mmmmmm......salty and spicy goodness!!

And, because dessert is NEVER to be forgotten:

Sparkled Ginger Cookies from Vegan With a Vengeance

These cookies will make you smile, and everyone else, too! Especially if you toss in some crystallized ginger like I did :)

Go buy yourself some beans, folks!!

Caribbean Black Beans with Coconut Quinoa

Hey! It's another day at the MoFo...I can't believe it it already day 20! Where has the time gone?? Anyway, I have been thinking about this recipe for a while now, so I finally decided to make it: Caribbean Black Beans with Coconut Quinoa. I have had the idea of what I wanted it to look and taste like, and what would go into it, but I finally stopped being lazy and went for it! This was really spicy, most likely due to the addition of habanero hot sauce my friend Sarah brought me from her trip to the Caribbean a while back....but you could adjust the heat to your liking! Plus, the coconut milk is a nice way to cool off your tongue after all that heat! Caribbean Black Beans with Coconut Quinoa (serves 4)
3 cups cooked (from 1 cup dry) black beans
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium red pepper, diced
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1/4 habanero pepper, or jalapeno if you're not into the hotness
1 mango, diced
1 avocado
1 Tbs allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp thyme
pinch of salt and pepper
a few dashes of hot sauce, to taste
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbs tamari

4 cups cooked quinoa (from 1 1/2 c uncooked)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp curry powder

To make black bean mixture: In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and red pepper, and saute for 5 minutes to soften. Add garlic, ginger, hot pepper of choice, cabbage, and spices, then saute for 2-3 more minutes. When everything has started to brown, add in the beans, tamari and lemon juice and reduce the heat, then simmer for 10 more minutes.
While that is cooking, prepare the quinoa: Add the coconut milk and curry powder to cooked quinoa and keep warm over low heat while finishing the black bean mix.
After simmering black beans, stir in diced mango, salt and pepper, and hot sauce to taste.
To serve: Ladle bean mixture over prepared coconut quinoa, and top with 1/4 sliced avocado per serving, sliced thinly and prettily. Now enjoy...but have plenty of water on hand to cool off your mouth!

And remember: you've now got two weeks to tell everyone you know to vote on November 4th!! Call, email, write, whatever....just get out the word about Obama and the need to get your vote on! thanxxx.