Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos

I had an idea to make veggie tacos, but wanted sweet potato. I decided to try black bean and sweet potato burritos instead. I looked online, and most of the recipes I found had you make a mush of the beans and sweet potatoes (like refried bean consistency), but I wanted chunky. A lot of recipes had you roasting the sweet potato, but that would take too long. Here's what I did:

1 Sweet Potato, chopped into little chunks (about 1/2 inch cubes)

2/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

Olive Oil

1 can black beans, drained

Cumin to taste (about 1 teaspoon or more)

Granulated garlic to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Whole wheat tortillas

Feta cheese, spinach, chopped avocado, sour cream for topping

Saute sweet potato in a tablespoon of olive oil. When it starts to soften, add onion and bell pepper. Add more oil if needed.

Once everything is evenly cooked and starting to brown, add can of drained black beans (I didn't rinse, just drained off excess liquid) and seasonings. Stir to combine and cook another 2 minutes or so, until beans are warmed.

Serve in tortilla and top with Feta cheese, spinach, chopped avocado, and sour cream.

I added a little too much cumin (probably over 2 teaspoons), but it was still pretty good. Maybe a little bit of fresh chopped jalapeno would be a nice addition. And I should have added some nutmeg!

Okay, now I know this photo isn't going to make you want to try it - it's not very food stylish, but it was hard to take a picture to get the full effect. Maybe next time I'll revise it a bit, and try to get a pretty shot.

I chopped up the spinach on Brian's, but I got lazy on mine.

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

I've been slacking off on my food posting because lately I've become obsessed with myFarm on Facebook and the Eisenberg Holiday Game (sooo addictive!).

I made these Spicy Black Bean Cakes from Everyday Food's Great Food Fast

Spicy Black Bean Cakes
from: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/spicy-black-bean-cakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 to 2 jalapeno chiles, finely chopped (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 large sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated (2 cups)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
Lime Sour Cream (see recipe, below)

Heat broiler. In a small skillet over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook scallions until softened, 1 minute. Add garlic, jalapeno, and cumin; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add beans to bowl; mash with a fork or a potato masher, leaving about 1/4 of the beans whole. Season generously with salt and pepper. Fold in sweet potato, egg, and breadcrumbs. Divide into 8 balls of equal size; flatten into patties.
Brush a baking sheet with remaining tablespoon oil; place patties on sheet, 1/2 inch apart. Broil 4 inches from heat until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. With a thin metal spatula, carefully turn cakes. Broil until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes more. Serve with Lime Sour Cream.
For the Lime Sour Cream: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream with 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice and 1 small minced jalapeno chile (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired) season with coarse salt.

I followed the recipe. Mine did not turn out like the photo on the website:

Served with Shrimp on a bed of spinach (not very food-stylish, but tasty!).

The cakes were good, but I think next time I'm going to skip the healthy broiling method and pan-fry them.