Spicy Black Bean Cakes!

It's been hard to find the time or inspiration for new recipes these days, but with spring around the corner, it's time to start cooking. Last night, we made some delightful black bean cakes. They were crispy on the outside and spicy garlic-y goodness on the inside. A few hiccups and embellishments ended up making the whole process take a little longer than it should have, but next time they should be delightful and relatively quick to make. 

The black bean cakes were amazingly flavorful, especially when plated with salsa roja, queso fresco, julienned radishes, avocado, some cilantro infused sour cream, and a couple of lime wedges. I'm obviously a fan of condiments in general but all of these elements added a layer of complexity and depth to the dish, so the extra effort is well worth it, if you've got the inclination. 

Crispy Black Bean Cakes 
Based on the recipe from Food and Wine magazine
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying 
• 3/4 large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice 
•  4 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 serrano pepper, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 
• 2 - 15 oz cans black beans, drained 
• 2 cups panko crumbs 
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 large eggs, beaten 

For serving:

• Salsa roja
• Sour cream, preferably blended with a handful of cilantro, a dash of salt and wedge of lime
• 2-3 oz queso fresco, crumbled
• 2-3 radish, julienned
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Lime, quartered
• Cilantro leaves

1. In a medium skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat just until softened, about 3 minutes. Add half the garlic, the serrano, cumin and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape the onion mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Add 1 1/2 cups of the beans and the other half of the garlic and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped but not smooth. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Mix in the remaining whole beans and 1/2 cup of the panko crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into twelve 1/4-cup patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

2. Put the flour, beaten eggs, and the remaining 1 1/2 cup of panko crumbs into 3 separate shallow bowls. Dust each black bean cake with the flour, tapping off the excess. Dip the cakes in the egg and then in the bread crumbs, pressing so that the bread crumbs adhere.

3. In a very large skillet, heat 1/8 inch of oil until shimmering. Add the cakes and fry over moderate heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

4. Put 2-3 spoonfuls of salsa roja on each plate and top with 3 black bean cakes.  Top with sour cream, queso fresco, some radish, and cilantro leaves.  Serve with avocado and a lime wedge.

Happy eating!

DC Bike Share, bitches!!

Vegetarian Chili 2.0

I wanted to move away from using fake meats in my chili, so I came up with a new version that doesn't call for any. It's got a few more spices to fill in the gaps. I think it's even tastier. Feel free to add or subtract any peppers to suit your taste. Last time we made it, we couldn't find any habenero peppers, so we threw in a ghost pepper instead. Yummy!


Updated Vegetarian Chili
6-10 servings

3/4 cups dried (or 1 one can) each Kidney, Great Northern, and Small Red beans, or whatever beans ya like
3 Tbsp butter
1 poblano pepper
1 red onion
1/2 head garlic, about 5 big cloves
1 bell pepper (any variety but green, because green peppers are for chumps)
1 jalapeno
1 serrano pepper
1 habenero pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 c dry, spicy red wine; I used tempranillo
1 - 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp arbol pepper powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp spicy steak seasoning
1 tsp Sriracha
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp cilantro
1/2 lime worth of juice
salt and pepper to taste


First, soak the beans by whatever means you like and set aside. Keep the soaking liquid.

Next, heat the butter in a large saucepan. Coarsely chop the veggies and saute. I throw them in in the order above, waiting for one to cook down a little before adding the next, but I doubt it matters much.

When handling the hot peppers make sure to wear some gloves. Trust me when I say you do not want to get that oil on your hands. I have learned that mistake first hand and, let me tell you, it is not pleasant.

Add salt and pepper to taste and let simmer, stirring frequently, until veggies seem really nice and tender about 20-30 minutes. Once all the veggies have cooked down, add the wine and reduce.

Once the veggies are cooked, add the tomatoes, the beans, and enough of the bean soaking water to cover. Add the arbol powder, cumin, steak seasoning, soy sauce and the sriracha and stir it all up. Simmer the chili until it's good and thick, about an hour to an hour and a half. If the flavors need more time to come together, add another cup of bean water and simmer until thick. Repeat as necessary, until suitably delicious.

Stir in cilantro and lime juice and serve over rice, cornbread or, my personal favorite, mac and cheese. Top with sour cream and avocado and get ready for a delicious meal.

Delicious Dal Saag Recipe

It's so nice to be able to make a solid Indian dish at home especially since the place we order from is at least $60 a shot. This recipe is easy to make and super cheap once you own all the spices. Plus, like most Indian dishes, this one gets better when you reheat it. All those delicious flavor meld together even more.

Serve it over rice or with naan. I haven't tried yet, but it would be delicious to whip up some raita to throw on top.

Dal Saag
Serves 4

1 1/2 c red lentils
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp red pepper
1 tsp veg bouillon

2 tbsp butter
1 large onion
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp garam masala
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb spinach
1/2 c coconut milk

Rinse lentils and soak for 20 minutes. Strain, setting soaking water aside.

In a small saucepan, bring 3 cups of soaking water to a boil. Stir in lentils, salt, turmeric, chili powder, and bouillon. Cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until lentils are soft. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat butter and saute mustard seeds until the pop. Add cumin and garam masala. Thinly slice the onion, mince the garlic, and add to the pan. Cover and saute for 10 to 15 minutes or until onions are soft.

Add spinach to onion mixture and saute until incorporated. Add lentils and coconut milk. Simmer uncovered until the everything thickens up, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Cassette Tape Skeletons

These cassette tape skeletons by brian dettmer are amazing.






Check out more stuff here.

Yarn Bombing in the Hood

On our trek to the store, we passed by this super awesome yarn bombed truck! Check out those wiper blades and that sweet bull's head. Whoever owns this vehicle is my hero.

Upcycling Idea #1: Old Bike Wheel

Last year, Chad had a minor run-in with a bridge that left his front wheel out of commission. I absolutely hate throwing things away, so I decided to reuse it as a picture frame. It's a ridiculously easy project.

All you need is a bike hook to hang it and a one of those little plastic hub guards so the axle won't bang up your wall. His new wheel shipped with a couple, but I imagine that any bike shop would have some on hand if you asked nicely. Once it's all hung up, you can start sticking pictures in the spokes and you got yourself an interesting (and cheap) picture frame!