Spicy Southern (not!) Fried Bean Cakes with Porter Gravy

Delicious Southern Comfort Food (minus the calories!)

 These amazing little bean cakes are great for dinner or party appetizers. They taste and look scrumptious- but the best thing about them? They’re not fried! Yes, I said it. Healthy and yummy Southern Comfort food! Take them on picnics, to work, or just about anywhere. You can serve it with wonderful homemade Porter-mushroom gravy or, if you really want to taste the South, you can make them into sandwiches topped with onions and pickles, baked potato wedges and cornbread on the side. Yum!
 

Spicy Bean Cake Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 medium baked potato

½ ripe banana

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning

¼ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried seasoning mix, such as Italian

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup diced onions

2 cloves garlic minced

¼ cup tomato sauce

2 tablespoons salsa

½ cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400˚

Mash potato, banana and beans together with a fork leaving some chunks of beans. Stir in dried spices and salt, mix well. Add tomato sauce, salsa, onion and garlic. Stir very well. Shape into six cakes with the palm of your hand and dip both sides of the cake into bread crumbs. Place on foil covered baking pan and bake for about 15 minutes, or until bread crumbs look toasted.

Porter Mushroom Gravy

1 box shitake mushrooms 4-6 oz – your favorite mushrooms will work fine

½ large onion sliced and cut in half

½ cup of Porter or Stout

¼ cup vegetable broth

Pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon coriander

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water

Heat up medium sized skillet(no oil added), drop in sliced onions, and stir until they start to brown. Add a little of the Porter, stir until onions look caramel in color; remove onions from skillet and add mushrooms. Stir mushrooms until they start leaking liquid, remove these from skillet.  Add onions, Porter, vegetable broth, molasses, spices, sugar and cornstarch. Bring this mix to a gentle boil, stir to keep from sticking add mushrooms and lower heat cooking until sauce thickens. Pour into gravy server or directly on bean cakes. Makes about ½ cup