Comments on: Spicy Bean Cakes

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:47:11 +0000

Hi! I’ve made these beans twice now (and have been quietly following your blog for quite some time!), and the first time went perfectly using canned beans. The second time, I tried it with dried beans – which I had never used before in any recipe – and they completely fell apart. The mixture tasted delicious and I used it as a sort of sloppy-joe type sandwich instead, but I was just wondering if you knew a possible cause of it. The mixture definitely didn’t look as sticky as the first one did, and I’m sure an extra egg would have helped, but I didn’t know if maybe the switch from canned to dried beans could have caused the breaking apart.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:22:01 +0000

LindaGR, if you need to substitute for egg, I have had good luck with using a generous tablespoon of soy flour and a scant tablespoon of water in place of the egg.

I would not suggest the oil that Kathy recommended. In my experience, this contributes to the patties breaking up more when cooking instead of binding them together..

If black beans aren’t a favorite in your family, I suggest trying lentils; pintos would also work well. My sister makes a great lentil and brown rice patty using a similar method and list of additional ingredients as listed above.

By: Deborah

Deborah — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:49:49 +0000

Made these for dinner last night and they were delicious. Hubby is having the leftovers for lunch today

By: Kathy

Kathy — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:56:06 +0000

Erin, this recipe reminds me of bean cakes I had when I was a teenager in the UK – I was part of an exchange program working on conservation projects and most members of our teams were vegetarians. I can’t wait to try these out!!!

LindaGR, it seems like the egg is used as a binder – perhaps substituting olive oil might suffice? Seems like a tasty experiment

By: Mama Bird

Mama Bird — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:52:54 +0000

That is so funny…I made these last night too. They were yum. Had leftovers for lunch today too.

By: Heather Solos

Heather Solos — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:33:16 +0000

I bet pintos would work for these, too. My husband isn’t the world’s biggest black bean fan, but we keep trying new things despite it.

By: Beth in Ohio

Beth in Ohio — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:21:04 +0000

I’m with Alisa. The recipe sounds so tasty (minus jalepenos, I can’t stand anything more than mild unfortunately) and I love black beans, but my picky teen daughter DOES NOT. Other beans, yes; black beans, no way! I’ll just have to somehow prepare them without her around asking me what I’m making. She’s so suspicious!

By: LindaGR

LindaGR — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:58:11 +0000

Hi Erin,

I have a child who is allergic to eggs. What can I use in replacement for this recipe?
We loved black beans. We usually just mashed up the black beans and make tacos for breakfast.
Your recipe sounds very good! Can’t wait to try it.

Thanks!

By: Sara @ ThrivingMama

Sara @ ThrivingMama — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:30:41 +0000

I love making bean burgers and have found that you can make them in a large batch, freeze them on a cookie sheet and transfer them to a freezer bag to save on prep time later. I also discovered this summer that frozen bean-burgers cook very well on the grill. Make your potatoes in a foil packet – like this http://bit.ly/WwiNi. Cook everything on medium-low and avoid the oven all together.

By: Hope :)

Hope :) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:24:51 +0000

This looks great! I can’t wait to give them a try. I’ve got peppers from the garden just waiting to be used!