Appetizers can be time-consuming when making for a crowd and I do not like standing in the kitchen for hours frying appetizers when I am expecting company. I always look for make-ahead appetizers or even better cold appetizers that do not require heating up before serving. One great appetizer that has worked for me is the fiesta pinwheels. These can be made a couple of days ago and refrigerated and they have to be served cold or at room temperature. These refried bean cakes take a couple of minutes to whip up and just 3- 4 minutes per batch to pan fry. They can be kept warm in the oven until it is time to serve. In fact, I noticed that these cakes became very flavorful when let to stand for sometime after cooking them. I don’t see a reason why we cannot bake them and I have to try that next time. I have a lot of cook books and once in a while when flipping through the pages, certain recipe just catches our attention. This refried bean cake is one such recipe that I saw in one of my cook book and it sort of classifies as a semi home-made recipe. These refried bean cakes are very filling, so make sure you make them smaller if you are having a lot of dishes. I also saw that these could make up as a great substitute for burger patties. I used the regular refried beans, but I am going to try to use the refried black beans next time as I love the flavor of the black beans.
My other recipes this Marathon –Soups
Day 1 - Miso Soup (Japan) Day 2 - Vegan Chickpeas Soup (Middle Eastern) Day 3 - Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - (Mexican)
Appetizers / Snacks
Day 4 - Zucchini Potato Tots Day 5 - Plantain Balls / Kaklo / Krakro (Ghana) Day 6 - Cheesy Smashed Potatoes Day 7 - Turkish Cigar Pastry Preparation time – 5 minutesCooking time – 3 – 4 minutes per batchDifficulty level – easyRecipe adapted from – Favorite Brand Name Vegetarian
Ingredients to make Refried Bean Cakes – Makes 12 -14 medium cakes
Refried beans – 1 can (15 oz)Crushed corn chips – 1 cupFire roasted green chilies – 2 tbspRoasted cumin – 1 tspCilantro – 3 tablespoon (finely chopped)Corn flour – 1 or 2 tbspVegetable oil – to pan frySour cream and salsa – to serve
Procedure to make Refried Bean Cakes –
In a large bowl, combine the refried beans, crushed corn chips, fire-roasted green chilies, cilantro, and cumin.
To crush the corn chips, place them in a Ziploc bag, and crush them using a heavy pan. Measure out a cup of the crushed chips and use it.
I added a table spoon of corn flour to help bind the mixture. You might need the corn flour or not.
Heat a cast iron pan and coat the bottom of the pan with oil. Form small patties with the mixture and place them on the pan.
Fry it for a couple of minutes on medium flame until the side is golden brown. Flip the cakes over and slightly press on them with the spatula. Do not make it too thin. Fry again for a couple of minutes and then drain on paper towels.
To serve, top it off with sour cream and salsa.
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