Cuban Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Rice

This vegetarian meal was in this month's Cooking Light, and it turned out REALLY great! Dino commented that it was kind of like 2 side dishes though, so the next time I make the patties, I'll serve them on a bun or roll more like a hamburger, and have a different side dish. The pineapple rice was really good too, so I'll make that again for sure. I didn't use bagged rice, but made some basmati in my rice cooker. All in all, another winner from CL!

Cuban Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Rice
Cooking Light March 2007

Rice:
1 (3 ½-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
¼ teaspoon salt
Patties:
2 cups rinsed, drained canned black beans (1 [15-ounce] can), divided
½ teaspoon bottled minced garlic
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
½ cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
¼ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup cornmeal
Cooking spray
¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream

To prepare rice, cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; place rice in a large bowl. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pineapple; sauté 4 minutes or just until pineapple begins to brown. Add pineapple mixture, cilantro, and ¼ teaspoon salt to rice in bowl; cover and keep warm. Wipe pan clean with paper towels.

To prepare patties, place 1 ½ cups beans, garlic, cumin, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a bowl; partially mash with a fork. Place ½ cup remaining beans and egg white in a food processor; process 30 seconds or until well combined. Add bean puree to mashed beans in bowl, and stir until combined. Add cheese and onion to bean mixture; stir until combined. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a ½-inch-thick patty. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish. Dredge both sides of each patty in cornmeal.

Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Spoon about ½ cup rice onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 patty and 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Yield: 4 servings
Nutritional information per serving:
CALORIES 294(27% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 5.4g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 10.2g; CHOLESTEROL 28mg; CALCIUM 155mg; SODIUM 32mg; FIBER 3.5g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45g

MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars