The Black Bean Chipotle Cakes from Animator’s Palate on the Disney Cruise line are scrumptious and very versatile! You might not be able to tell from these pictures, but the flavor profile is complex and delicious. I found the actual black bean cakes to be very similar to the black bean burgers that I raved about from my honeymoon! This recipe is from Chef Mickey: Treasures from the Vault and Delicious New Favorites by Pam Brandon. We ate them as cakes with the brown rice and made veggie burgers with the leftovers. Mike also put them on tortillas and made tacos for lunch… the recipe makes a lot! Brown rice has never been a favorite of mine, I don’t know why, but this recipe changed my opinion of it. I don’t think I will ever make brown rice in a pot on the stove again… from here on out all brown rice shall be baked in the oven! It makes a big difference to the texture, and the broth gives it extra flavor and deliciousness.
Ingredients
Black Bean Chipotle Cakes:
2 14 oz cans of black beans, well drained
2 cloves of finely minced garlic
1 egg beaten
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped (optional)
2/3 cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced chipotle peppers from a can plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from can
1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
Cornmeal for dredging
Vegetable oil for frying
Brown Rice
6 teaspoons olive oil divided
1 onion diced and divided
3 1/4 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups brown rice
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
The Black Bean Cakes are quite easy to make. You basically throw all of the ingredients together and mash everything up with a potato masher. If you want an even easier way to make these, toss all of the ingredients minus some of the beans into the food processor. Pulse everything together until just barely combined and then stir in the extra beans. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for half an hour. Then form into cakes, dredge in cornmeal and pan fry with some vegetable oil. I used olive oil and it worked just fine.
You may want to make the brown rice first, and then while it is in the oven prepare the black bean patties. To prepare the rice set the oven temperature to 375. Heat 4 teaspoons of olive oil (I used a little bit less) in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add half of the onions and sauté until translucent about 6-8 minutes. Next stir in the broth, salt and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, cover and put directly into the oven or transfer the mixture to an oven safe dish, cover and put in the oven. Bake for approximately one hour. The broth should be almost completely absorbed. While baking, sauté the remaining onions, oil and corn until the tender. Once the rice is baked, stir the corn mixture into the rice. This is so yummy!!
This recipe is spicy, so if you are sensitive to heat, either make without the jalapeno, or reduce the amount. Even though these pictures are not the prettiest I really enjoyed the recipe. I should have made the rice first and prepared the black bean cakes while it was cooking as this is a time consuming recipe with all of the different elements. As I said above, the rice is amazing and I plan to make it for use in other meals as well as this one. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Ashley is a lifelong Disney enthusiast and vacationer. She has been visiting Walt Disney World in Florida since she was young. Even though she has ventured all over the United States and the globe, Disney World is still her favorite place to vacation.
The beautiful state of Tennessee is where she lives with her husband, Mike and their two dogs, a.k.a .”fur children” Griffin and Grady. When not working full time in higher education, Ashley loves to spend time cooking, gardening, exercising, reading Disney websites and planning Disney vacations!
