Healthy Recipe: Cuban Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Rice

For those of you that have been following my blog, I have been trying to plan out our meals a little bit more. I have read that eating one vegetarian meal per week is beneficial to your heart health, so we began doing that as of last week with our Falafels.

This week we tried Cuban Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Rice from Cooking Light. I figured that it was proper to do so since I am half Cuban :)

It is fairly easy to cook - I had a little difficulty making the patties, because the consistency didn't come out quite right. BUT....the dish was very good! I would suggest trying it!

Ingredients

• RICE:
• 1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 
  PATTIES:
• 2 cups rinsed, drained canned black beans (1 [15-ounce] can), divided
• 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg white
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Preparation

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 1/4 teaspoon salt to rice in bowl; cover and keep warm. Wipe pan clean with paper towels.

To prepare patties, place 1 1/2 cups beans, garlic, cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl; partially mash with a fork. Place 1/2 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 1/2-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 1/2 cup rice onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 patty and 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

294 (27% from fat)

Fat:

8.7g (sat 5.4g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.2g)

Protein:

10.2g

Carbohydrate:

45g

Fiber:

3.5g

Cholesterol:

28mg

Iron:

2mg

Sodium:

532mg

Calcium:

155mg