Cumin Bean Cakes

Dipping.  It seems to be the quintessential catalyst for toddler food consumption.  You don't want to eat your  ______ ?  How about some ketchup with it?  Here you go persnickety toddler! Eat up!

And since I have now established the attractiveness of dipping things to children, let's move onto dip worthy food.  I find that cakes (as in pancakes) of some sort usually tolerate and accentuate the dipping experience.

That being said, I will introduce you to the recipe of today.  Cumin Beans Cakes.  These are a take on a recipe that I found and altered in "Toddler Menus" by Penny Preston.

I have used a couple of her recipes, and have shared reviews of them on this blog.  So, you may be familiar with that image.  I took her already healthy recipe and amped it up a bit.  I will explain my alterations.
First off, I halved the recipe.  This is a precaution I like to take when trying a new recipe that can be halved.  You can always make more if it is a well received dish, but you cannot go back in time and waste less if no one will touch it (including yourself).  For those of you who are shy about trying new recipes in the fear of wasting time and ingredients, this can temper the blow and help you take that plunge into exploration with food.

Regardless of how the dish turns out, you will learn something so your time is never wasted.  Keep telling yourself that when you are begging your kid to swallow that chipmunk cheek of stored and resisted food.

Cumin Beans Cakes

Ingredients:

1 c. corn kernels.  I am a huge fan of Trader Joe's Organic Super Sweet Frozen Corn.
1 c. black beans, drained and rinsed.  To save time I used canned. (Originally, red kidney beans)
2 Tbsp. of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 Eggs, beaten
Spices to taste: Black Pepper, Cumin, Onion Powder and Salt.  I used about two pinches of each.  I used a Red Chili infused Sea Salt.
Salsa, cilantro and Nonfat sour cream.

Directions:

1.  Mix your beans and corn together in a bowl.

2.  Stir in flour, wheat germ and beaten eggs, and spices.

3.  Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet.  I used spray oil.

4.  Put about a tablespoon of batter in skillet.  Flip after a couple of minutes and brown the other side.

5.  Mix up some minced or pureed cilantro with sour cream, and serve it with the cakes and some salsa.

Review:

My take on this recipe?  Well... I had to change it a lot to make it work for me.  I added another egg to the halved recipe b/c the original one batter wasn't binding well enough to make a usable and realistic patty.  I used black beans because I like them more than Kidney beans.  I also used the specific spices I did because I am not a big fan of bland food, and the original recipe only used pepper.  I also added the wheat germ, and changed the flour from all purpose to whole wheat pastry, to add more nutrients.
As for the sour cream, to compensate for the fat free-ness I took a frozen cube of pureed cilantro from this summer and thawed it, and then mixed it into the sour cream.  It added freshness that compensated for any heaviness the pastry flour and oil from frying added to the dish.
I LOVED eating my version these little cakes.  And any extras you make can be frozen, pulled out, and heated up later for easy feeding of the family.

Nutrition:

This entire recipe yields 12 points and I would say about 4 servings.  So, each serving is about 3 points.  You get vegetables, protein and whole grains in this one item.

Wheat germ: The germ at the center of the wheat seed is a concentrated source of nutrients. Two tablespoons provide a good source of thiamin, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. Sprinkle over cereals, yogurt and salads. Or use it in muffins, cookies and pancakes. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/49475.php

Black Beans:  There is a plenitude of information on these little guys.  From fiber and protein to antioxidants, these beans pack quite a nutrition filled punch. Here is a great website if you are interested.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=72

Corn: This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5687/2