Black Bean "Falafel"

I got the idea for this from my weekly Scramble menu - one of the meals was a black bean burger, but we had a bunch of tortillas that I wanted to use up. So I started thinking about how I could change the recipe to make it easier to serve in a tortilla, and then I thought of falafel. Normally falafel is made out of chickpeas so this is a very loose interpretation.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of black beans, drained and mashed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 C. panko bread crumbs (could also use regular bread crumbs)
• hot sauce, to taste
• 1/4 C. cornmeal
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• tortillas, for serving
• salsa, for serving
• shredded cheese, for serving
• greek yogurt or sour cream, for serving

Combine the mashed black beans, egg, panko, and hot sauce in a small bowl. Have the cornmeal ready on a shallow plate. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Use a large spoon to scoop out a few tablespoons of the black bean mixture into the cornmeal. Use your hands to make a small disc, coating with cornmeal and shaking off any excess. Add to the hot oil and do not move. Continue until you have used all the black bean mixture. Cook without moving for about 3 minutes. Then flip over and cook for about 3 minutes more. 

Cut in half and serve on tortillas, topped with salsa, cheese, and yogurt.

I served these with sweet potato fries and roasted asparagus and spring onions.

I have made my own sweet potato fries in the past, but for me, the best ones are the frozen Alexia brand - my 5 year old just gobbles them up. 

To make the roasted asparagus and spring onions, toss them with olive oil and a little salt and pepper and roast them at 400 for 20-30 minutes. If you've never tried roasting spring onions, you are missing out! They become sweet and crunchy and are a delicious compliment to the asparagus.