Mexicali Patties with Coconut Lime Quinoa

I love, LOVE Chloe Coscarelli! Ever since I saw her on Cupcake Wars. Yes, she was the smiley adorable one, who won with Vegan, yes that's right, Vegan cupcakes! She is who inspired to bake mostly vegan cupcakes and other treats. Since then, I have dabbled with vegan cuisine. You can see my blog is full of random recipes I have tired and thrown together. I have been trying to cook more vegetarian and vegan meals, ever since I saw Forks over Knives and now Earthlings. Both AMAZING documentary about food. Next on my list, are Black Gold and Vanishing of the Bees.

Anyway, back to Chloe. :) I have made many of her desserts and a few meals, but the Mexicali Sliders scared me the most. Mainly, because I was really worried it would be too dry. Well, I am pleased to announce it wasn't. It was delicious, just like all her other recipes. I did make a few minor changes. I made them gluten-free, for starters, skipped the Mango sauce and added my favourite vegan cheese, Daiya (in Pepperjack).

Mexicali Paties with Coconut Lime Quinoa, Guacamole, Salsa
and Vegan Sour Cream

I didn't have any hamburger buns, so I served the patties over some left over Coconut Lime Quinoa. I couldn't imagine how good everything went together. Huge success! Even my husband, who it not a fan of anything bean related, really enjoyed this. :)

Check out Chole's site for the original recipe, but here are my VERY minor changes. :)

Mexicali Patties

Ingredients: 

Black Bean Patties: 
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large mushrooms, finely chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced or shredded (about ½ cup)
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup almonds, roughly ground
2 tablespoons taco seasonings
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup Daiya pepperjack cheese
¼ cup water
Guacamole: 
3 avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
¼ cup salsa
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. To make the Black Bean Patties: In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onions and mushroom, cook until tender and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Transfer onions to a large bowl. Reserve skillet for later use. 
2. Add beans, cornmeal, ground almonds, taco seasoning, salt, cilantro, cheese and water to the bowl of onions and mushrooms. Use a large spoon or your hands to mash it all together. If the mixture is too dry to hold together, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. 
3. Form the bean mixture into 4 patties. In the reserved nonstick skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat, and pan-fry patties about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly golden. Add more oil to the skillet as needed. Drain patties on paper towels. 
4. To make the Guacamole: In a large bowl, mash together avocado and lime juice, then fold in salsa. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Top Patties with some Guacamole and serve over some Coconut Lime Quinoa. Enjoy!

Coconut Lime Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil, or vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup Quinoa, rinsed

1 ½ cup Vegetable Broth

½ cup Coconut Milk

Zest and Juice from 1 Lime

¼ cup Fresh Cilantro

2 tbsp Thai Basil (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat, add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add Quinoa, broth and coconut milk, and stir. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, covered, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.  Remove from heat.
2. Fold in lime zest and juice, cilantro and Thai Basil, if using. Fluffy quinoa, and serve immediately.

I loved this dinner and can't wait to make it again!! I was surprisingly easy and very yummy. Next time, I think I'll try the Spicy Mango Sauce and put it in a bun. Maybe serve it some of Chloe's Cajun Yam Fries. Mmm...

Great now I'm going to be dreaming about Yam Fries tonight! LOL! 

Happy Cooking!! :)