cooking 101...

so, i'm not a cook. let's just be honest. i've never enjoyed cooking and i always just said, "i can't cook."

well, anyone can cook. if you can read and slightly follow a recipe, you are capable of preparing food. now, fancy complicated things? well no, us cooking-challenged folks can't do that, but things that are slightly easy? probably.

i've been updating my creations on facebook every now and then, so i'm going to try and post my little adventures.
peter and i have been trying to makes some huge lifestyle changes in terms of what we've been eating, so that has definitely given me the push i needed to experiment in the kitchen.

tonight's experiment:
black bean and brown rice cakes with a cilantro-lime-yogurt sauce and old-bay roasted sweet potatoes

recipe source - prevention magazine

difficulty level - this was one of the more challenging recipes i've tried so far

outcome - overall, i was pleasantly surprised. the cilantro-lime-yogurt sauce tasted super yummy with the black bean cakes! i will definitely make this again sometime. this was the first time i've used the spice 'cumin' which i really enjoyed. it was also the first time i've used a jalapeno pepper! because the pepper was seeded and finely chopped, the cakes had a small "kick" but they weren't spicy!

wanna try?

ingredients:
2 cans black beans
2 large scallions (i used a small bunch of green onions)
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
salt and pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice (i used half of a fresh lime)
*doesn't call for it, but i used a bit of garlic salt

directions:

preheat oven to 450

in food processor pulse half beans with scallions (or green onions), jalapeno and cumin (i used a bit of garlic salt too) a chunky paste forms. in a large bowl, combine bean puree with rice and remaining beans. season with salt and pepper. dive into eight patties.

brush baking sheet with oil. put in oven to heat for 5 minutes. place patties on hot sheet and bake until bottoms are golden brown - 10 to 12 minutes. let stand 5 minutes.

in a small bowl, combine yogurt, cilantro and lime juice. season with salt and pepper (i also seasoned with a little bit of garlic salt but no pepper). serve with patties.