Name: Corn and Black Bean Cakes
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour; ½ cup cornmeal; 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder; ½ teaspoon sea salt; 1½ cups unsweetened, unflavored plant milk; 1⁄4 cup unsweetened applesauce; 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced; 1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed; 1 cup cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained; 6 green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced; Tomato Salsa (or use store-bought), for serving; Sour “Cream" for serving; chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Ready In: 35 minutes
Makes about 10 pancakes
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My mom made a version of these savory pancakes for dinner when I was a kid. My updated version is healthier, but no less delicious—and now I enjoy them for breakfast, too! For best results, don’t try to flip the pancakes until they are thoroughly crisped on the underside; only then will they release from the pan easily.

From The Forks Over Knives Plan

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By Del Sroufe, Jan 10, 2015

Ingredients

1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
1½ cups unsweetened, unflavored plant milk
1⁄4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained
6 green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
Tomato Salsa (or use store-bought), for serving
Sour “Cream" for serving
chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the plant milk, applesauce, bell pepper, corn, black beans, and green onions. Gently fold the ingredients together just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
Heat a griddle or large nonstick pan over medium heat until a few droplets of water dropped in the pan jump and sizzle.
Spoon ½ cup batter for each pancake onto the pan, making sure they don’t touch each other, until no more will fit. Cook until the undersides are crisp and the pancake can be flipped easily without falling apart, about 4 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the pancakes over and cook until the other side is lightly browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pancakes to a heatproof platter and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve the pancakes topped with salsa, sour “cream,” and chopped cilantro.

(3)

8 Comments

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(5 from 3 votes)

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Claire2 months ago

Can we make a batch and freeze it for future use?

Forks Over Knives2 months ago

Hi Claire,
Yes that should be just fine. Be sure to separate each cake with a layer of parchment paper before placing them in an airtight container or freezer bag so they don’t stick together. We recommend heating them up on a griddle or warming them in the oven until they’re crispy again. Let us know how it goes!

Sophia1 year ago

I’ve made this so many times and it’s sooooo good. I add guac/avocados and hot sauce on top.

NinaK2 years ago

This is excellent! There’s plenty left over to re-heat and enjoy.

Lynne2 years ago

Really good, our batch yielded about 14 pancakes. We liked it with just sour cream and cilantro. Thank you for a great recipe, the first we tried from the cookbook, looking forward to try more.

Adrian2 years ago

What is the purpose of the apple sauce in this recipe – is it to sweeten, manage consistency, something else? I’d like to try this but the apple sauce is a slightly odd inclusion to me. I’m willing to try it but would like to understand what it brings to the recipe. Thanks.

Lynne2 years ago

You won’t taste the applesauce at all in the end.

Maria2 years ago

Hiya! I am pretty sure it’s a replacement for the traditional egg. You can substitute eggs in many ways, one way is with apple sauce. Pretty sure that’s why he used apple sauce…to hold these cakes together.

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about the author

Del Sroufe

Chef Del Sroufe is co-owner and executive chef of Wellness Forum Foods, a whole-food, plant-based meal delivery and catering service in Columbus, Ohio. He is the author of Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook and Better Than Vegan. Del teaches cooking classes and helps people transition to a healthy plant-based diet.

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