Black Bean and Zucchini Pancakes

     I know I've said this before, but one of the best things about this blog has been the connections I have made with people.  I just wrote a comment to my friend Heather about how despite being on opposite coasts, I feel that we share so much just by staying connected through sharing recipes and the anecdotes that go along with them.  I've also been able to stay in touch with some of the people I met this summer, from the Responsive Classroom training that I attended, in the same way.  My friend Suzy from Fairfax, Virginia has made several of the recipes I have written about and always writes to me to let me know how they have gone.  She recently shared one of her favorite summer recipes with me, black bean and zucchini pancakes.  The ironic thing about this is that Friday night, my friend Elena from work texted me to say that she was out to dinner and had zucchini pancakes that were delicious and we would have to figure out how to make them.  Little did she know, I was planning to make Suzy's recipe the very next day!

Black Bean and Zucchini Pancakes

Ingredients
1 can (15 oz) of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 egg whites
1 tsp roasted garlic, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 medium zucchini, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups)
1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
2 tbsp olive oil
salsa
reduced fat sour cream


Method
1. In a medium bowl, mash the black beans along with the garlic, cumin, and egg whites.  This mixture should be coarse, with a mixture of mashed and nearly whole beans.
2. Stir in the zucchini and bread crumbs.
3. Heat a large skillet and one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Divide the bean mixture in half and drop 4 mounds into the skillet, flattening them with a fork.  Cook for about 4 minutes, turning once.
4. Repeat with remaining bean mixture to form 4 more pancakes.
5. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

The Taste Test
     These pancakes were simple to make with such a short list of ingredients.  I always have trouble with keeping recipes like this in one piece as I flip them.  It took me a bit of experimenting to find a system that worked.  At first I used a quarter cup measuring cup to transfer the bean mix to the skillet.  I found that they crumbled before I even attempted to flip them.  For my second attempt, I used less of the mix and used my hands to compact the mixture a bit before flattening it into a pancake in the skillet. This system proved to be a bit more successful.  Even though my pancakes did not look like pancakes in the end, they still tasted great.  The black beans gave them a very hearty feel and they were very filling.  I'm not a huge fan of salsa or sour cream, so I ate mine plain but I bet the salsa and sour cream would help add a nice contrast to the texture of the pancake.  Thanks Suzy for sharing this recipe with me!