Black-Eyed Pea Cakes

What can I say? Ever since I saw KathyF’s Black Bean and Rice Cakes with Chipotle Remoulade and Roasted Corn Salsa I’ve been craving that remoulade sauce, lusting after the whole gorgeous dish, really. At the same time, I’ve had it in mind to create a version of these black-eyed pea cakes that I once had in Savannah or Charleston, I can’t remember which (two beautiful cities I always get confused), so I thought why not attempt a vegan version of the cakes and serve them with Kathy’s remoulade. That turned out to be an excellent idea. In fact, it was probably a meal-saving idea because, though the black-eyed pea cakes were good, they were a little on the drab side and definitely benefited from the spicy richness that is Chipotle Remoulade.

The cakes are sort of a combination of corn bread and black-eyed peas, crunchy on the outside, but moist and punctuated with whole black-eyed peas inside. If you like your food spicy, you’re definitely going to want to serve them with either the remoulade sauce or a spicy cocktail sauce. But if you’ve got a tender tongue, try them with tartar sauce or my daughter’s first choice, ketchup. (She inherited her taste buds from her grandparents!)

Black-Eyed Pea Cakes
(printer-friendly version)

I baked these two different ways, some on a baking sheet and some in a large, straight-sided silicone muffin pan, and the taste was the same, though the ones in the muffin pan had a more uniform shape. If you spray the silicone cups with a little oil, the cakes will just fall out when they’re done.

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15 ounce) cans blackeyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Greek-style soy yogurt, silken tofu, or soy cream cheese
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon cornstarch (or arrowroot)
1-2 teaspoons hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour (I used white whole wheat; gluten-free flour mix may be used)

Spray a non-stick skillet lightly with olive oil and sauté the onion until it softens. Add the garlic, and cook for one minute more. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and add 1 can of black-eyed peas and all remaining ingredients EXCEPT cornmeal and flour. Process until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir in the other can of black-eyed peas. Add the cornmeal and flour, and stir until blended.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate while you preheat the oven to 400F. Allow the mixture to chill for about 15 minutes.

To make more rounded cakes (as shown), use a muffin pan. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of batter into each oiled cup of the pan and smooth the top. (They will not rise like muffins and will not fill the muffin cups.)

To make them as patties on a cooking sheet, spoon about 3 tablespoons of batter onto an oiled baking sheet or silicone mat. Use a spoon to shape into a patty about 2 1/2 inches across. Repeat with remaining batter.

Place cakes in oven and cook until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes. (Cakes cooked on baking sheets may take less time than popovers.) Serve hot with chipotle remoulade, spicy cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, etc.

Makes 12-14 cakes. Each black-eyed pea cake contains approximately 106 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (5% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; trace Cholesterol; 344mg Sodium; 4g Fiber.

I’m labeling the black-eyed pea recipe TBR, my code for a recipe that is “to be revised” because it isn’t quite up to my standards. But my husband and I agree that we’re going to be using the chipotle remoulade a lot from now on, on everything from “Crab” Cakes to TLT Sandwiches. I foresee it becoming our go-to condiment. Be sure you check out the recipe and also take a look at Kathy’s Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with Chipotle Remoulade, which is also sure to inspire cravings.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free