Black Bean Cakes with Orange Basil Salsa

What a pleasant surprise with this recipe. The fresh basil mixed with the orange really made this fresh salsa a hit in my house! And when topped over these delicious bean cakes… how could you go wrong?

Salsa

* 2 navel oranges, separated and cut into small pieces
* 2 large tomatoes, cored and diced finely
* 2 scallion, sliced thin
* 1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
* 2 teaspoon olive oil
* 1 small jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
* 1 dash salt

Bean Cakes

* 4 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained if canned
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 medium onion, diced finely
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 celery rib, sliced thin
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp salt
* freshly ground pepper

Combine all the salsa ingredients in a bowl. Let sit for at least 1 hour.

Place 3 cups of the black beans in a large bowl. In a food processor, process the remaining cup of beans with the eggs until smooth. Stir this mixture into the whole beans along with the breadcrumbs.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and celery and sauté until very tender and beginning to brown. Sprinkle on the cumin and cook 1 more minute.

Add the vegetables into the bean mixture and add the salt and pepper. Stir to mix well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a cookie sheet. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop up 10-12 portions of the bean mixture and place on the baking sheet. Flatten out with your hand. Bake 10 minutes, flip and bake 10 more minutes. Serve the bean cakes topped with the salsa.