Vegetarian Black Bean Cakes with Orange-Basil Salsa

Vegetarian Black Bean Cakes with Orange-Basil Salsa

4.3 of 5 (190)
editors choice
Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 6
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 294.2
  • Total Fat: 6.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 36.2 mg
  • Sodium: 140.1 mg
  • Total Carbs: 48.3 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 13.6 g
  • Protein: 14.2 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Vegetarian Black Bean Cakes with Orange-Basil Salsa calories by ingredient


Introduction

These bean cakes are yummy and great for you. Served with the salsa, it makes a very colorful and festive presentation. I serve these with a lite side salad. Plenty of protein and fiber. Even my meat loving hubby loves this meal. These bean cakes are yummy and great for you. Served with the salsa, it makes a very colorful and festive presentation. I serve these with a lite side salad. Plenty of protein and fiber. Even my meat loving hubby loves this meal.
Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

    Salsa
    2 navel oranges, separated and cut into small pieces
    1 large tomato, cored and diced finely
    1 scallion, sliced thin
    1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
    1 garlic clove, minced
    1 tbsp fresh lime juice
    2 tsp 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 bread crumbs
    1 tbsp olive oil, plus oil for greasing pan
    1 medium onion, diced finely
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    1 celery rib, sliced thin
    1 tsp ground cumin
    1/4 tsp salt
    Liberal seasoning of freshly ground pepper

Directions

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. Process the remaining cup of beans with the eggs until smooth. Stir this mixture into the whole beans along with the bread crumbs.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and celery and saute until very tender and beginning to brown. Sprinkle on the cumin and cook 1 more minute.
Scrape the vegetables into the bean mixture and add the salt and pepper. Stir to mix well.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop up 12 portions of the bean mixture and place on the baking sheet. Flatten out with the scoop or your hand.
Bake 10 minutes, flip and bake 10 more minutes. Serve the bean cakes with a spoonful of salsa on each.

* Note, the cakes can be made in a lightly oiled skillet or pancake griddle. I have also used a Foreman grill.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user BCJL13.

Member Ratings For This Recipe


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    Incredible!
    54 of 56 people found this review helpful
    Delicious! Made them for dinner and the three meat-eaters I was cooking for were perfectly satisfied! They seemed a little dry to me, though, so I added an egg white. I also replaced the bread crumbs with finely-ground FiberOne cereal. Definitely a once-a-week meal in my house now! - 10/10/08


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    Incredible!
    39 of 40 people found this review helpful
    I'm a flexitarian and recipes like this make it easier to lean toward veggie based meals. My husband and I both enjoyed it. I did make the salsa without the addition of oil b/c I didn't think it needed it and I was right. Very, very good! - 7/5/08


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    Incredible!
    37 of 38 people found this review helpful
    Wow! Magnifico! I served with sliced strawberries dusted with sugar. What a beautiful presentation! Great flavor, healthy. I have tried probably 100 recipes on this site, and I think this is my favorite. Used egg whites instead of whole eggs, added cilantro to the salsa, served w/ plain yogurt - 5/27/08


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    Incredible!
    32 of 32 people found this review helpful
    I made this last night and subbed flax meal for the bread crumbs and it was good ! I am trying to do the 1st phase of the South Beach Diet and I would recommend this to anyone who likes veggie food and beans
    I had to use my own salsa minus the oranges for the phase one part of the diet.
    - 7/3/08


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    Very Good
    27 of 28 people found this review helpful
    I love the combination of the flavors and colors here. They came out a bit dry for me, so next time I am going to add some oil and tomato paste to the bean mix. I made a spinach salad with lime-basil dressing to go with. - 10/1/08


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    Incredible!
    21 of 22 people found this review helpful
    I will make these again! I did not make the salsa. I topped with two different toppings. I cut the patty in half & topped one with greek yogurt (salt & pepper) & the other with sweet chili sauce. Both were awesome. I fried 2 in a little oil and these were not as dry as the others that I baked. - 7/11/09


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    Incredible!
    19 of 20 people found this review helpful
    These were delicious. Entire family enjoyed them, although I'm the only vegetarian. I added fresh cilantro to the salsa, 1 packet of taco seasoning to the bean mix (omit salt & pepp), and 1/4 cu tomato sauce to the bean mix to keep it moist. Also substituted egg beaters for the eggs (lower cal). - 1/16/10


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    Incredible!
    19 of 19 people found this review helpful
    After reading all the favorable reviews, I decided to try this recipe even though I'm not a big fan of black beans. These were excellent! I will definitely make this recipe again. - 7/7/08


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    Incredible!
    19 of 20 people found this review helpful
    Made this with chickpeas and added some chopped carrots....DELISH!! I will use black beans next time to see if hubby likes it as much since he's not a huge fan of them..but I am! - 7/1/08


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    Incredible!
    18 of 18 people found this review helpful
    Very easy and tasty. They reheat well also. - 7/16/08


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    17 of 19 people found this review helpful
    Absolutely fantastic! My husband said it tasted gourmet. He had leftovers for breakfast with sunny-side eggs on top! - 9/10/07


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    14 of 14 people found this review helpful
    This was very good both my husband & I liked it. I made it vegan and use flaxseed & water for the eggs and a little flour. I also add a little red bell pepper & ketchup and fried them since it was to hot to turn the oven on. - 8/11/09


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    Incredible!
    14 of 14 people found this review helpful
    Never having had anything like this before, I was amazed at the flavour!! I did use red pepper in the sautee part and onions in the salsa. Loved this!! - 9/6/07


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    Good
    14 of 14 people found this review helpful
    I tried this with a store bought mango/peach salsa, grilled the burger outside on the grill and used part refried black beans and some soy black beans. I really enjoyed it and plan to freeze the burgers for a quick meal later. - 3/11/07


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    Incredible!
    13 of 13 people found this review helpful
    We loved this recipe. The salsa is amazing. It could be nice in winter too, with regular tomato salsa and sour cream, or in a wrap as a sort of black bean "falafel". This is becoming a family staple meal for us. - 7/8/09


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    Incredible!
    12 of 19 people found this review helpful
    This sounds like a winner! I'll bet it can be made as a vegetarian "meat" loaf instead of patties. I'm eager to try this out and play around a bit with the ingredients. Mmmm, tonight would be a good time to have this. - 8/2/09


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    12 of 12 people found this review helpful
    Very good taste and I will definitely make it again. I too notice they are a bit dry so will add olive oil to them instead of the salsa. Yummy! - 2/19/09


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    Very Good
    12 of 12 people found this review helpful
    I LOVED it! The bean patties came out a bit dry (fell apart in the oven) so next time I'll play with adding some more moisture to the bean mix, but WOW the flavors are amazing! - 6/29/08


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    12 of 13 people found this review helpful
    try egg whites instead of whole eggs for less cholestrol very tasty will use often - 6/26/08


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    Very Good
    10 of 11 people found this review helpful
    Loved the cakes, didn't make the salsa, just used regular tomatoe based salsa. Didn't have bread crumbs on hand, so I crushed saltines, but had to increase the amount just a tad. - 7/20/08


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    Very Good
    10 of 10 people found this review helpful
    This is the first time I have ever eaten bean patties and I liked this very much. The orange basil salsa has a very nice flavor that really complimented the patty. - 6/26/08


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    Incredible!
    9 of 10 people found this review helpful
    Absolutely delicious and even my son the major carnivore liked them. I, too, added an egg white for a bit more moisture, as suggested by another. Great recipe and a great source of non-meat protein. Thank you! - 8/2/09


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    Incredible!
    8 of 8 people found this review helpful
    This is an absolutely delicious and satifying dish! I'm so glad I made it. The orange and basil are such a wonderful compliment to the hearty black beans. - 1/13/08


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    Incredible!
    7 of 7 people found this review helpful
    I just made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! My only complaint is that the cakes were a little dry, even with the salsa, so I added a little dollop of sour cream on top of each cake and it was perfect. - 11/19/09


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    Incredible!
    7 of 7 people found this review helpful
    I was out of fresh basil - so I used dried - next time I'll make sure I have fresh and will add a little fresh cilantro in. The salsa is so colorful and fragrant. The kids even liked them when I added a little organic cheddar on top and served them hamburger style - 4/15/08


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    Incredible!
    5 of 6 people found this review helpful
    Just as a shortcut, I used canned diced tomatoes (low sodium) for the salsa. I also added one extra egg white to the bean paste to prevent dryness. It was a hit! I will make this over and over again. - 1/11/10


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    Good
    5 of 5 people found this review helpful
    Great flavor, I did add more bread crumbs . Enjoyed the salsa over the next couple days on leftover burgers as well as on a salad. Yum! - 3/13/07


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    4 of 6 people found this review helpful
    I add cooked barley and cooked quinoa to my bean cakes as a way to get more fiber in- rather than the bread crumbs. You can see my bean burgers on my blog- Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness.
    I like your idea for salsa here. I will try this for sure.
    - 2/27/10


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    Incredible!
    4 of 4 people found this review helpful
    What a treat,not only was this a superbowl 44 hit, I shared this with my co-workers who couldn't believe I got this from sparkpeople. Who would have thought that blackbeans and salsa can create a great meal
    CGMama56
    - 2/8/10


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    Very Good
    4 of 4 people found this review helpful
    Took these to a potluck at work and got good reviews. I used mandarin oranges instead (because I was too lazy to peel), dried basil because we didn't have any fresh, but it still went over well. - 9/18/09


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    4 of 5 people found this review helpful
    Great! Everyone loved them. Great for leftovers for lunch. - 1/7/09


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    4 of 4 people found this review helpful
    Made it and my husband and I loved it! - 7/2/08


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    4 of 4 people found this review helpful
    Incredible! Loved it! - 6/30/08


  • no profile photo

    Very Good
    4 of 5 people found this review helpful
    substituted egg whites, added cilantro, and it was great. Will keep to repeat. - 6/26/08


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    Incredible!
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    This was sooo good! I made a few alterations: I used 4 Cuties (clementines) instead of the navel oranges. I used cilantro instead of basil. Finely chopped purple onion instead of the scallion and added 1/2 chopped red bell pepper to the salsa. Also only used 1 tsp olive oil in the salsa. - 3/2/10


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    I thought these were great. I'll probably add another pepper to the salsa next time because it wasn't hot enough for my taste - 1/8/10


  • no profile photo

    Very Good
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    really like these! They were a tad dry but the salsa was AMAZING!! thank you for sharing:) I'm going to freeze the extras. - 12/21/09


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    3 of 4 people found this review helpful
    I like this recipe. It's good on a a whole wheat roll for lunch too. - 11/17/09


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    Great taste and nutrition. Takes a bit of time to make. - 11/15/09


  • no profile photo

    Very Good
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    Just made it- Salsa is amazing. Cooked in a little more oil to combat dryness. Any suggestions to switch out the eggs for a vegan version? - 11/8/09


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    Great recipe. As suggested by another, I substituted flax seed for the bread crumbs. Also, I used dehydrated celery, garlic, onions which soaked up the extra liquid in the canned beans. Also added dehy jalopeno peppers and chili lime seasoning. Chopped up an orange into Pace brand salsa. - 11/8/09


  • no profile photo

    Good
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    It was pretty good.... I used ground wheat germ instead of bread crumbs. I didn't have time to make fresh salsa (although I"m sure it will be awesome!!!!) - so I used pre-made salsa. Was pretty good - not as dry as others suggested. - 8/3/09


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    3 of 9 people found this review helpful
    These look fabulous. I will definately try these. What a great way to use black beans. - 6/25/09


  • no profile photo

    Good
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    I made the "burgers" without the salsa. Were a little dry and bland but will make again. - 12/12/09


  • no profile photo

    Very Good
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    I enjoyed this...even though I'm more of a meat person. I liked the way the oranges mixes with the black beans cake. - 11/23/09


  • no profile photo

    Good
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    For my attempt, I wasn't too happy w/ the salsa. The bean patties, however, were really great. I'll definitely make this again and probably use a veggie-only / spicy salsa instead of the citrus salsa. - 11/22/09


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    2 of 4 people found this review helpful
    Wow!! I love this recipe. - 11/8/09


  • no profile photo

    Very Good
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    The only reason I didn't give this an excellent rating is because they were a little dry. I noticed others felt the same way. Will have to figure out how to tweak this recipe for a little more moisture!! - 8/27/09


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Fantastic! I'll definitely be making this again and again! I had half a serving with some brown rice. It was very tasty and filling! - 8/25/09


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    2 of 4 people found this review helpful
    I used this recipe as a jumping off point to make my first ever bean based "meatless" loaf. I used taco seasoning as well as salsa, tomato paste, eggs and oatmeal and then topped with a bit of grated cheese and baked. Yummers! Thanks for posting this recipe! - 8/23/09


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    2 of 4 people found this review helpful
    Very good and very filling! - 8/9/09


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    2 of 3 people found this review helpful
    I Loved these.... very refreshing. Great vegan meal. - 8/6/09


  • no profile photo

    Very Good
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    We had this for supper this evening and both hubby and I enjoyed the bean cakes. Very good! - 8/2/09


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    This dish was excellent, delicious and very easy to make. I didn't make the salsa, I just used store bought salsa, but I will definitely make the black bean cakes again. - 7/29/09


  • no profile photo

    Very Good
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    These were great, even my husband liked them! Mine did come out a bit dry, so I might try some of the suggestions others posted above to remedy that. - 7/27/09


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    2 of 3 people found this review helpful
    This is a great recipe... Really enjoyed it.. Thanks - 7/6/08


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    2 of 6 people found this review helpful
    this sounds right up my alley! yum! can't wait to try this.
    edit: tried this and LOVE it, great!
    - 6/26/08


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    2 of 4 people found this review helpful
    I've been looking for something to serve when I host my monthly chicks dinner in July. This will be it. Thanks!
    They were a huge hit.
    - 6/26/08


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    Very Good
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    I sadly did not make the salsa. I made the bean cakes with three cups of black beans in stead of four without scaling down the other ingredients, and my patties did not end up dry at all! - 5/21/12


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Awesome! Our whole family chowed down on this with great enthusiasm. Also works well by modifying the salsa to get different tastes, like replacing half the orange with cubed watermelon and adding fresh mint. Yum! - 4/13/11


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    I added canned green chiles and adobo to the black bean mixture (along with just a touch of cheddar) and used almond meal in place of breadcrumbs to cut the processed carbohydrates. Sooooo yummy served over arugula tossed with a few carmelized shallots and blue cheese! Salsa = great dressing! - 1/16/11


  • no profile photo

    Good
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    I didn't have the ingredients to make the orange-basil salsa, so I just made the black bean cakes. They came out quite dry and funny looking, but when topped with salsa and light sour cream (to add tast and moisture), they were actually quite tasty! - 9/13/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    This recipe was surprisingly awesome for me!! I am not a fan of black beans at all and the thought of oranges in a salsa is usually a big no no for me. But, I wanted to try something new and I am so glad I did!! I replaced the egg with egg beaters and replaced the scallions with cilantro. Awesome! - 8/25/10


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    Very Good
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    This was both delicious and beautiful. I love it when my food is this fun to look at as well as being very tasty. I'm going to do 1 1/2 recipes of the salsa next time as it was really good and one serving patties was left without. - 8/16/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    great - added the extra egg white, some cilantro, and chopped hot peppers to bean cakes, cilantro and peppers to the salsa - 7/15/10


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    I simplified the salsa... 1 can rotel tomatoes, drained. 1 can mandarin oranges, drained and sections torn in smaller pieces. Didn't use the oil, and w/ the canned tomatoes, didn't need salt. This time I didn't have fresh basil on hand, but did have lots of mint. That was good, too. - 6/25/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Love this recipe! The salsa is OUTSTANDING and the seasonings for the bean cakes is perfect. When I make this again, I will use this recipe to make 6 burgers instead of 12. That way they can be used in sandwiches as well as for a main dinner dish. - 5/23/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    made them into tacos with avocado and sour cream sooo good. that salsa was amazing - 4/29/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Very good! A little dry, but saw good suggestions in the other comments, so I'll try that again soon! Hubby said the salsa really made the dish! - 3/25/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    I took the adviseof some of the comments and added extra olive oil to prevent dryness. Great recipe! Better than eating meat. - 3/14/10


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    Very Good
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    made this tonight and really liked it. thanks for sharing - 3/11/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    I made these the other day and they were fantastic. The only change I made was that I used an egg substitute so I could feed it to my son who is a vegan. I think the cakes didn't stick together as well because of this, but awesome flavor! - 3/10/10


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    1 of 7 people found this review helpful
    This would be a better page if I did not have to scroll all the way down the comments to get my points. - 3/4/10


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    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
    We served them yesterday and all enjoyed them. Will definitely make them again. - 3/1/10


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    Very Good
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Yum-a-roony! I added an avocado to the salsa and cooked the cakes on our pancake griddle. Will save the recipe! - 2/23/10


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    1 of 5 people found this review helpful
    Maybe try a little plain yogurt in the mixture to combat the dryness? - 1/20/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 4 people found this review helpful
    cakes where great taste but i made them with kidney beans don't like the look of black beans in my food thx - 8/22/09


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    O.K.
    1 of 4 people found this review helpful
    The bean cake is good, salsa is horrid! Do not bother with the salsa. - 8/16/09


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    Great! - 6/15/21


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    Incredible!
    yum
    - 6/2/21


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    Incredible!
    the salsa sounds incredible. I will make that first. would be good over anything. - 3/17/21


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    :) - 3/3/21


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    Nice! - 1/26/21


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    Incredible!
    I was pretty skeptical at first (oranges, tomatoes/basil on black beans?!?), but thought I'd give it a shot. We Both Loved it! I will definitely be making it again. Thanks for a great recipe! - 1/16/21


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    Lots of work but might be nice. - 1/12/21


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    Good - 12/24/20


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    thank you - 9/24/20


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    Incredible!
    delicious - 6/22/20


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    I am not a vegetarian but I plan to try these. They look very good. - 5/30/20


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    Very Good
    Great recipe. - 5/25/20


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    Good
    Good - 5/21/20


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    Incredible!
    Great - 4/9/20


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    Thanks - 3/26/20


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    I skipped the jalapeno because I hate the flavor. Otherwise, it was okay. - 1/20/20


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    4 cups of cooked beans is too much for 6 servings. - 12/24/19


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    Good
    tasty - 12/4/19


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    Very Good
    Very good. I also replaced the bread crumbs with Fiver One cereal and added cilantro. - 11/25/19


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    Very Good
    Just because I'm limited as to what I am able to do, I bought the premade black bean burgers and they work just fine with this recipe. - 11/10/19


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    Bad
    Too dry and garlic drowned out the taste. - 11/1/19


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    very good. I enjoy black bean burgers - 10/22/19