Black-Eyed Pea Mole Cakes with Blackberry Mint Salsa

Ingredients

for the mole sauce
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ¼ onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 mild green chile (from can), chopped
• 1 date, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ancho chili pepper (or regular pepper)
• 1/8 cup semi-sweet dark vegan chocolate
• salt and pepper to taste
for the cakes
• 1 14.5 oz. can black-eyed peas
• ¼ cup quinoa, rinsed
• ¾ cup water
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon mole sauce
• oil spray
for the blackberry mint salsa
• 2 cups fresh blackberries, halved
• ¼ cup mint leaves, chopped into thin strips
• ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Make your salsa first. In a bowl, combine your halved blackberries, mint and balsamic vinegar. Place in the refrigerator.
3. In a medium bowl, mash the black-eyed peas. Set aside.
4. On the stovetop, combine the water and quinoa in a pot and cover with a lid. Bring the water to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down to a low simmer and cover again. Once the water is absorbed and the quinoa has sprouted its “little tails,” remove from heat.
5. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the sauce. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the date, almonds, tahini, and tomato paste. Pulse a few times to combine. Scrape the sides and add the vegetable broth and the seasonings (minus the salt and pepper). Process until smooth.
6. In a small pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat for about 30 seconds. Add the garlic and sauté until it begins to sizzle. Add the onion and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato and chile and mix to combine. Sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add the sauce mixture from the food processor, stir to combine, and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, for about 5 minutes, until sauce has thickened and condensed to about half (you don’t want a thin mole sauce because it won’t hold the cakes together. The thicker, the better). If you have an immersion blender, use that to puree the sauce until it is almost smooth (there should still be some small chunks in it). If you don’t, just return the sauce to a food processor and pulse about 10-12 times, then return to the pot. Turn the heat to low, and add the chocolate chips and mix to combine. Once the chocolate is completely melted and combined, taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
7. Add the quinoa and the mole sauce (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon) to the bowl of mashed black-eyed peas. Stir to fully combine. There will be leftover mole sauce that will be used later for serving. Cover with a lid to keep warm.
8. I used a double-burner griddle, but a large frying pan would work just as well. Spray the pan with oil, or add a tiny bit of oil to grease the pan. Heat over medium heat.
9. I used a biscuit cutter to form the patties, but you could use a ½ cup measuring cup and pack it half full with the mixture to make the patties. Once you make the patty, place it on the griddle pan. Since I used the double-burner, I was able to brown the sides of all the patties at one time. Cook them for about 3-4 minutes on each side, and place on the baking sheet.
10. Once all the patties are on the baking sheet, place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from oven and serve with a spoonful of the leftover mole sauce and topped with the blackberry mint salsa. Enjoy!