Light & Crispy Mexican Corn and Black Bean Fritters with Chili, Lime & Lite Sour Cream

Fritters are on my menu again. I promised there would be more. I love a good fritter. These black bean and corn fritters are crispy, without being greasy. They're a bit fluffy with a moist, soft interior. I use my favorite gluten-free supermarket mix in the batter. It gives them a welcoming lightness. Self rising flour will also work. The beans are rich in protein for a satisfying meatless meal.

Sweet corn, spicy chili, creamy black beans, tangy lime work together in perfect harmony to create a balanced dish. The addition of paprika and cumin lend pleasant smoky notes. My favorite Mexican flavors are in every crisp, cloud-like bite. Serve with cooling, lite sour cream or thick Greek yogurt for dipping.

Mexican Corn and Black Bean Fritter Recipe

Some Notes:

Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mix gives these fritters a moist, fluffy interior and a crisp exterior. I find it at Whole Foods or on line. Self rising flour will work too.

They're lightly and quickly pan fried in healthy olive oil. It's sort of like making pancakes. Don't squish them down with a spatula. Let them do their thing. Brown on one side then flip over and finish cooking on the other. Don't overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches if you have to. Be gentle with your fritters and they'll reward you for it.

Pair them with freshly steamed rice and you have a complete protein. Eat them with salsa, creamy avocado, lite sour cream or thick Greek yogurt and you're in for one tasty, healthy meal. Guacamole would be great too.

Smoked paprika gives these fritters a mild smoky flavor which I love but you can leave it out with good results.

I've never tried this, but if you're vegan, you might try using nondairy milk and an egg substitute for these fritters.      

Makes about 10 fritters. Enjoy!

Mexican Corn and Black Bean Fritter Recipe

You'll Need:

• 16 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained. I used reduced sodium.
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced  
• 1 small  jalapeno pepper, finely diced. Omit pepper if you don't like it spicy or take the veins and seeds out of the pepper.
• 1/4 cup of frozen corn
• 2 limes, zest one and place the zest in a medium bowl.
• 6 scallions, diced and divided. Put half of the chopped scallions in the bowl with the lime zest.  
• A generous hand full of fresh cilantro or parsley. About 1/4 cup. Add to the bowl with the scallions and lime zest.   
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mix or self rising flour (see notes).  
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika (optional but so good)
• Sea salt or kosher salt to taste
• Olive oil for cooking. I used extra virgin unfiltered.  
• Lite sour cream or Greek yogurt for serving. Lime wedges, salsa, rice, avocado and/or Tabasco for serving.

The Rundown:

Place the rinsed and drained black beans in the bowl of a food processor and whiz to a chunky consistency. Don't process the beans all the way down. They should still have some structure. Place the red bell pepper, chili, corn and reserved scallions in a nonstick skillet with some olive oil and salt and cook until tender. Add the cumin and smoked paprika to the vegetables and stir to combine. Set the vegetables aside to let cool. 

Place processed black beans in the same bowl with the rest of the diced scallions, cooled vegetables, lime zest, cilantro or parsley, milk, salt and eggs. Add Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mix to the bowl and stir everything together. Start with 1/3 cup of Pamela's Gluten Free Mix and add more if the mixture seems too wet. 

Heat a large nonstick frying pan on medium high with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. I used my nonstick Scanpan for this recipe. Drop batter by 1/3 cup fulls into the hot pan. Cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with lime wedges, lite sour cream or Greek yogurt and other accompaniments. Enjoy!

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Love Fritters? Try my Chickpea and Zucchini Fritters with Lemon, Herbs and Yogurt:

http://jillyinspired.blogspot.com/2012/12/light-as-air-zucchini-and-chickpea.html 

Love beans and spice? Try my Lightened up Chickpea and Spinach Curry Kissed with Lime. All the creaminess you crave, minus the butter. http://jillyinspired.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-favorite-chickpea-curry-satisfyingly.html

Looking for a light summery salsa? Try my http://jillyinspired.blogspot.com/2012/07/marthas-vineyard-strawberry-cucumber.html