Black Bean Couscous Cakes

  

  
What to do with leftover couscous?  Many times when making rice, orzo or couscous as a side I will have leftover portions.  Of course, you can just save them for a later meal.  But sometimes, you can transform a boring side into something new or even a new meal.  Earlier this week, I prepared a mango couscous mix to go with grilled fish.  I admit the idea for this recipe came from that box, which offered a recipe for black bean cakes.  While a bit of overzealous cleaning resulted in the loss of that specific recipe, making cakes out of couscous is a simple process involving egg and flour.  Most recipes also call for the addition of cilantro, and some lemon.  I added the black beans, and instead of lemon, added lime.  The picture above shows how I paired the cakes as a side with chicken, which I marinated in a chipotle lime marinade, but the cakes can serve as a meal themselves, perhaps with a salad.  Enjoy.
   
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked couscous
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 14-ounce can of black beans (or the whole can if desired)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp lime juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup olive oil
   
Directions:
In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except the olive oil.  In a large nonstick pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Form the couscous mixture into cakes of a few inches across.  They may be fragile at this stage, so they may require pressing each cake together around the edges and transferring it from a plate to the pan gently with a spatula.  Cook the cakes 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden.  Drain the cooked cakes on a paper towel.  Serve the cakes with a chutney if desired.