Black Bean and Corn Tuna Cakes

I love tuna, but seemingly not enough to keep cans of it from stacking up in our pantry. I think my mom has called me three times since our last Costco trip wondering if there was anything I needed, and just until the other day, all I could think of when she would ask that was, "How am I going to use up all of this tuna..?" It then dawned on me that being that I do love a good seafood cake (salmon, crab, halibut)- why not give tuna cakes a go! Little did I know then, that I would be nibbling on them with my tea the following morning...

Over the summer I had made salmon cakes with black beans and corn and highly enjoyed them, so I incorporated those two ingredients into this concoction. This recipe is especially good for entertaining since you get quite a bit out of it. I probably got about 12, good burger-sized patties. Great on their own, but would be just as tasty sandwiched between some wheat toast or two, thick slabs of browned sourdough bread. As the warmer months draw near, I can only guess how good they would be fresh off a grill. I served mine over a bed of lettuce with a side of salad and two patties later I was perfectly content and pleasantly surprised at how good they had turned out.

Black Bean and Corn Tuna Cakes

Ingredients

- 4 cans solid Albacore tuna in water, drained
- 1/3 white onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
- 1 can black beans
- 1/2 can corn - plain (if cannot find fresh)
- 4 stems kale, coarsely chopped
- about 5 slices whole wheat bread or 1/3-1/2 baguette (preferred, but any kind will work)
- olive oil
- salt (to taste)
- freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Tools

- Cuisinart (blender should work, too)


Preheat oven to 300*F (this will be to keep them warm during the process).
Pulse bread in food processor to make crumbs. Be careful not to make them too fine. Pour in shallow bowl.
Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.
Combine tuna, onions, green peppers, black beans, corn, kale, olive oil, salt and pepper in bowl. Mix well.
Put half of mixture into food processor and pulse until mixed well.
Combine box tuna mixtures (this ensures there is a bit of texture, but helps the patties keep their form).
Mold patties by hand and move to bread-crumb bowl to be covered evenly.
Place the patty in the skillet and brown evenly on both sides. Keep patties on cookie sheet in oven to stay toasty, and repeat process until mixture is gone.
Before serving, I like to give them one more go on the skillet.
Serve as an appetizer, or make them the star of the show. Either way, they're tasty!