Corn Pasta Fritters

Corn Pasta Fritters with Cheesey Black Beans and 2 Minute Guacamole

...what a mouthful...

Corn Pasta Fritters

6 oz corn pasta

9 oz silken tofu (3 slices of Mori-Nu)

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup chopped scallions

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup spelt flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

season to taste

Cheesey Black Beans

1 1/2 cans black beans

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup canned diced tomatoes (or fresh if you want to be fancy)

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder

3/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp vegan cream cheese

season to taste

2 Minute Guac

1 1/2 avocado 

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup canned diced tomatoes

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

season to taste

 

1.  Set oven to warm

2.  Blend the tofu with everything but the pasta and scallions.  Mix in scallions and allow to sit so that the cornmeal can soften.

3.  Boil a pot of water, and cook the pasta until tender.

4.  While the pasta is cooking, sautee the onions and garlic in a pan, until tender.  Add tomatoes, black beans, spices, and cream cheese, stirring until warmed through.  Remove from heat, and keep covered.  

5.  Coat a pan with cooking spray.  Divide the pasta into 6 portions, and add one portion to the pan.  Add 1/6th of the tofu and cornmeal mixture, mixing the pasta into it, and spreading it out into an even layer.  Cook until browned and firm, then flip (I used a plate, slid it onto that, then flipped), cooking the other side until it is cooked through.  

6.  Keep finished pasta fritters on a baking sheet in the warm oven.  

7.  While the fritters are cooking, combine all the ingredients for the guacamole in a bowl and mash.  

8.  Garnish with sliced scallions.

Serves 6

Nutrition Information:  440.0 Calories;  11.7g Total Fat;  2.0g Saturated Fat;  0.0mg Cholesterol;  70.0g Carbohydrates;  15.5g Fiber;  17.8g Protein

I bought corn pasta at the Asian grocery near my friend's house a few weeks ago, and with all the driving I've been doing lately, I've had lots of time to think about food, just not a lot of time to cook it!  Well, I seem to have finally gotten my act together.  I got to school perfectly on time, I left and went straight to the gym, and then stopped at the grocery store, and was home by 6.  This left me plenty of time to make dinner for my family tonight, and I had been thinking about making some kind fritter with these noodles for about a week.  It all came out so well, my whole family really liked it.  

If you don't have the pasta, could probably make smaller fritters with actual corn.  And if you don't have vegan cream cheese, it isn't really necessary.  Separately and all together it is really yummy, and really filling.  While it makes a pretty picture all piled, as shown above, but it tastes the best if you smoosh it all over the fritter and eat it together!  

Student teaching is going so well...it looks like we'll probably have a snow day tomorrow and I think it is the first time in my life that I have ever wished that school wouldn't be cancelled!  The teacher next door is giving a mid-term lab, and I really want to help.  It is Regents week, so it was a pretty slow day, but I spent a long time talking with my cooperating teacher.  I know I've said this before, but he is awesome.  

Oh, and my husband is officially home from Iraq.  I may have said that earlier, but you're not really supposed to give exact dates or discuss troop movement, so instead of saying he was in Kuwait, or Germany, or leaving tomorrow, etc, it was just easier to say he was done.  But he called me from Hawaii this morning and...I can tell you that, since the deployment is over!

I am so pumped to send out some CDs too, I love sharing music.  I posted about it on Sunday, and if anyone else is interested, leave me a comment or send an email by tomorrow night.   

This has been such a busy time for me, but I am so happy.  I really love being able to come on here and I want to thank you all for staying with me!