Instructions: 1. Mash beans in medium bowl. Stir in crackers, egg, chili sauce, and onion.

Shape mixture into 4 patties, each about 1/2-inch thick.

2. Spray 10-inch skillet with cooking spray. Cook patties in skillet 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

3. Add all Southwestern Sauce ingredients to skillet. Cook over medium-low heat 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.

Serve sauce over patties.

Simple, made from commonly on-hand ingredients, and Extremely Good!

Remember those old butter beans I soaked and soaked, and then over-cooked? Well, I made the following bean cakes yesterday, and DH said it was one of my best meals yet! (I served turnip greens on the side.)

Im not normally a sauce person, but did make this one as it provided the veggies for the meal. I was leery of the raisins, but found they were the secret! Do not omit them! As my raisins were old and dry, I did plump them first in some hot water, and then added some of the water to the sauce.

I also reduced the sauce until it was more like seasoned veggies than a sauce. I didnt want the bean cakes to become soggy.

My beans were a little runny, so I had to add extra cracker crumbs and even a slice of bread crumbs. I used wheat and onion crackers, ketchup in lieu of the chili sauce, and a tbsp or so of Southwest Seasoning blend.

The bean cakes reminded us of potato cakes, only better. Now I will definitely make a variety of bean cakes frequently. Theyd be good for any meal of the day, topped with a variety of sauces.

NOTES : To make mashing the beans easier, use a food processor or potato masher. If you dont have chili sauce or cumin, use ketchup and dried oregano leaves instead. For a Southwest cheeseburger, top each patty with a slice of American cheese after turning and serve in a hamburger bun topped with the Southwestern Sauce.

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