Shrimp and White Bean Cakes

Oh. Shrimp and Beans. Two of my most loved and most frequently eaten foods combined into one delicious patty. Whadda ya know? So maybe this dish might be a little predictable coming from me, but you should still try it because it is awesome.

My bestie, Val really wanted me to run the Ragnar relay race she did with The Hubs and 9 other friends a couple of weeks ago. I declined because I can no longer run long distances due to gastrointestinal issues. I make out at about 35 minutes of continuous running before nature takes over. She swore up and down that she’d be able to train me and it would be fine. She began researching what causes GI problems, and guess what she found to be common causes? Vegetables, beans, and fruit. Soooooo pretty much the only things I eat. I told her I wasn’t going to begin eating lots of white carbs just for the sake of running 197 miles through NorCal, so they replaced me with someone who would. And, that’s my poop story for the day.

While they ran, I happily chowed down on these oh-so-protein-packed circles of deliciousness. I wouldn’t give up beans or shrimp for anything, let alone running! Besides, I’ve always been a better cheerleader than competitor.

Shrimp and White Bean Cakes recipe from Cooking Light 

• 1 whole garlic head **I substituted roasted garlic with Gourmet Garden chunky garlic. Not the same roasted flavor but delish nonetheless.
• 7 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, divided
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained, divided
• 1/2 cup cooked bulgur
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate cloves). Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil over garlic; wrap in foil. Bake at 375° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze into a small bowl to extract pulp. Discard skins. Mash garlic using the back of a spoon. Stir in yogurt, juice, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
3. Place 3 shrimp and 2/3 cup beans in a food processor; pulse until blended but not quite pureed. Add remaining shrimp, remaining beans, bulgur, cilantro, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt to food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Fill a 1/4-cup dry measuring cup with shrimp mixture. Invert onto a platter lined with parchment paper; gently pat into a 2 1/2-inch-wide patty. Repeat procedure with remaining shrimp mixture, forming 8 cakes. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
4. Preheat broiler to high.
5.  Brush a jelly-roll pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange chilled cakes on pan; brush tops of cakes with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Broil 5 minutes or until browned. Carefully turn cakes over. Brush tops of cakes with oil from pan. Broil an additional 5 minutes or until browned. Serve cakes with sauce.