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Banana and Black Bean Empanadas
Vegetarian Times magazine
These very tasty pockets are made with some surprising ingredients in both the crust and filling. Yum!
Crust:
350 ml1 & 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
240 ml1 c. all-purpose flour
7 ml1 & 1/2 tsp. salt
2 ml1/2 tsp. chili powder
59 ml4 T. cold soy margarine cut into 1/2 inch cubes
120 ml1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
15 ml1 T. white wine vinegar
79 ml1/3 c. cold water or more
Filling:
15 ml1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
240 ml1 c. cooked black beans
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
2 bananas, peeled and diced (1 cup)
5 ml1 tsp. ground cumin
1 ml1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 ml1/4 tsp. ground coriander
30 ml2 T. fresh cilantro
5 ml1 tsp. red pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
To make Crust: Sift flours, salt, and chili powder in bowl. Mix in margarine with fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together applesauce, vinegar, and cold water in separate bowl. Stir applesauce mixture into flour mixture until textured dough forms, adding up to 1/4 c. more water if necessary. Knead on lightly floured board until dough comes together. Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill one hour or overnight.
To make Filling: heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion 4 to 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add beans and garlic, reduce heat to medium, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in bananas, cumin, cayenne, and coriander, and cook 2 minutes, or until bananas begin to break down and are fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and red pepper sauce.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Divide dough into 12 balls. Coat baking sheet with oil. Roll out each ball to 6-inch round (1/4 inch thick) on lightly floured work surface. Fill with 2-3 T. filling and brush edges of pastry with water. Fold dough circle in half, press to close, and crimp edges with fork to seal. Transfer to baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough balls. Chill 10 minutes.
Bake empanadas 20 minutes or until golden brown and crusty. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before serving.