Post Punk Kitchen offered a fun challenge for the weekend. Its a contest called Chopped Vegan. The challenge is to create an main dish in under forty minutes using the mystery ingredients: Blackberries, fresh mint, canned black eyed peas, and bittersweet chocolate. This is what I came up with.

For the black eyed pea mole cakes 

• 1/2 poblano finely chopped   
• 2 green chili peppers
• 2 clove garlic minced
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 2 cans black beans
• 1 cup “no beef” beef broth
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tea sp turmeric
• 1/2 tea sp cumin
• 2 cans black eyed peas
• vegetable oil for frying

Bread crumbs 

• french bread 
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 

Drain the black eyed peas and rinse throughly. Add to 3 cups water, one clove minced garlic clove, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cook for five minuets, remove from heat, strain and let cool. Heat one teaspoon of olive oil in skillet , add the shallot, green chili, and poblano, cook for 3 mins and add garlic, turmeric, and cumin and cook for additional 3 minutes. Add the “beef” broth to the mixture and bring to a simmer, then add the chocolate chips and melt reducing until thick. Add the mixture to a food processor with the black eyed peas and process until it is a thick paste move mixture and add to a large bowl and stir in tomato paste.