Black Bean and Rice Cakes

I eat a lot of rice.
I'll add vegetables, beans, lentils, just about anything really.
So its not out of the ordinary that a couple of nights ago I made a big pot of rice and beans and hadn't gotten around to finishing them up yet.   Eyes bigger than belly and all that.
These bean cakes were made because I wanted breakfast and not lunch so I decided to try to make a savory sort of pancake.  And because I wanted to use my brand new skillet (thanks mom!). 

Recipe
*Keep in mind that I didn't measure anything, and you probably don't need to
-3 cups of leftover beans and rice
-a dash of water to loosen them up
-1 or 2 tablespoons of oil
-1/2 cup corn meal
-1 egg

In a big bowl mix together the rice, beans, oil and water.  The whole point here is to get the beans and rice evenly mixed up with no clumps of just plain old rice.

Get out a pastry cutter or potato masher and go to town.  Mash as much as you can but don't expect to get a uniform mixture.  Rice, apparently, hates being mashed.

Add in corn meal and mix until you have a stiff batter then add the egg and do it again.
*if your batter is too loose the cakes will fall apart in the skillet so don't be shy with the corn meal.

Generously spoon the batter into a hot skillet.  If its nonstick you will not need extra oil in the pan, but adding some will give the edges of your cakes that crispy-fried texture. 

Pan fry the cakes until browned and crisp on each side (about 1-2 minutes per side on my stove). 

Top the cakes with green onions, salsa, cheese, or whatever else you have kicking around in the fridge.  Mmmmmm.