Mexican Torta Sliders for Banana and Coffee Iron Chef Challenge

This is our first Iron Chef challenge, so yay! The challenge was to use bananas and coffee in an unexpected way and without the help of a standard recipe.

For the beans:
1/2 cup very strong coffee
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 jalapeno, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a small pot, saute garlic, shallot, and jalapeno in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, then add beans and coffee. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium and add spices. Cook 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Mash the beans and continue to cook another 5 minutes, or until the beans are thickened to your liking. Taste for salt and pepper.

For the banana-cilantro mayo:
1/2 medium banana
2 TBL tahini
1 tsp garlic
2 TBL apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
black pepper

Blend ingredients together until smooth and whipped.

Put it all together:

Additional ingredients: mozzarella Daiya, sliced black olives, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes

On a baguette or other sandwich roll type bread, spread banana mayo on one side and add lettuce and tomato. On the other half, add coffee-black beans, black olives, and Daiya. Carefully put sandwich halves together.

Serve with sweet potato fries!