Thursday, May 22, 2014

Hello food lovers!  Boy, I can't believe how long it's been since I posted!!!!  Too long. . .I hope all of my WI peeps are enjoying spring. . .finally, it has arrived I think!

While I like meat burgers, I am always trying to find the next, best veggie burger, too!  I decided to try my hand at making my own version of black bean burgers for our dinner last night.  I think they were a success!  Nice texture, flavor, substance!  NUM NUM!

Here is my recipe with Jen tweaks, as always:

JEN'S BLACK BEAN BURGERS
 
INCREDIENTS:
(2) cans organic black beans, drained
1 c Irish quick cooking oats
2 organic eggs
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup shredded carrots, finely chopped (I purchased preshredded carrots to save a step!)
1/4 small zucchini, skin on, finely chopped
2 T. finely chopped cilantro
1 small jalepeno, finely chopped (adds a nice spicy flavor!)
cumin/sea salt/pepper to taste
yellow cornmeal for dusting
olive oil for fying
griddle/frying pan
sour cream/avocado slices/sliced red onion/shredded romaine lettuce/salsa for garnish
hamburger buns
 
 
 
Directions:
1.  In a food processor with mixing blade attached add oats.  Pulse 3-5 times to get a course grind.
2.  Add 1/2 of drained black beans and two eggs.
3.  Pulse until you get a smoothish paste.
4.  In bowl, add remaining black beans.  Mash with potato masher by hand, leaving chunky.  This allows the burgers to have a nice, consistency/substance instead of being mushy.
5.  Add black bean/oat paste to the bowl of mashed black beans.  Also, add in carrots, zucchini, cilantro, jalepeno, and spices (to taste - approx 1/4 t. pepper, 1 t. salt, 2 t. cumin).  Mix by hand until you get a nice mixed product and consitency you like.
6.  Put a piece of waxed paper on a cookie sheet.  Lightly spreay waxed paper with your favorite oil spraay (I used organic olive oil spray).
7.  Pour approx 1/2 c. - 3/4 c. yellow cornmeal on plate to use for lightly dusting of patties. 
8.  In your hand, take a dusting of cornmeal and an ample portion of the black bean burger mixture.  Roll in to ball, dusting your hand/mixture as needed with cornmeal for it to not be sticky.  Press out lightly onto cornmeal on plate and press in to hamburger patty shape, then place on oil-sprayed wax paper.
9.  Place patties in refrigerator once patties are formed in order to allow the mixture to set up nicely (at least one hour).  For best results freeze patties for several hours.
10.  Lightly oil griddle/fying pan.  Place patties on griddle/frying pan and fry until crispy coating from cornmeal forms - approx 5-6 min per side.
11.  Serve on hamburger buns with garnishes of sour cream/avocado slices/sliced red onion/shredded romaine lettuce/salsa.  DIG IN!  YUMMY!  ENJOY!

 
-Jen