Black Bean Burgers

Last week I came across a recipe in a Twitter #MeatlessMonday search for Spicy Black Bean Burgers. It was on my mind all week, and I was looking forward to making it for Monday. I made sure I had bought the ingredients I didn't have, and brought the recipe up in conversation whenever I could.

I did not bookmark the recipe when I found it and had quite the time rediscovering it. All I could remember was that it called for just 1 can of black beans, onions, peppers, cumin, and hot sauce among other ingredients. I searched my usual recipes sites - Allrecipes.com and Spark People Recipes - to no avail.

Somehow after a few Google searches I found it. Thank goodness too! By this time I'm pretty sure my stomach began feeding on my brain. I knew it was the right one because I remembered the layout and pictures on the page. However, I missed 'egg' on the ingredient list and probably could have found it much sooner than I did.

So, this recipe seemed pretty straight forward to me, and it was. I drained and rinsed the beans. While they were sitting, I pulled the aluminum salad bar container out. (I find it easier to go to the salad bar and pick the parts of the veggies I want, rather than wasting half an onion I don't need.) I picked out some slices of onion, green pepper, and banana peppers and tossed them in my food processor - with a fork of minced garlic, of course.

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 to 1 cup of finely chopped onions and peppers
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon each: cumin, creole seasoning, onion powder
1 tablespoon hot sauce
regular breadcrumbs

Olive oil

I mashed up the beans in a glass bowl with a fork. I have hesitated investing in a masher because all I used to think I'd mash were potatoes. I want one now.

Next I 'processed' the veggies in the processor and mixed them into my mashed beans. They seemed to hold up well. I let that sit to the side while I beat one egg with some onion powder, cumin, hot sauce, and creole seasoning.

I poured the egg mixture into the bean and veggie bowl. The contents blended well, but were a bit watery. The original recipe said this could happen, but suggested draining through a fine colandar, or cheesecloth - neither of which I had.

My solution: add more breadcrumbs. The recipe added 1/2 a cup. I added 1/2 cup, mixed in, added a few more shakes, mixed in, shaked, mixed, etc. until the mixture was moist but pliable.

Patties rested in my palms while I sprinkled bread crumbs on each side, and then tossed them into my pan with some heated olive oil. I cooked each side for about 3 minutes before flipping it. It was enough time to form a crispy, burger-like crust around the bean mixtures.

My recipe yielded 5 patties.The original yields 4. I write this off to my smaller hands, thus smaller patties.

I tried one patty last night for dinner, wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla with a slice of swiss cheese. It was delicious. The spices were strong, but just enough. The texture made the burger melt in my mouth while the veggies prevented my nose from running or any of the other 'overly-spicy-reactions'

Today I had another one for lunch, also wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla and slice of swiss cheese. But this one had a little bit more flavor - my red pepper hummus was spread between the tortilla and the patty. It was phenomenal. I can't wait to have another one for lunch tomorrow!

All day today as I discussed my recipe more with people, I thought of those I know who I think would really enjoy the patties. I wanted to divide what I had left into little baggies and pass them out like Halloween candy to my friends and family.

Maybe next time...this batch is almost gone!

This is a great base-recipe. Changing up the spices and vegetables can give you a totally different flavor 'burger.' I am thinking some pineapple, red onion, and soy sauce for a tropical taste next time.