Southwest Black Bean Burgers

I know, everyone has their own veggie burger or black bean burger recipe...but I made this one up the other day and really liked it a lot! It is really similar to the black bean burger that was on the menu at Main Squeeze (where I work) a few years back, and customers went nuts for it! It is really simple to make and has a little bit of a zip to it from the chipotle powder, and it is really cheap for all the penny-pinchers out there--holla! I top these with some avocado, red onion, lettuce, and my "kickin' ketchup" (recipe below), and pile all that on a whole wheat bun! Serve it with some roasted veggies or chips 'n salsa, and dinner is served! Or lunch. Or breakfast, really.

Southwest Black Bean Burgers (serves 6)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 Tbs flaxseed meal, whisked with 1/4 cup warm water
juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbs)
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbs chipotle powder or chili powder
1 Tbs paprika
2 Tbs hot sauce...I like Frank's or Cholula brands
2 Tbs soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
--1/2 cup whole wheat flour plus 1/2 tsp black pepper, for rolling

Preheat oven to 375 F and lightly oil a sheet pan.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, and olive oil. Use a potato masher or fork to mash this all together, until the beans have been mostly smashed and this mixture reaches a paste-like consistency. Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the flour/pepper mixture, and mix together until well combined. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and black pepper. Measure out 1/2 cup of burger mixture and form it into a ball. Roll the ball in the flour mixture to coat. Place on the greased sheet pan and flatten into desired size/thickness. Repeat until all of the burger mixture is gone--this should make about six good-sized burgers.
Bake for 20 minutes. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before removing from sheet pan (this is crucial, folks!). To serve immediately, brown in a skillet and serve on a bun with kickin' ketchup (follows). To serve later, store in an airtight container and refrigerate. These will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

Kickin' Ketchup (makes about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup organic ketchup....no high fructose corn syrup!!!
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp hot sauce
1 Tbs lemon or lime juice
1 Tbs spicy brown mustard

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Refrigerate in an airtight container. Will keep for several weeks.

Now any night can be burger night :)

Buffalo Seitan Wraps and Another Lovely Sunday!

Yesterday was so wonderful! Lots of great people and great food were shared to make yet another fantastic KC Vegan Crawl! I am constantly astounded at everyone's support of Sustainability Sunday happenings!!

Onto the food! Where would we be without it!?

The star of the lunch on Sunday was the Buffalo Seitan Wrap: homemade chick'n style seitan dredged in a homemade spicy buffalo wing sauce wrapped up in an organic whole wheat tortilla with homemade vegan ranch dressing, organic red onion, tomato, and spinach. Oooooh they were so delish!! The cool ranch juxtaposed against the spicy buffalo seitan was divine.

And for the side dish, I made some Spiced Potato Wedges! Local potatoes tossed in olive oil and spices, and baked until nice and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside! Yum! Man, potatoes are a perfect food. GOSH. I also made my Kickin' Ketchup for the dipping of the potato wedges. I love to dip, what can I say?!And you know I gotta have dessert!! I made my Oatmeal Cream Pies, because I just wanted and needed and craved them. I think everyone was happy with my decision...so perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg for the fall, with that dollop of buttercream-style filling for a little naughty indulgent touch. I think I can declare this my new favorite dessert! There, I said it! :)

I was so very pleased with how yesterday went...now it's time to get crackin' for the next sustainability shindig!