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 :)

Black and Blue Burgers!

I found another wonderful way to use my Sheese blue cheese: put it on a burger! I put it on the top bun and put them in the oven (upside down, of course) to melt the cheese...it didn't get too melty, but it got pretty soft and creamy! Good enough for me! I paired the blue cheese with a blackened (coated with spices like cayenne, pepper, paprika, etc. and pan-seared) Amy's brand burger with red onion and lettuce...

Then we had some spicy sweet potato "fries" (I always bake my fries...) and some steamed chard...it was awesome! Man, it's too bad being vegan is so hard....ha!

Spicy Sweet Potato "Fries"

(serves 2)

1 large sweet potato

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

pinch salt and pepper

1 tsp oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut sweet potato into julienne strips/ fry-type shapes. In a bowl, toss the strips of sweet potato with the oil and spices, then spread fries in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the fries and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes, until browned and slightly crispy. Then enjoy...a lot!