Black Bean Burgers

I got hooked on black bean burgers when I tried Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burgers.  They are a-maz-ing, but expensive.  So, I came up with my own recipe.  I hope you like it.

1-15 oz can of black beans
1/3 c of bread crumbs
1/4 c diced peppers (I used a mix if yellow, red, and green)
1/4 c diced celery
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 large egg
1/2 of a jalapeno pepper, finely minced
1/2 a small onion, diced
3 tbs of olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
good pinch of salt and pepper

Makes 4 burgers

Rinse and drain the black beans.  In a skillet, over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add your peppers, celery, garlic and onions and saute until softened, about 4 minutes. 

While the vegetables are cooking, in a large bowl, coursely mash the beans with a fork.  You want to leave some intact.

Add the sauteed vegetables, bread crumbs, and spices to the beans and mix thoroughly with your fork.

It is, ladies and gentlemen, at this point, that you will want to taste your mixture and adjust your seasonings accordingly.  I started with 1/2 tsp of cumin and a 1/4 jalapeno pepper, then adjusted up.  Remember, you can always add more, you cannot take away.

Once you've gotten your burgers to the flavor you want, add the egg and mix thoroughly. 

Form them into 4 patties (they are sticky), cover with plastic, and let them sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cooking.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and let it heat up.  Add the black bean burgers and cook 4 minutes on each side, and you get this ...


Of course, every recipe is trial and error.  This was my first attempt.  It was in a dry cast iron skillet.  I can't recommend you try this.  If not for the jalapenos, it would have been dog food. 


I had mine on an Arnold's Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin with a slice of cheddar.  Feel free to veg up your burger; I'm just not that kind of girl!

Please enjoy!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

Oh my Gosh!  It's been forever!  I really don't have any excuse, so I won't bore you with one.  I'll just ask for your forgiveness instead.  Now, on to the recipe...

I can't take credit for this recipe; it came to me by way of my boss.  Chris has a passion for Latin and Indian foods. Wait; let me back up a bit.  I work for a General Contracting business in Silver Spring, Maryland now.  No, I'm no longer doing the retail grocery thing.  Well, that's not entirely true; I still work at the store part-time, but I think that too is about to change.  I'm too damn old to be working 65 hours a week!  I digress (I'm good at that).  Chris' passion isn't the General Contracting part of this business.  His baby is concrete, as is counter tops, fireplaces, mantle, etc.  He's good; he's won awards.  How does this tie into the recipe, you ask.  I'll tell you.  On a bookcase, in his office, is a 3 ring binder, labeled "recipes".  I always just assumed it was his magic recipes for concrete.  I would chuckle every time it caught my eye.  He pulled it out, one day, because, as is often, our conversation was about food (we both love to cook).  He pulled out the binder and made me a copy of this recipe.  He said it was the one that "started it all" (he's collection of recipes that were held in that binder).  I accused him of holding out on me, took the copy, and as luck would have it, we got socked in on the East Coast with a major snowstorm that weekend.  What a perfect opportunity for chili!  Naturally, I didn't follow the recipe to the letter, as is my MO!

2 tbs EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c diced tomatoes
1-1/3 c water
2 tps lime juice (probably half a lime)
1/4 tsp ground chipotle chile (having no idea where to find this, I used hot Mexican chili powder)
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (not a fan, so I used flat leaf parsley)
salt, to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and potato and cook, stirring often, until the onion is slightly softened, about 4 minutes. 






Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle, salt and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 






Add the water, bring to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potato is tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Add the beans, tomatoes, and lime juice; increase the heat to high (to return to a simmer), stirring often.  Reduce the heat, once again to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. 

Serves 2.

Now, this is what I did differently,

First, as I said, I used flat leaf parsley because I think cilantro is evil (just kidding, but I don't care for it).

Second, being a huge sweet potato fan, I used a large sweet potato.

Then, I added the water, tomatoes, and the beans at the same time and let it reduce, alot!  I like my chili really thick (just look at the top pictuce).  In retrospect this may have affected the taste a bit, so next time, I'll do the 4 minutes and just use my immersion blender on it a teensy bit.

After it had reduced, I added the lime juice and parsley.

Last, since I really like Cincinnati style chili, I added a dash of cinnamon.

This was so yummy; I refused to share and saved the leftovers for my lunch the next day!