After my daughters switched to a vegetarian diet, coming up with yummy meals was initially a challenge. My oldest daughter led the way when she adopted a vegetarian diet about three and half years ago. A couple of years later, my youngest followed suit. I’ve gone back and forth and have now settled into a pescatarian diet.
But food, for many of us, is all about comfort. And one meal that brings many of us Americans comfort is a burger and fries. On some level, I thought that since I left meat behind, that I also needed to leave behind the All American Meal. Nope! It’s still one of our favorite meals, that has become an every-other-week staple, but instead of a meat burger, we do Black Bean burgers and instead of regular fries (which we most certainly can and do eat on occasion), we make sweet potato fries.
I originally found a form of this recipe online (the original was for fritters!). I printed a copy and over the years it has faded and is covered in remnants of ingredients. In fact, I don’t actually use the original recipe any longer and have added/removed various ingredients through experimentation.
So, here’s what you need:
3 cups black beans (one can), cooked (drain, once cooked)
1 large yellow (and/or red) pepper, remove seeds, chop into small pieces
1 small white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed (or powdered if you don’t want your fingers smelling like garlic for the remainder of the evening)
1 large tomato, chopped into small pieces
3 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro (substitute Gourmet Garden Cilantro paste — which keeps in the fridge for longer period of time)
½ cup all purpose unbleached flour (lately I’ve been using Tiger Nut Flour)
2 eggs, room temperature
Sea salt and black pepper
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Here’s what you do:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stir well to combine (add more flour if not binding). Season with the sea salt and black pepper. Make hamburger-size patties, placing them on a slightly greased baking sheet. Pop in the oven for about 18-20 minutes (longer, if needed).
Here’s what you get:
Remove and place bean cakes on a hamburger buns (I like mine toasted). Add your favorite mustard or ketchup. Use organic when possible for an even healthier version. Add sweet potato fries and voila! If you’re not doing burger night, I recommend sour cream and salsa on top of the bean burger. Yum!
Enjoy!
Recipe disclaimer: I’m always experimenting. My recipes are NOT tested outside of my kitchen, only with my family and some brave friends! Wink, wink. I encourage you to do the same and maybe take the recipe as a starting point. Add different spices or veggies, or not. I’ve found that the key to eating healthier is to enjoy the process of shopping, preparing, cooking…then eating! It’s a joyful experience that can be shared with people you care about. Create memories in the kitchen!
