Black Bean Burgers

Making Black bean burgers from scratch was a first for me and it is definitely not the last.

There is always a little grumbling from the family when I present something new and different. My carnivorous husband is particularly sceptical to meatless dishes. But what do you know? These veggie burgers received thumbs up from my relatively picky daughters and my husband too. My 13 year old made the very poignant comment: "This is how we can get Americans to eat healthy. Just make food that looks like burgers". Very well said! These burgers are healthy, delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients:

Olive oil

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cheese slices, Swiss or Provolone work well.

Hamburger buns

Toppings: I made guacamole out of 1 avocado and juice of 1/2 a lime plus a little salt.

Tomato slices, onions, lettuce, whatever your hearts desire.

Preparation:

Heat oil in a small saute pan. Add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the beans, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir together and let cool slightly before transferring mixture to a food processor, or in my case a blender. Add cilantro, bread crumbs and eggs and pulse a few times, until mixture is coarsely chopped. Let mixture sit for about 10 minutes in the refrigerator before shaping into patties. Fry in olive oil on medium heat about 5 minutes per side (depending on thickness). Transfer cooked patties to a baking sheet and top with cheese slices. Broil in oven for 2-3 minutes, to melt the cheese. Serve on buns. I toasted mine, literally, I put them in the toaster. Top with avocado spread and/or other favorite toppings.

Enjoy!

Makes 4-6 patties depending on size and thickness. Unlike hamburgers made with meat, these patties will not shrink, so the size you make the patties is the final size you will have after cooking.