Black Bean Burger

As we try and eat better and try to eat less meat a good burger is necessary. I have always liked vegetarian burgers, so this was easy for me to enjoy.
One of the problems with black bean burgers is they tend to be mushy on the inside. I worked to try and prevent that. There is a fine line with bean burgers between firm and dry. I think these are just the perfect firm burger without being dry.
A very adaptable burger for sure. We don't eat a lot of bread these days but I do make home made hamburger buns to go with our bean burgers. We also do a little cheese with them as well. Everything we choose is organic if possible. Just another way to up the level of goodness these burgers offer.

here is what I did: You can absolutely half this recipe. It makes about 12

4 Cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup frozen corn, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
1/2 cup grated onion
2 cloves garlic grated
2 TBl. minced pickled jalapeno
3 tsp. salt (this seems like a lot but between the beans and bread crumbs the salt is needed)
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ancho chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
3 Tbl. hot sauce (we use Cholula hot sauce)
4 eggs beaten
2 cups dried bread crumbs
One of the things that makes bean burgers mushy is the moisture in the beans. So after rinsing  them, I placed them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and baked them in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I stirred the beans about half way through to get the bottom moist beans to the top. If you bake them too long they will dry out too much. Better to under bake them then over bake them. Baking is not necessary it is just how I have found to help the consistency. After baking let cool and then place in a food processor and pulse them till they are large crumbles. Place in a bowl.
 Place the sunflower seeds in food processor and process till small pieces and add to the bowl of beans.
Next add the corn to the food processor and process till small pieces and add to the bowl. Mix the ingredients together and add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, salt, pepper, both chili powders, cumin,hot sauce and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning. It should be slightly salty (this will be ok as we are adding bread crumbs and that will take care of the saltiness)
Next add the eggs and combine, stir in the bread crumbs (the mixture will be very thick. I sometimes just use my hands if it is too hard to stir.) Let mixture set for 5 minutes and then form into patties.
I use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to scoop out the mix and then squeeze the mixture together and then flatten out and form into a patty about 4" in diameter or about 1/2 " thick or so. Place on a plate till ready to fry.
Heat pan on med heat. Add a few Tbl. of oil and when oil is hot add burgers and fry for about 5 minutes. Turn the patty and fry an additional 5 minutes. If using cheese add cheese the last 2 minutes of frying. I cover the pan and let them steam a little to help melt the cheese. The burgers should be nice and crisp. You don't want to try and cook the burgers too fast as they will be crisp on the outside and still have uncooked egg on the inside. Unlike frying beef patties which cook at higher temps, you want to give these plenty of time to cook and get crisp.
I serve mine on home made hamburger buns with lettuce, tomato, raw onions, and smashed avocado that has a little lime and salt mixed in with it. You can of course use any condiment you like.
Enjoy!

Rustic Hummus

My family loves hummus. I have a son that could live on the stuff. I use to buy a big container of it weekly at Costco. It dawned on me that there was no reason to buy it when I can make it at home for 1/2 the price.
I have tried many different recipes. I have never found one that I loved. They were bitter or just not right. This one is really good.
 To get that super smooth hummus we tend to see you must sit and remove the little skins off of each garbanzo bean. Well after pulling the skins off of about 5 little beans (I had 4 cans of beans rinsed and ready to use) I said the heck with it. We will have rustic hummus. I'm not sitting there and peeling the skins off of 4 cans of beans. So it is up to you on how smooth you want it to look. It tastes the same.
This recipe makes a large bowl. You can certainly half it.
The thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it to your own taste. More of this, less of that. It is a good basic recipe to play with.

Here is what I did:
4 cans garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
1 cup tahini (this is a sesame seed paste you can find at most grocery stores and health food stores. Make sure you mix it well before you use it. The oil and seed butter separate. )
4 lemons juiced
1 Cup extra virgin olive oil + a drizzle or so as needed while blending.
1 bunch cilantro, cleaned and just tear the top leaves off, a little stem is ok. You will be blending it a food processor anyway.
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
2 tsp. garlic powder (you can certainly use fresh garlic. This is just easy and works fine in my opinion.)
1 1/2 tsp. salt or more to taste
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
optional- a drizzle of honey if it tastes too tart from the lemon juice. The lemon will mellow some if you want to wait before adding any honey.

In food processor add tahini and lemon juice. Blend and scrape down sides if needed. Add evoo, cilantro, cucumber, garlic powder, salt, paprika, cumin and blend scraping sides down to blend it well. Add half the beans and blend well. Add the other half and blend well. Scrape down sides a few times during blending to make sure it is completely blended. If it is too thick add a drizzle of evoo or a Tbl. at a time of water.  Taste for tartness and add honey if you want to. Just a small drizzle. As I said before the lemon will mellow out. Now taste for seasonings. Add more salt or cumin etc...as needed. You don't want to under salt this or it will be very bland. The lemons and salt are important ingredients in getting the right hummus flavor.
Serve with cut up veggies, corn chips, pita chips or eat it off a spoon. It all works. We love to use it in veggie roll up as the condiment. YUM.
Enjoy!