New Year's Food Find #3: Black Bean Burgers

Imagine sinking your teeth into a fully loaded juicy hamburger. Now picture sinking your teeth into a piece of fat shaped into a hamburger with about 10tbsp of salt, sugar, and more fat on top. Doesn't sound appetizing huh. Unfortunately many burger joints deliver this to their customers with a side of fried something and a cup of sugar water. People in America are addicted to fast food and burgers fall into this category. But honestly, who can resist a really good burger prepared in just the right way? Even though the temptation is strong, many people people turn away a good burger for the sake of the calories. Here's where my New Year Food Find #3 comes into play. Black beans are mashed and shaped into patties resulting in a tasty meal that has just about the same amount of protein of a burger and 75% less calories. The best thing about this recipe is it's versatility. I've prepared this in so many different ways from Sunday. The way the recipe below approaches it is from southwestern style cooking. Enjoy!

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

-Mr. Crafty