Recipe #1: Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burgers

This is a fun and delicious meal, well combined with a quick and easy salad. The veggie burgers take about 30-35 minutes to make, including the prep time and bake time. A small amount of time to put into such an enjoyable meal!

Ingredients

- 1 (16 ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp chili powder (up to 2 tbsp for increased spice)
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp thai chili sauce or hot sauce
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- sesame seeds (if desired)
- buns (PC 4-Seed Bagel Thins or other)

Directions

1. Grilling: Preheat BBQ/Grill (high heat), and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. Baking: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty. This takes quite a bit of endurance, but keep at it - it will be worth it.
   
3. Finely chop onion, bell pepper, and garlic. You can use a food processor here if you have one, but I just use a knife (the ceramic knife that my sister gave to me is awesome for this and a garlic press for the garlic). Combine these ingredients with the mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the egg, chili powder, cumin, and the chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in the bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into 4-5 patties. I usually manage to get 5 patties out of this, or even 6, depending on how thin/thick you want them.
6. I like putting some Sesame seeds on top of the burger patties as well. Last time I did this after baking, but either before or after should be fine.
   
7. 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.
8. For burger buns, I usually use the PC 4-Seed Bagel Thins - a healthier substitute to regular buns.
   

I've never barbecued/grilled them before... I've only made them in the oven, and they've turned out great each time. The only thing you have to watch for, is that they don't stick to the sheet in the oven, because when you try to flip them over, this can cause a bit of a falling-apart effect. I'd say you could even go without a sheet and just grease a baking pan, or really make sure that your baking sheet is greased. I used aluminum last time, and they stuck to this like crazy - so try to avoid that! Other than that, all you need is a little light mayo, and some barbecue sauce or ketchup for those who want it, and a couple of pieces of lettuce (romaine or other) for inside the burger! Now they're ready to be eaten!

Side Salad

As mentioned above, these veggie burgers go very well with a nice, quick, balsamic vinegar based salad. I usually use Romaine or a mix of lettuces (Arugula is great) for the salad. For a very quick and simple salad dressing, I combine the following ingredients:

- 1 tbsp Olive or Sunflower Oil
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1-2 'squirts' of [Honey] Dijon Mustard
- Salad spices (mine is a fantastic mix from Switzerland, but any mixture of Italian Seasoning, Basil, Oregano, etc, works)

If you like, you can add minced garlic and/or finely chopped onion, which I add when I have time to chop them. I try to avoid salt, even though this is 'recommended' in the majority of dressings you see online. I don't think you need it at all... you can't taste a difference when you don't add salt, and the dressing is a bit healthier without it!

I hope you try out this recipe - let me know what you think!

Recipe Idea from http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/homemade-black-bean-veggie-burgers/Detail.aspx