Veggie Burgers Mexican Style Food Is Fuel May 7, 2010

So, this week, as I thought about what to post for Food Is Fuel Fridays, I came upon a recipe for Veggie Burgers that I could not resist.  I got the idea from a popular recipe site, but ended up having to alter it significantly to suit our needs.  As usual, my loving family were my recipe guinea pigs.  They were all very satisfied.  Correct, hubs was satisfied, kidlet does NOT like onions.  While he was brave and ate about half the burger,  next time, I will have to remember to not put onions in his burger.  In honor of Cinco De Mayo, here's our Veggie Burger Mexican Style.

Veggie Burgers Mexican Style

• 1 can of Black Beans (15 oz) Drained and rinsed.
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• handful of chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1 large clove of garlic (or more if you like)
• 1/2 cup of salsa
• 1/4 cup of oats
• 1/4 cup of honey mustard pretzel crumbs (whatever you have laying around)*
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 pinch chili powder

I started by heating the beans and white onions and garlic in the skillet.  I cooked them until the beans absorbed the onion flavor, and the onions were nice and brown.  In a medium bowl, I mixed the flour, oats and pretzel crumbs.  Once the beans and onions are cooked, add them to the flour mixture.  Add Salsa and any remaining ingredients and mix well.  Make sure to mash up the beans fairly well, however, a little texture goes a long way.


*Note, the pretzel crumbs were not the healthiest choice, but you can substitute with anything really. We just picked them cause we needed to get rid of them, and who doesn't love honey mustard? =)


Once the bean mixture was ready, I rolled it into 8 balls about one to one and half inches in size.  I baked all eight in my oven at 425 degrees for about 7 minutes on each side. (my oven cooks hot, so judge the time based on your oven).  Once done, garnish with your favorite burger toppings.  We used cheese, pickles, spinach and a couple desirable condiments.  This recipe feeds eight people, however, because there are only 3 of us, I froze the remaining patties. I wrapped them up in parchment and put them in a freezer safe container for later snacking.

This was a fun to make and very simple.  Plus, the nutritional value alone makes it worth it.  Beans are very nutritious, especially in a vegetarian diet.  Here's a little more about the nutritional benefits of black beans.  


Black beans, as all dried beans, are good sources of starches, fiber, B vitamins, iron, zinc, phosphorus, complex carbohydrates and calcium. While about half of the calcium is lost during cooking, high percentages of the other nutrients remain however, even after cooking.  Because beans are not a complete protein *not containing all 9 amino acids*,  it is wise to supplement the missing amino acids with a grain or a small amount of dairy.  For us, we whole grain flour and oats as our binding ingredient.  


This recipe, as all of my recipes ends up being tweaked over time. I never truly cook the same thing twice. Just because, I don't often use real recipes.  I just go on flavor, smell and texture to guide me most of the time.


I hope you all enjoy.


Eat Well and Be Merry. Peace.