Bean\veggie burgers: don't scoff!

These have always sounded really good to me, and I made them for the first time the other day, using some mixed beans we had on hand.  You're really supposed to use black beans, but since red kidney beans were the only ones I had on hand today, I used those.  Don't be scared by the way these look - you should give them a try!

 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and put your beans into a bowl

 Mash them up until they make a thick paste

 Chop 1\2 a green pepper into tiny pieces. 

You can also pretend that you're at a Japanese restaurant and try a bunch of neat knife throwing\food chopping tricks.  A word of caution, though: you might get green pepper-lets flying through the air,  so protective eye wear might be wise.

 See how tiny the pieces are?

 Do the same with 1\2 an onion (I used a very small one), and a clove of garlic, or you can use garlic powder, like I did here.

 Stir bean&veggie mix, and add chili powder

 Cumin powder, and an egg

 And a little lemon juice, even though the recipe doesn't call for it!  We're wild.

 Mix everything together

 Add your breadcrumbs so that you'll be able to form the patty

 This is what the consistency of it looks like.  

 Grab a handful, and mush it into a little ball, remembering not to throw it at anyone

 Oil or butter a cookie sheet, and put them on there

 Cook for 10 minutes, flip, and cook for another 10 minutes on the other side

 I didn't put mine in a burger, but made it into a salad instead.  

Yuuum!

Bean\veggie Burgers:

- 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, or garlic powder to taste

- 1 egg

- 1 tablespoon chili powder

- 1 tablespoon cumin

- 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.