Black beans for everyone!!

Last night as I was making my way through my local grocery store I had a bit of a Eureka! moment as I stood in front of the freezer in the organic and specialty food section. I was about to pick up a box of black bean veggie burgers ($5.49 for 4) when it dawned on me: I can make these at home! Better yet I can probably make twice a many for that price.

So the challenge as it were, was on. I quickly picked up the few ingredients that I might need, taking mental inventory of the items that were already at home in my fridge. This was going to be fun!

Admittedly my first attempt at the burgers went a little awry ( I thought I could pulse the beans in the blender rather then mash them and ended up with puree...doi!) but in the spirit of waste not, want not I used these to make my own rendition of black bean dip which was on my long list of things to try anyway.


The next attempt at the burgers went much more smoothly and in no time I was ready to cook these babies up!

Burger balls just waiting to get turned into patties

I added some of the black bean dip for extra flavor

Black Beans Burgers

750ml black beans (drained)

1/3 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup finely chopped carrot

1/2 green pepper, finely diced

1 egg

3-4 tbsp bbq sauce

2 tbsp cajun spice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

3/4 cup bread crumbs

• Mash beans in a bowl, ensuring that you don't overmash. Pieces of beans are good for consistency
• Add egg, vegetables and spices and stir with a large spoon or spatula
• Add bread crumbs 1/4 of a cup at a time. The mixture should be thick enough to form patties.
• Adjust bread crumbs as required (you may need less to avoid drying out the burgers or more to ensure that the mixture is thick)
• Form patties using the mixture
• Cook over medium heat in a frying pan for approximately 5 minutes on each side (patties will crisp and brown)
• Serve on a bun or in a wrap with your favorite toppings

Makes 10-12 medium sized patties.

The verdict: Delicious!! And I validated this by feeding one to the Boyfriend,who isn't exactly the biggest fan of vegetarian fare, and he really enjoyed it. In fact he said "Oh man, I am eating a burger made of beans and I actually like it" Score!

And just to add icing to the cake I did the math and realized that I made 12 burgers for less then the price of four at the supermarket. How sweet is that?!?

So tell me, what premade foods would you rather make at home?

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