Black Bean Burgers

When looking for something quick to make for dinner, my husband turns to frozen Morningstar spicy black bean burgers about once a month or so.  I've been trying to stay away from frozen dinners, so when I came across this recipe I knew I wanted to give it a shot.

There isn't anything too fancy in the burgers (the only thing I had to run to the store for was chili powder since I had just used up the last of mine the other day) and it really wasn't hard to make.  I even got to use my fancy new masher I picked up at the store the other day.  I never really felt like I was doing anything wrong, though I did burn my finger on my stupid stovetop.  I forgot that the burners get hot when the oven is on (apparently the output for the hot air is directly into one of the back burners) so I bumped my knuckle on the burner and now have a lovely blister.  I did learn something new - if you burn yourself, put toothpaste (the white paste kind) on it.  I don't know exactly how it helps, but my mother-in-law suggested it, so I did it and it stopped hurting as much.

Next time I make these burgers I'll get fancy and add some toppings.  Normally my husband doesn't put anything on his black bean burgers, and I put a little sour cream on it to cut the spiciness (and I eat it sans the bread), but I think that some tomato and maybe a little cheese would go really well with this.  I served the burgers on whole wheat rolls with a side of roasted brussels sprouts and a sweet potato puree.  In all it took me less than an hour to cook.  I started the brussels sprouts first, then while they roasted I started getting the burgers ready.  When the sprouts came out, I finished mixing everything in, covered it, put it to the side, then finished up prepping the burgers.  While the burgers cooked, I heated the sweet potatoes in the microwave, then pureed it while the burgers cooled.

I'd definitely make these burgers again, I think they were better than the frozen kind!
 

Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers (from Allrecipes.com)

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 (I used panko)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and lightly oil a baking sheet.   
- In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty. 
- In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans. 
- In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce. 
- 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. 
- Place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side