Spicy Black Bean Burgers
Now I'm the first one to admit that I am 100%, without a doubt a full blown carnivore. Fun fact: the name Hungry Ali actually stems from a story in high school. I was hanging out with my friends in downtown Olympia around lunch time when all of a sudden, out of nowhere I became super hangry and might've unreasonably snapped at them for not just picking a place to eat where I could "just eat a lot of meat." So Hungry Ali was the original hangry, before it was cool, and it comes out in full force when I'm craving meat. Now you know!
And while I love my meat, and crave it 80% of the time, I've surprised myself over the years at how much a non-meat item can satisfy me like meat can.
Especially if it's trying to resemble meat as we know and love it. Example: veggie burgers. When I bite into a veggie or black bean burger, with all of it's amazing burger-like qualities, I really do feel like I'm eating meat! I'm willing to bet there are some hard psychological facts out there that can support this anecdote...
So I found myself the other day with an economy sized pack of black beans I bought from Costco wondering what the heck I was going to do with them (a girl can only make so many pots of chili!) And then I remembered my liking for black bean burgers. I also happened to be craving a burger-like object. Making black bean burgers from scratch seemed like the obvious choice.
It turns out, making homemade black burgers is really quick, simple and great for your wallet! A can of black beans, plus a few simple pantry ingredients and a zip in the food processor can translate into some pretty darn delicious black bean burgers. This is definitely a new favorite and I know you're going to love it too.
I went the Tex Mex route with my black bean burgers because it just felt like a natural flavor profile for me. Beans pair really well with zesty, spicy Mexican flavors and it's really easy to scale up or down however you feel like going. I have to say, these were definitely on the spicy side if that’s your thing! But obviously scale back if that’s not your jam and feel free to cut back on the use of chipotle peppers, or use cheddar or Monterey Jack as your cheese instead of pepper Jack. You could also do a more mild spice by mixing sriracha with mayo instead of the straight chipotle peppers. You be the judge of how much heat you can handle!
Serve them up with freshly sliced avocado, tomato and crisp romaine on a good bun with some sweet tater fries and you'll have yourself a standout (meatless) burger night!
Spicy Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients:
Black Bean Burgers:
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 onion, chopped roughly
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tbsp cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 cup oats
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Chipotle Mayo:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 chipotle in adobe sauce, diced
Directions:
Pulse pepper, onion, garlic and cilantro together in a food processor until it forms into a paste like consistency. Add cumin, Kosher salt, adobo sauce and half of black beans and puree. Remove puree from food processor and place in bowl. Add the rest of beans, egg, oats and breadcrumbs and stir to combine. If the mixture seems to wet, add more oats or breadcrumbs.
Form into 6 evenly formed patties and refrigerate for about an hour. While refrigerating, combine mayonnaise and chipotles in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat and grease with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook black bean patties about 4 minutes a side or until crispy on each side. Serve on buns with chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomato and cheese of your choice - pepper jack was a great choice for the spice lovers out there!
