Recipe Review- Black Bean Burgers

 Time to Cook!

 Daughter Rachel and I  recently ate at one of our favorite restaurants, Kavarana, in Green Bay.  We always get the same thing, she orders the Black Bean Quesadilla and I like the Black Bean Burger.  While the Kavarna version is very good, they use a pre-made patty, probably Morningstar.  These patties are fine but I decided to try making my own homemade burgers.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

2 (16 oz) cans black beans, drained, rinsed, and dried
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 eggs
2 tbl. chili powder
2 tbl cumin
2 tsp. thai chili sauce or hot sauce (Thai chili sauce is in the Asian section- it's very good)
1 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
I baked these but they can also go on the grill or George Foreman.  Preheat oven to 375 and lightly spray a baking sheet with vegetable or olive oil spray.

1- In a medium bowl, mash the black beans with a fork (I used my potato masher) until thick and pasty
2- Stir in green pepper and onions
3- In a small bowl, mix eggs, chili powder, cumin and chili sauce
4- Stir egg mixture into the mashed beans.  Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is slightly sticky and holds together.  I added more chili sauce and spices.  The great thing about this is that you can sample it as raw black beans won't kill you like raw meat. Tip: at this point, I chilled the mixture for 30 minutes which is supposed to help them hold together.
5- Form into 6 patties and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes on each side.


I served these on  Thomas' Bagel Thins instead of a bun to save some calories. 

 Some options for toppings:
Non fat sour cream, avocado slices, tomato, shredded carrots, greens such as spinach or romaine,  salsa, or red pepper slices.  We used all of the above and loved them.  Randy is a burger fan- these won't always replace beef, but it is a quick and easy option.  These are delicious but be careful- this is a pretty big helping of beans hitting your system all at once. 

Serve with a fresh fruit salad for a light and very healthy meal.  Each patty is about 200 calories with just 2 grams of fat and 6 grams of fiber. The bagel is 110 with 1 gram of fat. Toppings will add additional calories and/or fat depending on your choices.