Black Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

I admit that I get sick of eating veggie burgers.  When dining out, meat-eaters get to choose from a plethora of menu options while vegetarians usually get one choice of prepackaged frozen veggie burgers.  It’s a small treat, but rare, when there are homemade veggie burgers on the menu.  I’ve always thought it’s probably easy to make veggie burgers from scratch.  The restaurants with no options are most likely being lazy and not mindful of their vegetarian clientele.  I decided to put my theory to the test and make black bean burgers.  I was correct and the burgers were super easy to create.  These little bean patties tasted so fresh and were bursting with flavor, opposed to the lifeless frozen burgers of yesterday.

Kevin helped out and made the most amazing sweet potato fries I’ve ever had in my life.  My mouth is still watering thinking about these fries.  We also served the burgers with burnt cauliflower and corn on the cob.  It was a bountiful feast that I’ll definitely cook again, especially with Summertime in full throttle.

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

• 2 15 oz. cans of any beans, rinsed (I used one can of black beans and one of a tri-bean blend, which is a combination of dark red kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans and I believe is only sold in Kroger)
• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup minced scallions
• 1 tsp each of fresh ginger and fresh garlic, minced
• 1 large egg or Ener-G egg replacer
• 1 Tbsp lite soy sauce
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp Texas Pete Hot Sauce
• 1/3 cup shredded carrots, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Mash beans in a medium bowl with a potato masher. Stir in remaining ingredients except oil until well blended. Form into 4-5 patties.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook patties 5 minutes per side and repeat once or until heated through and solid.
3. Serve burgers on oversized buns with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and sauce (see below for ingredients and directions).

Burger Sauce

Mix ingredients in a small bowl:

• 1/2 cup Vegenaise
• 2 Tbsp white horseradish
• 2 Tbsp minced scallions
• 2 tsp lite soy sauce

Sweet Potato Fries

Click here for recipe or see below with Kevin’s modifications:

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne red pepper
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large (about 1 1/2 pounds) sweet potatoes

Directions:

1. Prepare the sweet potatoes: In a small bowl, combine half of each spice – cumin, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel potatoes, cut each in half lengthwise, and cut each half into 6 wedges. In a large bowl, combine the cut potatoes, 1 Tbsp oil, and spice mixture. Toss until potatoes are evenly coated.
2. Bake the fries: On a baking sheet, arrange potatoes in a single layer and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile mix the remaining spices and oil to create a glaze. Drizzle glaze over sweet potatoes and bake for another 15 minutes, or until edges are crisp and potatoes are cooked through. Serve immediately.

Burnt Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Mix all ingredients in deep baking sheet, coating cauliflower well with oil and spices.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is slightly burnt.

Vege-meter for all dishes: 9.5