Cooking with the JETs!!

SPICY CHIPOTLE BLACK BEAN BURGERS

Hello!

I'm going to share with you one of my favorite go-to vegetarian night recipes. These burgers come together pretty quickly, maybe 20 minutes, and are packed with awesome flavor. I've tweaked it a lot over the years, so it's always a little trial and error, but here goes the latest rendition. What you will need:

The ingredients:

• 2 cans black beans (I like organic and low sodium), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 red onion (or whatever type you have on hand), roughly chopped
• 1/2 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (available in the ethnic foods aisle) -   forewarning: I use half a can, but I love chipotle peppers and I love spicy! The adobo sauce is very spicy, so if you are not a fan of spice, you may use less or leave the adobo sauce out all together.
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp. cumin - or to taste - as more or less as you like!
• Salt & pepper to taste (those are my Star Trek Enterprise shakers!)
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 egg or egg white
• 1/2 cup corn off the cob (optional)
• 1/4 cup chunky salsa (optional) (add scan 1/4 cup more Panko is using)
• Buns or bread, whatever you have on hand
• Avocado for topping (the creaminess of the avocado helps to cut down the heat and combine to a really amazing flavor profile)

Equipment:

     Food processor

     Frying pan

Directions:

       1.  Combine 1 can black beans, red onion, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce to taste (I use about half the peppers and half the sauce, but it is admittingly spicy so you may want to err on the side of 2 - 3 teaspoons sauce and 1 - 2 peppers for the first attempt), garlic, cumin, salt and pepper to taste in the food processor. (I had a really nice picture of all the ingredients set up in the processor, but my hand moved faster than my mind.) Pulse until nearly smooth, you may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor once or twice.

       2. Move bean mixture to a large mixing bowl and add optional corn and salsa. Mix in bread crumbs and egg until incorporated. The mixture will be wet.

      3.  Heat a medium or large skillet over low-medium heat. It is easier to use a larger skillet to accommodate more than one patty at a time, as not demonstrated below. Spray with non-stick coating or a swirl of olive oil. Shape the mixture into patties - should make about 6 - 8. I like to make them about 5 inches in diameter, too large and they are harder to work with. Cook for about 5 minutes per side. The first flip will be difficult, as they are somewhat fragile, but will firm up as they cook. They should be firm and browned on each side when done.

        4. Serve on buns or toasted bread (which I did because we did not have buns). Top with your favorite veggie burger toppings - for these I love avocado. Actually I just love avocado. As you can see here:

Enjoy!

Samantha

SammysBeadworks