Black Bean Veggie Burgers

"I LOVE VEGGIE BURGERS!"

For some reason, I had an aversion to veggie burgers even before trying them. I think I was turned off by the processed looking ones in the freezer section of the grocery store. Also, when I think of burgers, big, fat, juicy beef ones come to mind. How can vegetables be made into a burger? My Middle One said, "It's on a bun, it's burger-shaped, you can eat it with french fries. It's a burger." OK. I'll go with that explanation. I am now a veggie burger convert.

I made veggie burgers, from a Food & Winerecipe, for one of personal cheffing clients. I was astonished when I tasted a bite. Absolutely delicious. The burgers were full of carrots, potatoes, scallions, corn, mushrooms, and garlic and seasoned with cayenne pepper and cumin. I was so excited that I made a batch when I got home.

I did modify the recipe for my Black Bean and Veggie Burgers and included black beans and spinach. A drizzle of chipolte mayo on mine, blue cheese dressing on The Husband's, and just plain for My Oldest. I got one of my three kids to try the burgers and we gave them rave reviews. Even though No Thank You Boy said, "No thank you," to the burgers, he did comment on the rainbow of colors from all the vegetables. We are adding veggie burgers to our menu. I can't wait to make different versions - Teriyaki Edamame Veggie Burgers, Italian Cannellini Veggie Burgers, and Thai Chile Veggie Burgers.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers
adapted from a recipe in Food & Wine, April 2008

makes 6 4-inch burgers or 18 sliders

2 tablespoons olive oil plus additional for cooking the burgers
1 cup corn
2 cups mushrooms, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 potato, peeled and grated
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed - mash 3/4 of the can and leave the remaining beans whole
salt
pepper
1/2 cup panko

whole wheat buns
mini potato rolls
any burger toppings you like - these would be good with guacamole or chipolte mayo

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and add corn, mushrooms, and scallions. Cook for about 5 - 7 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach, carrot, and potato and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove for the heat and add the mashed and whole beans and the panko. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Shape into burger or slider sized patties and place on a large platter.

Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a skillet and cook burgers until golden brown and crispy on each side. Serve on a bun, eat it plain, they are great just about any way you would like them.