Mark Bittman's simplest black bean burgers
We've been trying our hand at actually planning out our meals each week, rather than stopping at the store almost every day on the way home, or staring blankly at the freezer and thinking, screw it, before we have popcorn and triscuits for dinner. I work from home on Fridays so most Friday mornings, I sort through what we have, what is kicking around in the freezer (usually leftover curries and soups) and go from there.
The only problem in this system is that sometimes, you have no desire for what you planned on eating. None. Yesterday was going to be homemade pasta (we have a big batch we made in December and froze) with bolognese sauce, also in the freezer. We bought a couch this week, we're counting on the freezer until we get paid again. Anyway, it just didn't sound good. Plan b was a pre-made Indian dinner from Trader Joe's that we keep around for just these emergencies. While it is tasty, it still didn't whet my appetite.
Then I remembered Mark Bittman's simplest bean burgers from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.
These burgers are dead simple. You throw a can of drained black beans, an onion, some chili powder, an egg, and half a cup of oats in the food processor, blitz, and shape in to patties. It is perfect for the nights you can't think of what to eat, because in our apartment at least, those are all staples of our pantry. You then throw the burger on the stove until it browns on each side, and serve. I ate it simply last night, on a piece of toast with some provolone cheese and a side of sweet potato wedges. The burger is denser than your usual veggie burger, and tastes delicious. I love the chili powder and what it adds to the background, a smoky, slightly spicy presence.
You can vary these endlessly, with different spices, adding cheese to the mixture, making them vegan by omitting the egg and using some leftover mashed potatoes instead. And, bonus, the recipe yields more burgers than you can eat in one night, so this dead simple pantry burger also becomes a freezer burger in case of dinner emergencies, or if you buy that awesome chair that goes with your new couch....
We've been trying our hand at actually planning out our meals each week, rather than stopping at the store almost every day on the way home, or staring blankly at the freezer and thinking, screw it, before we have popcorn and triscuits for dinner. I work from home on Fridays so most Friday mornings, I sort through what we have, what is kicking around in the freezer (usually leftover curries and soups) and go from there.
The only problem in this system is that sometimes, you have no desire for what you planned on eating. None. Yesterday was going to be homemade pasta (we have a big batch we made in December and froze) with bolognese sauce, also in the freezer. We bought a couch this week, we're counting on the freezer until we get paid again. Anyway, it just didn't sound good. Plan b was a pre-made Indian dinner from Trader Joe's that we keep around for just these emergencies. While it is tasty, it still didn't whet my appetite.
Then I remembered Mark Bittman's simplest bean burgers from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.
These burgers are dead simple. You throw a can of drained black beans, an onion, some chili powder, an egg, and half a cup of oats in the food processor, blitz, and shape in to patties. It is perfect for the nights you can't think of what to eat, because in our apartment at least, those are all staples of our pantry. You then throw the burger on the stove until it browns on each side, and serve. I ate it simply last night, on a piece of toast with some provolone cheese and a side of sweet potato wedges. The burger is denser than your usual veggie burger, and tastes delicious. I love the chili powder and what it adds to the background, a smoky, slightly spicy presence.
You can vary these endlessly, with different spices, adding cheese to the mixture, making them vegan by omitting the egg and using some leftover mashed potatoes instead. And, bonus, the recipe yields more burgers than you can eat in one night, so this dead simple pantry burger also becomes a freezer burger in case of dinner emergencies, or if you buy that awesome chair that goes with your new couch....
Mark Bittman's Dead Simple Bean Burgers
from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
One 15 oz can of black beans, drained
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 onion, quartered
1 tbs. chili powder
1 egg
Salt (I use about half a tablespoon)
Pepper (maybe six grinds worth)
Place all of the ingredients in food processor and pulse until combined in to a chunky mixture. Now, I've made these twice and neither time did it come anywhere near to chunky, it went to dust in minutes. So, if yours are too thin to shape in to patties, dump out the contents of the food processor bowl in to another bowl and add more rolled oats until it comes together. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before shaping.
If your patties came together with no trouble, shape them to the size you would like (I like them larger and usually wind up with about six). Pan fry the patties on each side until brown.
The remaining bean burgers can be frozen for a couple of months, but I betcha they won't last that long.
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