Burger Time!

Recently while cleaning my kitchen I came across a recipe from a Curves newsletter that my mom sent me a while ago. I decided to make a couple of adjustments and make it my own. The results were a delight! It made six patties which I ate one of for dinner that night with veggies and a scoop of grains, one that I shared with my husband so he could taste the magic, and four that I brought for lunches during the week. I would bring a piece of my fave low carb soy flour based bread and cut it in half to toast. Then I would warm up my patty, find one of the many leftover mustard packs available in an office setting, and make a little sandwich to enjoy with some homeade soup. Perfect lunch!

Reinvented Curves Black Bean Burger

You will need:
1 can black beans (15oz), drained
1 Tbsp. tomato paste or salsa (I chose the salsa)
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (I used Panko)
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 egg lightly beaten (I substitued this with 1/4 cup of blended silken tofu)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 whole grain hamburger buns (If you like)
6 cloves of garlic (my add)
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper (my add-red or green will do ya)
1 tsp Tony's Creole Seasoning (my add)
a dash or two of cumin for a bit of a chili taste (my add)
salt and pepper to taste

Corsely chop the beans in a food proessor or mash them with a fork. (I used the fork method and added a little warm water to help it along). Place the beans in a large mixing bowl and add all the ingredients except the cornmeal, oil, and buns. Mix it well and press the mixture into six patties.

Place the cornmeal in a shallow bowl or plate. Coat the patties on both sides with cornmeal. Set them on waxed paper.

In a large non stick skillet or heavy skillet coated with nonstick spray, heat up the oil over medium heat. Fry the patties for two or three minutes on each side, until they are browned. Drain them a paper towel.  Serve on the warm buns.

Mine came out delicious but a smidge dry. When I reheated them during the week I would add a tiny splash of water to my plate or bowl. That helped a lot. One day I added a pack of soy sauce to the patty before heating and that was great too (but of course upped the sodium). Next time I think I will add a little more silken tofu for extra moisture and possibly make five slightly large patties instead of six small ones. I am really looking forward to playing around with this recipe again. I think it may be fun to use it to make blackbean meatballs.

I found the egg subsitute idea here.

source

Have you had any buzz worthy healhty food creations lately?