I've always had Vegetarian leanings. It wasn't until much later in life that I accepted that meat could actually taste delicious. Of course, I do have a long standing affair with bacon, but that is another story.
Now, they have this nifty word for describing people such as me - Flexatarian!
If you don't know what that is, don't worry. Neither does anyone else. Ask.com defines it as:
Flexitarians are omnivores who predominantly eat a plant based diet but also eat animal meat occasionally [9]. (In 2003, the American Dialect Society voted flexitarian as the year's most useful word and defined it as "a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat.")[10].
Let's just say that yes, I do like beans, alfalfa sprouts, and various legumes. Which drives my husband batty to no end three to four times a week when I do a "meatless" dish. My argument is, "Hey, I do the cooking around here. If you don't like it, there is the fridge."
If I do cook meat for dinner, I usually do it in a way that I leave most of the meat out for me. I've become really good at this. Stir fry is a really good way to accomplish this. Also I do a lot of vegetarian soups, although again I get grumbling from the husband who contends that soup is never a main course.
So, this summer I decided to explore the world of black bean burgers. Since they are frozen anyway, they are super easy to throw on the grill. I promise you, these taste better than anything that comes in a green box, and are super cheap to make. My husband even thought they were good, although he only ate them because I didn't feel the need to cook him a hamburger at the time ; )
BLACK BEAN BURGERS:
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion finely chopped
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 small can green roasted chili
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Generous salt and pepper to taste
Process everything in food processor, then add:
2 eggs
2 cups breadcrumbs
Mix this all in a large bowl. Form into about 1 inch thick patties. Lay patties on parchment paper flat and freeze solid before using.
When ready to use, you can just trow these on the grill or fry in a skillet in very hot oil until crisp and brown on both sides.
I love these on a wrap, pita bread, or tortillas. You can also serve them more traditionally on a toasted hamburger bun. I love to dress with onions, lettuce, and a drizzle of chipotle mayo or just plan old BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is the only BBQ sauce allowed in our house). Cheddar cheese also tastes yummy.
I remember the first time I had these I thought, "The only thing that would make these taste any better would be some bacon!"
Dohhhhhhhhh
