Burgers at last!

Black bean burgers

I have not had a burger since going vegan, and I was really in the mood to prove vegans can grill their own burgers and they can be tasty. This was my first test with making veggie burgers, so I was reluctant about puting them directly on the grill. Theses guys were not crumbly and they held their shape perfectly.

I found this recipe on Vegweb but I modified it a little. I used three galic gloves, a red pepper, and 1/2 a teaspoon of the spices. They were very spicy and next time I am going to do 1/4 teaspoon of the spices but if you like spice them be my guest and do the 1/2. I did not have coriander so I left it out. I did not have cashews and only had a little bit of sesame seeds so I ended up doing 3/4 cup of almonds and 1/4 cup of sesame seeds. I am betting any nut would work here, as long as they equal a cup of nuts. I also left the salt out because the beans were salty and I forgot the pepper. My version made four medium burgers. Wow were these yummy!

Here is my final recipe:

Kate’s Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 15.5 oz. can black beans
• 1/4 cup grated onion
  1/4 cup grated red pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon (or 1/2 for very spicy burgers) each of dried red pepper, cumin and chili powder
• 1 teaspoon each of oregano and basil
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
  1/2 cup coarsely chopped sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until texture is course but blended well. You may need to add a little water so the texture is just moist enough to be able to blend in the food processor.
Separate into four balls and shape into patties. Make sure the patties are not too thin or they will fall apart. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, or until slightly browned. Enjoy with your burger fixings.

Serves: 4

*Side note: As if we didnt need any more proof vegans rocked. I grilled my veggie burgers and my parents grilled their icky cow grossness (we have designated sides of the grill so no cross contamination can occur). We ate outside and we wrapped our leftovers in foil. While we ate, flies kept landing on my parents plate and food and face and I was fly free. Then, I looked over to find literaly 20 flies sworming the foil with the beef and I looked at my wrapped veggie burgers to find not one fly! Praise God for good clean veggies, amen.