Black Bean Burger

Black Bean Burger (from AllRecipes, Total Time: 35 min., Servings: 4)

Ingredients

·         1 (16 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

·         ½ green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces

·         ½ onion, finely chopped

·         3 cloves garlic, peeled

·         1 egg

·         1 Tbsp. chili powder

·         1 Tbsp. cumin

·         1 tsp. Thai chili sauce or hot sauce

·         ½ cup bread crumbs

Directions

1.       If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and lightly oil a baking sheet.

2.       In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

3.       In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.

4.       In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.

5.       Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.

6.       If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

These veggie burgers are awesome!  They were soft with a slight crunch from baking them in the oven.  I followed the directions exactly – well, maybe I added heaping Tablespoons of chili powder and cumin, but that’s the only change.  I made about 9 small patties. 

The first time I ate them, I added some Mexican cheese on top and salsa on the side.  There was definitely no need for salsa, the burgers have a nice kick to them.  But not too spicy for my husband!  I also had them as leftovers, and they re-heat well.

Southwestern Corn Soup

Southwestern Corn Soup (5-6 servings, total time 25-30 minutes)

(adapted from KraftFoods)

This was a tasty soup, but I made it a tad too spicy.  My husband took a bite, said it was good but the slow heat blew him off his feet.  Guess I’ll be eating all of the leftovers! 

Ingredients

1 small green pepper, chopped

4 oz. 1/3 Fat Cream Cheese, cubed

½ lb. (8 oz.) Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 can (14.75 oz.) cream-style corn

1-1/2 cups skim milk

½ can adobo peppers with sauce

2 Morningstar Farms Black Bean burgers, thawed, crumbled

1.)    Cook peppers in a non-stick medium saucepan on medium heat 3 to 5 min. or until crisp-tender.

2.)    Add cream cheese; cook on low heat 3 to 5 min. until melted, stirring frequently.

3.)    Stir in Velveeta, corn, milk, adobo peppers, and Black Bean Burger crumbles; cook 5 min. or until  Velveeta is completely melted and soup is heated through, stirring occasionally.

Although I though this dish was good and spicy (great for a cold day), next time I will use a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (drained) instead of the adobo peppers.  I want it to be more pleasing for my husband to taste.  The green peppers lose most of their crispness when cooked with the remaining ingredients, but that did not detract from the dish at all.  Using lower fat substitutions helps reduce the calories and overall fat in the dish.  Adding the burgers increases protein, an important step for vegetarians!  The soup is really easy to make and the texture is very creamy, especially if you let it cool for a moment before eating (allowing the Velveeta to congeal slightly).  I definitely plan on making this delicious dish again in the near future.  I’ll let you know how it works out with the adobo pepper substitution.

Iron Hill Brewery - Wilmington, DE

I wanted to go to Iron Hill in Wilmington all summer, but as luck would have it, there was no real convenient time.  Luckily, Mother Nature blessed us with a beautiful October Saturday and I was able to lunch with husband on the top deck overlooking the Christiana River.  I am kind of a snob with Iron Hill, really only wanting to go when I can sit outside - I like to enjoy my "outside" places in the summer and go to other restaurants without outdoor seating areas in the colder months.  Iron Hill is a definite winner in my book - good food and beer with vegetarian options highlighted on the menu.

I had a slight dilemma when picking my sandwich.  Should I go with my usual - the Mediterranean Wrap?  Or mix it up with the Black bean burger?  Since the weather was warm, I decided to go with the Wrap, and save the burger for a colder day (yes, I decided to come back and sit inside).  The wrap is a nice mix of veggies and protein - stuffed with hummus, cucumber, roasted red peppers, tomato, arugula, feta and balsamic syrup in a spinach tortilla.  I ordered a tossed salad of lettuce and herb vinaigrette for my side and stole a sweet potato fry from my husband - about 4x the size of a normal fry and really tasty!  The wrap is definitely tasty, with the hummus playing the starring role - there is a nice mix between the soft ingredients and the crunchy cucumber and arugula.  The herb vinaigrette on the side salad was delicious and I may consider getting a full salad sometime when I go there just to have more of it.  I decided that a Raspberry Wheat beer would be the perfect accompaniment to this Indian Summer meal!


Updated January 2013:

My husband and I went to dinner with another couple at Iron Hill Brewery in Media, PA.  I am writing about this experience because I tried something new!  Almost every time that I have gone to an Iron Hill, I have ordered the Mediterranean Wrap (delicious!), but I wanted to try something new.  Alas, there was a Southwestern Black Bean Burger.  So I gave it a try.  It is homemade with black beans, mushrooms, sweet potatoes (!), red and green bell peppers, and corn.  I never expected to see sweet potatoes in a burger, and they were actual chunks!  It was topped with pepper jack cheese, a tomato, and green chile aioli.  It was good!  The burger was bound together well and I could definitely taste the black beans and sweet potatoes.  The pepper jack and green chile aioli added a little spiciness to it.  I definitely recommend it.  I’m not sure that I like it more than the wrap, but a very good alternative.