Red Beans & Rice Burger (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 4, Total Time: 30 minutes)
Ingredients
· 1 (15 oz.) can no-salt-added red kidney beans, rinsed and drained· ½ cup finely chopped onion
· ¼ cup finely chopped celery
· ¼ cup rolled oats
· 1 clove garlic, minced
· ½ tsp. dried oregano, crushed
· ½ tsp. ground cumin
· ¼ tsp. salt
· ¼ tsp. black pepper
· ¾ cup cooked brown rice
Directions
1.) In a medium bowl coarsely mash beans with a potato masher or fork. Stir in onion, celery, oats, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Stir in rice.2.) Shape the bean mixture into four ½ -inch-thick patties.
3.) Preheat a grill pan or large skillet over medium heat. Add patties to pan or skillet. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until heated through, turning patties once.
4.) Serve burgers on toasted hamburger buns with desired accompaniments.
First of all, I used rolled oats instead of the breadcrumbs called for in the original recipe; I also omitted cilantro (as called for in the original). I made these changes for my own taste and health preferences. I had an issue with these burgers binding – there was not enough moisture in the mix and I do not believe that the changes I made had an impact on this. The taste of the burger was good – a little on the “Mexican” side with the cumin, but the consistency was not right for a burger. The onion and celery add a little crunch to the mashed beans, oats, and rice, which is quite a nice surprise when biting into the “burger”. On the health side, these are pretty high in calories for just the burger, but good on fiber and protein. Once you add a bun and accompaniments – watch out! I served mine with no bun (because I feel that there are more than enough carbs in there with the oats and rice) but with a sprinkle of Mexican cheese and salsa. The salsa gives it the much-needed moisture that it needs.
Overall, this is OK, but I don’t think that I’ll make it again.
