Meatless Monday, all week long

I love a good burger and fries, however given the choice, I always pick a veggie burger because it makes me feel better about finishing every last fry on my plate.  Exactly the same way I order a non-fat white chocolate mocha but still get the whipped cream, normal, right?  For this recipe, I tried to keep everything simple and flavorful yet didn't want to spend hours chopping.  I read a few recipes and combined a few techniques and found that farro was a great alternative to bread crumbs and baking the black beans first dries them out enough to ensure the burgers aren't too wet.  Brown rice can be substituted for farro for my gluten free friends and you can change up the seasoning every time you make this.  I also found making the burgers in advance, wrapping in wax paper and letting them sit in fridge for a few hours was really helpful to keep them from falling apart.  This recipe also works great if you are making guacamole at the same time because you can use cilantro, jalepenos and the spices in both dishes.   Soft buns, your favorite deli cheese sliced thinly and a side of fries will make you forgot this burger has no meat!

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Tailgating Tidbits 

Mexican Black Bean Burger 

with Spicy Gouda Cheese

Recipe courtesy of Celeste

Ingredients: 

Two cans black beans, drained and rinsed 

1/2 teaspoon cumin 

1/2 teaspoon paprika 

1 Tablespoon salt 

A few cranks of freshly grated black pepper 

3 scallions, sliced by hand

Handful on cilantro

2 cloves garlic

10 baby carrots or 1 large carrot 

1/2 jalapeno, seeded, ribs removed 

1 egg 

1 cup cooked and cooled Farro (can sub cooked brown rice or panko breadcrumbs) 

sliced deli cheese 

(get fancy, try a spicy gouda or a pepper jack) 

Olive oil for cooking 

Buns 

Arugula, sliced tomatoes and sliced red onion 

Instructions:

Spread black beans on a large baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 300 degrees to dry them out. It is ok if they crack open, cool for about 20 minutes.  

In a food processer add garlic, carrots and jalapenos and pulse until chopped.  Add cilantro, beans, 1 egg and all the spices.  Pulse 5-6 times, add farro and pulse a few more times to combine.  

 Form patties and place on wax paper to rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer to help from falling apart.   If too wet, you can add panko, a handful at a time.   

To cook, heat a non-stick to med high heat, add 2-3 T olive oil and fry burgers about 5 minutes on each side 

Add cheese to burger the last two minutes, cover to melt cheese 

Serve on a soft or toasted bun with arugula, tomato, and red onion