Today I made several meals to prepare for the work week ahead. One meal I am not going to highlight because it just did not spark my interest too much. I will monkey with the recipe and see what I can do.
The next meal I made were black bean burgers. Don't be turned off from the color/appearance. These have delicious flavor....I'm just not sold on the density. I have to figure out how to keep these together. They turn out moist but will crumble apart. I was interested in creating my own veggie/black bean burger to avoid any processed ingredients that may be in the packaged kind.
Black bean burgers
modified from Gourmet
1 T olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
*2, 14 oz. cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 c whole wheat dry bread crumbs
2 t ground cumin
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 c finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 T vegetable oil
*Purchase organic black beans to avoid BPA contamination from the can
Directions
1. Heat 1 T of oil in pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic and jalapeno with onion for 2 more minutes.
3. Pour the beans, bread crumbs, spices and cilantro into a large mixing bowl. Add the onion mixture to the bowl. Mash the ingredients with your hands until the beans resemble a paste-like texture. Form into patties.
4. Heat 3T oil in 12" skillet over med-high heat. Cook burgers until outsides are crisp and lightly browned, turning once, about 5 minutes total. Serve onto buns.
*I did not have vegetable oil on hand, which may have impacted the way my burgers turned out. The recipe calls for 4 patties...which are about 1/2-1 pound in size. I made small (approx 1/4 pound) patties and made them thinner throughout the cooking process in hopes to make them stay together. I got 6 patties total.
This photo is before I started cooking.
The next meal I made was for dinner. It was very tasty and Joe enjoyed it as well!
Portabello Burgers
Serves 2
2 portabello caps, stem removed and rinsed
Marinated peppers and onions (balsamic marinade recipe follows)
Hamburger bun, slice of bread, or wrap to serve on
Directions
Asparagus
After washing and snapping ends off with your hands, lightly coat with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and place on tin foil. Place tin foil over medium to high heat on the grill. Cook for approximately 7 minutes or until able to be pierced with a fork.
Portabello
After washing and removing stem, place shroom on grill and cook both sides for approximately 4 minutes each side, or until tender and juicy. *Snap stem off in the store to reduce your price from the overall weight of the mushroom*
Avocado
Slice avocado in half, remove the seed, and lightly spoon around the avocado for easy removal. Place on grill and flip after approximately 2-4 minutes. Cook for the same amount of time on the other side.
Red Bell Pepper and Onion
Marinade in ziploc bag in fridge for about 2 hours. Place mixture with marinade on foil and place foil on the grill. Cook until veggies are tender.
Once all items are cooked place on bread/wrap. I enjoyed mine without the bread, which made it very juicy. This recipe is very easy and took about 20 minutes for prep, cook and clean-up!
Marinade
From Ohsheglows.com
2.5 T balsamic, white or red wine vinegar (I prefer balsamic)
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 t dijon or regular mustard (I prefer Dijon)
2 T pure maple syrup 1/4 t sea salt
ground black pepper to taste
1/2 garlic clove, mincedground black pepper to taste
2 T extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Toss all ingredients into a bowl and whisk! Makes about 1/2 cup of dressing. *I have used this marinade as salad dressing as well....very delicious! Makes a different consistency when blended in blender...more like dressing.
Yum Yum!
Well, it is time for me to get everything wrapped up for the week! Enjoy =)
Holly
