Black Bean Burgers

It's 4:00 and all is quiet in the Davis house - quite a change from the usual 4:00 hustle and bustle that goes on in this house.  Ryan is back at school, Courtney is busy doing homework and that means that I have time to actually make a decent dinner.  Needless to say, weeknight dinners have greatly improved since the kids started school again.  We're eating salads with our meals, fresh vegetables, and even enjoying fresh rolls and breads with our dinner.

It's amazing what I can do with an hour of free time in the afternoon.  Believe it or not, spending time in the kitchen, preparing a meal is therapeutic for me.  It's my place to de-stress and relax - but only when I have plenty of time. 

I normally prefer to make meals that are simple, healthy and fresh so I'm always on the lookout for new healthy recipes to feed my family.  I found this black bean burger in my Cook's Illustrated magazine and it was a perfect weeknight dinner for my family.  I threw the extra burgers in the freezer for another night when I might not have that extra hour in the afternoon to make dinner. 

Black Bean Burgers
2 cans black beans, rinsed
2 Tablespoons flour
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons scallions, sliced
3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup tortilla chips
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
6 hamburger buns

Line baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels.  Spread beans over towels and let stand 15 minutes. 

Whisk together flour and eggs in a large bowl.

Stir in scallions, cilantro, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper.

Process tortilla chips in food processor until finely ground.

Add black beans to food process and pulse 5 times until beans are roughly broken.

Fold bean mixture into egg mixture. 

Divide dough into 6 equal portions.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.  (Patties can be placed in individual plastic bags and then a ziploc bag and frozen for up to 2 months.)

Heat oil in skillet and cook patties until bottoms are browned and crisp on both sides. 

Transfer burgers to buns and top with condiments of your choice.

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Even if you've had a bad black bean burger experience, you need to try these yummy burgers.  These are not your normal - mushy - black bean burgers.  They're packed full of delicious flavor and healthy black beans and they are definitely NOT mushy. 

Ciao!

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