El hamburguesa

photo by pwisenberg

Doesn't it look like it's just comin' right at you? Nom, nom, nom! This was my first attempt at making homemade veggie burgers and they were mighty successful! I adapted the recipe from one found in this book, but added several of my own touches. The patties are made from a combo of black beans, mushrooms, onions and bread crumbs and came out crispy on the outside yet soft and creamy in the centre. Since the burgers were seasoned with cumin and chili powder I figured I'd go with the tex-mex theme and top them with salsa, fresh tomato and guacamole. Seriously seriously delicious.

Black bean burgers with guacamole
Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 package button mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp mexican chili powder
2 tbsp beer (optional)
1 can black beans, drained but not rinsed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
4 whole wheat burger buns
4 thick slices of tomato
salsa
lettuce

Easy-peasy guac

2 perfectly ripe avocados
zest and juice of half a lime
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1 tbsp jarred or fresh jalapeno, chopped (if using jarred, I add a splash of the liquid too)
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by heating up the BBQ to medium-hot. Next, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic and jalapeno. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder and cook the veggies until soft and slightly golden, about 10 minutes. To soak up all the bits of flavour on the bottom of the pan, deglaze with a splash of beer (whatever you happen to be drinking is fine) and simmer until the liquid has been cooked off.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse together with the beans and cilantro until well-combined but still quite chunky. Rectify the seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon into a bowl and stir in the bread crumbs (roughly 1/2 a cup is what I used, but you may need slightly more or less). Form the mixture into 4 large patties (or 6 smaller ones) and brush them each lightly with oil to prevent them from sticking to the grill.

Grill the burgers until crispy on the outside and thoroughly heated through, roughly 5 minutes per side. Meanwhile, combine all of the guacamole ingredients and set aside until ready to serve. Serve the burgers on grilled buns with salsa, tomato, lettuce and tons of guac!