Black Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

Usually a cooking challenge is exciting to me. Our recession budget, eating meatless as often as possible, and healthy living are some I have tackled and documented here on this very blog. Unfortunately the new challenge in our life is not as fun and very unrewarding. Hubby has had some tummy issues lately so we have tried eliminating gluten as a solution. This has been very difficult for me as far as meal planning. We have been eating a lot of rice and making pasta includes two types for the new gluten free variety as well as my regular one. It has also increased our grocery bill - gluten free foods are at least two times more expensive! While its been harder on both of us, it does seem to be working and that makes the battle worth it. Tonight's dinner was so yummy I didn't even miss the bread!

Black Bean Burgers with Avocado Lime Sauce 
and Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
1 16 oz. can of black beans, drained
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (unseasoned, panko, or crushed rice krispies)
1 Egg
2 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 Clove garlic, minced
1/2 Avocado, sliced
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 large sweet potatoes, sliced into “fries”
1/4 tsp. each: cinnamon, garlic powder, salt, pepper
Pinch cayenne


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat fries with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with seasoning. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping once, until golden brown.

My little army of yum!

While the fries are baking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Add garlic and shallot, cook until translucent. Add peppers and corn and saute until slightly browned, stirring every so often.

Mash 3/4 of the can of black beans until smooth. Add in breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, cayenne. Then add in the cooked vegetables and stir well to combine. Finally, gently add in remaining black beans and combine. Form into 4 patties. Set aside.

When the sweet potato fries have 5 minutes remaining, cook black bean burgers. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. Cook black beans burgers about 4 minutes per side, until nicely browned, and cooked through. Top with avocado sauce (below) and serve with sweet potato fries.

obviously we hated this

Avocado Lime Sauce

Ingredients
1 ripe Haas Avocado
1 lime
1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

In a bowl mash avocado with a fork. Mix in the juice from one lime plus some zest, and the yogurt. Stir to combine. This does not keep well, use same day.

Big Juicy Burgers

My husband and I had the fanciest hamburgers out at my company's Christmas party last month,  Kobe beef burgers on brioche rolls with tomato jam and cheddar cheese. Since that night I have been craving a big juicy burger! Being on our budget I don't think I can replicate the exact meal (Kobe beef is expensive!) but I came pretty damn close! Paired with roasted sweet potato fries these beef burgers with cheddar cheese, tomato jam, and romaine lettuce on a toasted kaiser roll were perfection!

mmm tell me that doesn't ask to have a huge bite taken out of it!

Burgers can sometimes be challenging, how big, how long to cook them? What I usually will plan on is about a 1/4 - 1/3 pound of hamburger for each person. Form the patty but don't overwork the meat. I like to form a small well in the middle of the patty, it creates a spot for the juices to gather rather than flowing out of the burger - making it juicer. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on the first side and then 2-3 for the second. When topping with cheese place slices on top of the burger immediately after flipping, if it doesn't melt to your liking with just the heat from the pan feel free to cover and let it steam, or if you have fries going in the oven you can slide the pan in for a minute.

Tomato jam, taken from this NY Times Recipe by Mark Bitman, is a wonderful alternative to ketchup. Sweet like a fruit jam but with a kick like spicy ketchup this really will impress a crowd and its easy to boot! I made some changes to Mark's recipe and it came out great! My changes are below.

Tomato jam is a great fancy alternative to ketchup!

Tomato JamYields 1 cup sauce, about 6 servings

1 pint grape tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/b teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch red pepper flakes


Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan, Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use; this will keep at least a week. Use to top sandwiches, burgers, or on its own with biscuits!

Crunchy Sweet Potato Fries!

No, really....crunchy sweet potato fries! It's possible, with a little magic! Thanks to Martha I now know the secret behind them. I will save you the suspense, its egg whites! Read on for the recipe.

 

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 egg white
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp each cayenne pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder

Heat oven to 400° F. Peel sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices. Whisk egg white until frothy, add spices and whip to combine. Toss sweet potato sticks in egg white. Transfer in a single layer to a parchment lined baking sheet, shaking to remove excess egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crunchy.

I served these up with a simple grilled flank steak, corn, and spinach. What a tasty meal!