Letters From My Kitchen: V is for Veggie Burgers (Jessica)

Most photography in this post done by guest photographer Rob A.

Hey Y'all!

Hope you're having a good week! Today I bring you a healthy and yummy recipe for a main course you should try asap. This was my first time making veggie burgers and I think this recipe is "the one."
Don't get me wrong, I like meat...a lot...but sometimes I crave something lighter. Lately I've been on a quest for the best veggie burger around LA and let me tell you, I'm completely NOT into the soy burgers. They are "not to my taste" as Jennifer and I like to say. Just give me something that actually has vegetables in it...or beans...or lentils...mmmm, and I'm happy! So without further ado, here's a recipe for a delightfully soy-free veggie burger!

Veggie Burgers
from this healthy food blog
(makes 4)

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (made in the food processor from 4 slices of multigrain bread pulsed and then toasted)
½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup chopped yellow onion (1 small onion)
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 large egg, beaten with: 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil (or more)

Directions:
1. Mash beans well with a fork.

2. Add 1 cup breadcrumbs, carrot, onion, half of the cilantro, egg (with spices mixed in), and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix everything well.

3. Carefully shape into 4 patties. Mixture will be soft, so this may be slightly challenging, but not impossible.

4. In a shallow plate, mix remaining breadcrumbs (1 cup) with the remaining cilantro (1/4 cup). Dip both sides of each patty into the crumbs and pat crumbs onto patties so they stick.

5. Heat remaining olive oil (plus more if necessary) in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add patties and cook about 5 minutes on each side, or until well browned.

6. Serve immediately over bed of spinach, or any other kind of salad. Or serve on buns or bread, as desired.

Review:
I already said I really liked this recipe and it's still true! The original recipe calls for cannellini beans, but I like black beans a lot and I had some already, so that's what I used. Eating these immediately is key---the best part about them was how they were hot and crispy on the outside. I'm guessing you could keep the patties in the fridge prior to cooking, if you wanted to prep ahead of time, but I didn't try it myself :)