Black Bean Burger...with Backstory

The week before last, I scheduled lunch with my dear friend Rosanna for Friday.  I think we set it up on Monday, meaning I had the entire week to look forward to it.  We worked together once upon a time and have maintained a friendship over the years.  She affectionately calls me Grandma (I'm at least 7 years older than she is) and our visits always include a healthy dose of gabbing, gossip and giggles.

I was on my way to meet her when I got smacked with a 2+hour traffic jam.  Those of you who know my propensity to be impatient, especially in traffic, should appreciate that.  It started off fine.  I had great music on, the sun was shining, it was warm enough to have my windows down and I had plenty of water (20 bucks if you can correctly guess which of these would reappear later as an issue).

Over an hour, several texts, irate phone calls (like anyone I called could do anything beyond talking me off the ledge!) and inappropriate pins later (I said I was on my way to lunch; I cannot be held responsible for pinning things like cheesy tater tot casserole and deep fried whatever.), I had moved all of about 3/4 of a mile.  Music still holding up, sunshine still in effect...water nearly gone.

Seriously, this sounds like a bad episode of Survivor or something, but I have to tell you that it was torture.  Not knowing what the issue was or how long we'd be stuck was giving me anxiety and claustrophobia started kicking in.  There was nowhere to go; no exit to take, no alternate route.  I was stuck.

Water's gone, the radio has repeated just about every song, the options I had for CDs were mostly Christmas (guess I should clean out my console every now and again, huh?) and I was now making up acronyms for all the license plates I passed and pinning motivational quotes like they'd be my epitaph; I was going to be in this car forever!

When I finally emerged from the traffic jam, slammed my car into the first spot I found in our garage and sprinted to meet Rosanna for lunch (truth: I totally made a pit stop first.  See previous paragraph that begins with "Water's gone.").  Bless her heart, she waited for me...

Lunch did not disappoint.  Not in the company, not in the food.  Both of them seemed especially sweet given the 2+ hour wait.  Hey, there's a quote in there somewhere.  Something about the greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it?  I'm sure I've pinned it...

Anyway, I exercised a whole heck of a lot of restraint and bypassed the nasty options in the food court in favor of Au Bon Pain.  This is progress, right?  "Salad, get a salad," I told myself.  It was, after all, a Friday---no meat.  I was going to force myself to eat tuna, even though I wasn't really in the mood.  But then I saw it...Black Bean Burger with Avocado and Chipotle Seasoning on Ciabatta.  Yep.  I almost knocked over the 3 people ahead of me in line (traffic flashbacks!) to place my order with Kenny.  Kenny stood well over 6 feet tall and was the only thing standing between me and food...finally.

I had eyed up black bean burgers on other menus, even thought of making them (go ahead, make fun of the girl who's intimidated by food) once or twice, but I was never quite sure how they'd turn out.  I imagined mush.  Well, I am here to tell you that this was not mush.  It was delicious.  And warm.  And the edges were slightly crispy, the texture matched perfectly with the creaminess of the avocado, the chewiness of the ciabatta and the heat from the chipotle. 

Once again, I practiced a lot of restraint and actually chewed the thing rather than inhale it.  I'm sure my stomach appreciated that as much as Rosanna did.

It's a nice addition to meatless Fridays during Lent.  Fish and pizza have been our go to's since I give up pasta every year. 

This week, I'm adding these gems to the menu, making my own Black Bean Burger.  Even Mark suggested I give them a go (perhaps I oversold the deliciousness of this burger just a tad?).  And we will.  Here's how.  Here's hoping they live up to the hype and that they're every bit as yummy without enduring 2+ hours of traffic.

What You'll Need

• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp canola oil
• 2 - 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tblsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup flour
• oil to cook in

What You'll Do
In a large pan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the vegetable are soft, about 2-3 minutes.
 
In a food processor pulse the beans until mashed or, if you prefer, you can mash them with a potato masher in a bowl.
 
Add the salt, pepper, and spices. Mix thoroughly then stir (or pulse) in the vegetables.
 
Scoop into a bowl if you are using the food processor at this point. Add the bread crumbs and stir until fully incorporated.
 
Preheat enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet over medium heat.
 
Form the mixture into 8 equal size balls and dust with flour. Flatten until approximately 1/2" thick. 

Cook for 5-10 minutes or until browned on both sides. I feel like I would rather grill these, but I'm not sure how they'd hold up.  So I'm going to follow these directions and see what's what.
 

Yield: 8 patties