black bean burgers

I've got just one more post after this one before I say bye-bye to the blog. I've loved showing you a bit about what I love to do most....other than sniffing and kissing my kiddo of course! So I am leaving you with two of my simplest, tastiest go-to recipes. 

First: Let's talk feeding toddlers. It's fun and hard and was a huge lesson in patience for me. Fun because they are slowly learning more textures and flavors. Hard because they are darn picky and switch likes and dislikes on a whim. As my daughter started advancing past tiny finger foods I was often stuck figuring out how to get protein in her. She never loved chicken and was strange about the flaky texture of fish. Some days she would eat beans. Others she wouldn't. Patties, in all shapes and flavors, became a life saver. For some reason she tolerated bites of lightly pan fried goodies. Maybe the ketchup or "dip dip" as she calls it helped. I tried several versions with beans and lentils. I made fishcakes. Shredded veggies became patties. She gobbled them up. 

These black bean burgers have become one of her and my favorites. Just cooked brown rice, a can of black beans and a few spices makes a surprisingly tasty patty you can top with any of your favorite burger toppings. 

Saute an onion and some garlic in a pan. Add cooked brown rice and a can of black beans, rinsed. 

Add cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. I could eat it just like this and be happy.

But for patty purposes, mash the mixture. Use a potato masher or toss the ingredients in to a food processor. It doesn't need to be completely smooth. A bit of texture is good.

Form in to patties. Lightly pan fry. Done!

I treat mine like a normal burger but slice my daughter's in to bite sized chunks so she can "dip dip" in ketchup.

Homemade Veggie Burgers from My Father's Daughter cookbook

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
2 garlic clove,s peeled and minced

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro (optional)

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons cooking oil

4 hamburger buns or other bread for serving (optional)

Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-low heat. Saute the onion, garlic and cumin together until softened and fragrant, about seven minutes.

Add salt, pepper, beans and rice. Cook, stirring for two minutes until heated through. 

Add cilantro, if using, and mash the mixture with a potato masher just to combine and to get some cohesion--you want the burgers to have some texture. 

Let the mixture cool until it's easy to handle. Form the mixture into four patties. 

Dust both sides of patties lightly with flour. 

Heath oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the burgers on both sides, about one minute per side. 

Serve on buns with your favorite fixings.