Recipe of the Week

This might sound kind of crazy since I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, but Andrew and I love the following recipe. I don't eat much red meat--maybe a handful of times a year--and I have gotten killer stomach aches the past 3 times I've had red meat. Hopefully I'm not losing my ability to digest red meat! It's not really good for you anyway, so I guess it wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen to me. As a substitute, we've found this recipe to be really fun and tasty! The spices and onions give it great flavor, you just can't expect it to have the texture of a regular burger.

(A modified version of a recipe I got from another blogger:)

SPICY BLACK BEAN BURGERS
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or 1 small hot pepper for spice lovers)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, mashed
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1/2 cup flour

(Feel free to thrown in whatever you'd like: brown rice, sunflower seeds, green peppers, etc.)

Set flour aside for coating.

Saute onion, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes in oil until onions are translucent. In a large bowl mash the beans with a fork. Stir in the onion mixture, corn, lentils, bread crumbs, cumin, salt, chili powder and parsley. Mix well. Divide and shape into patties. Coat in flour. Cook on a lightly oiled frying pan on medium high for about 5-10 minutes, or until brown.

Serve on a nice fluffy bun with some sliced cheese!