I just have to say, I have a thing for veggie burgers. When I was a "regular vegetarian" I used to LOVE Morningstar Farms' different veggie patties. One of my favorites was their tomato basil pizza burger. It was an excellent mix of cheese and pizza flavor. I also loved their black bean patties.

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of vegan burgers available in the freezer case that are as tasty. I mean, I love Amy's products, and the Qrunch patties are awesome, too. But to me, there's nothing quite like a spicy black bean patty topped with lettuce and onions and between the top and bottom of a whole grain bun!

And the good news is that it's fairly simple to make veggie burgers out of beans from the comfort of your own home. Like I said, this month is all about making veganism easier. Making your own burgers can save you money and you'll be happier with their superior taste!

Now, homemade burgers sometimes have a different texture than their frozen counterparts. Most people recommend frying them until they're crispy on the outside. If you're trying to cut back on your oil, though, you can make them on a nonstick electric griddle with an amount of success as well. Baking them is the same thing, though some oil on a nonstick sheet probably works best. I recommend using the griddle technique. Frying is my second favorite. And I haven't tried making homemade burgers on a grill before, so my apologies if you try and are unsuccessful. I imagine they could stick to the grill VERY easily or fall apart and fall into the flames. Eek!

In any case, these burgers were great. They were my first attempt at black bean burgers and I loved them. I know, I'm modest. Sorry! But I thought they were fabulous and I hope you do, too. They were a great combination of substance and flavor. The taco seasoning made it just spicy enough for me. And I love the black bean flavor. The corn kernels give you a pop of sweetness every now and then. And my guess is that you could try this recipe with other types of beans with reasonable success. But for these patties, here's what I did.

INGREDIENTS
2 cans of black beans
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup picante sauce or salsa
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 tablespoon diced jalapeno
1 shallot, diced (you can also try 1/2 cup diced red onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

DIRECTIONS
Drain and rinse the black beans in a colander. Pour most of the beans into a food processor with the olive oil and blend to the best of your ability! Add the squishy beans and the saved beans to a large bowl. Add the picante sauce, corn, jalapeno, shallot, and seasonings and mix well. Add your flour and see how easy it is to form patties from the mixture. If the contents stick easily to your hands or if the patties don't hold shape, add more flour one tablespoon at a time until you've reached the right consistency. 

Preheat your griddle to 350 degrees. I made five patties using a 1/2 cup measure to separate them into even amounts. I had some leftover and just added it to the ones I had already made. You don't have to be so specific. You can also use 1/3 of a cup for each patty and get about 7-8 patties instead. Or you can just eyeball it.

Let the patties bake (or fry?) on your nonstick electric griddle for 5-7 minutes on each side. Be careful when you flip! If you start throwing your patties around they can smoosh in the middle.

Makes 6-8 patties.

I was really impressed that these patties didn't ooze out of the back. And they were so tasty. Ahh! Anyway, I think you should try these. Don't be scared! It doesn't take as long as it sounds!

To compete or not compete, that was indeed the question.

When I saw Isa Chandra Moskowitz post a challenge on the Post Punk Kitchen Facebook page on Friday inspired by the TV show Chopped, my first reaction was, "it's too bad I won't have time to enter a recipe!" It only took me a moment, however, to change my mind completely. I love Chopped, I love the PPK, and I love this game my fiance so adorably calls "food blog." It would have been silly for me to have sat this one out. And I'm so glad I did it!

Just like in the show, Isa gave her competitors four ingredients with which to make a dish (or two... maybe). Those ingredients were blackberries, fresh mint, bittersweet chocolate, and canned blackeyed peas. An interesting combination, to say the least. A panel of judges will be choosing a winner on Tuesday who will receive some radical prizes. Read all of the rules here.

I had honestly no experience with blackeyed peas whatsoever. But my favorite thing to do with beans of any kind is to make burgers! So true to my form, that's what I did.

After making a special trip to the grocery store this morning, I had all of my ingredients and was ready to go. I started with my dessert, which was easy enough, but my heart nearly sank when I opened my can of blackeyed peas to find that the majority of it was brine. The one can provided me with approximately one cup of legumes. I thought for sure that it wouldn't work, but things ended up weaving themselves together just fine. See?

So let's get to my recipes!

This is a thick, flavorful dip that's super easy to make. When I saw that blackberries were on the list, I knew that I wanted to make a dip for them. It's my favorite way to eat berries of any kind. I'm kind of a "purist" when it comes to fruit. I like it as whole as possible, uncooked, and fresh.

INGREDIENTS
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons vegan butter
1/2 cup small vegan marshmallows
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
Blackberries (strawberries would also be real nice!)

DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients to a medium sized microwave safe bowl. Cook for three minutes. Stir well to ensure that the marshmallows and chocolate have completely melted. You may need to return them to the 'wave and stir again. When you've reached an even consistency, transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate. Let warm on the counter for a few minutes before serving. It gets really thick so you'll have to use a spoon! You can use a fork, fork a berry, and dip into the fudge, too.

These delightful fritter-like burger patties are flavorful and filling and so easy to make. The blackeyed peas provided a full-bodied flavor and I was very pleased with what they brought to the mix. I expect that other types of beans would work well, too, like chickpeas or black beans. I'll definitely be making these guys again.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium shallot, finely diced
1/2 of a jalepeno, seeds removed and finely diced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, partially thawed
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup canned blackeyed peas, drained (or a whole can, if you're lucky enough to get one! Ha!)
1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes in garlic and oil, drained
1/4 cup fresh curly parsley, minced
1 teaspoon fresh spearmint, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon potato starch
3/4 cups chickpea flour
1/4 cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese (optional)
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS
In a nonstick pot or pan, heat the olive oil. Saute the shallot, jalepeno, and corn until thoroughly cooked, approximately five minutes or so. Remove from heat.

Using the S-blade in your food processor, pulse the blackeyed peas until they reach a uniform consistency. Just a few times is all you need.

Transfer beans and saute mix to a large bowl and add all remaining ingredients except flour and cheese. Mix well, add flour 1/4 cup at a time until the batter is thick but not runny. It doesn't have to be dry to the touch and you will get it sticking to your fingers if you touch it. Add cheese and stir to combine.

Warm a small amount of oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add dollops of batter to the pan and shape into rounds with a wooden spoon as you do. Cook two at a time, three minutes on each side, adding oil to the pan as you add new batter.

Let stand on paper towels before serving to absorb some of the oil.

Makes 6 patties.

I'm so glad I participated! It was a lot of hard work but I really enjoyed myself. And check out all of the other wonderful entries other people have posted. There are nearly 100 entries and the deadline isn't until tomorrow. Wow!

I have to admit, though, I'm not sure my entry is going to qualify considering it's more like two dishes as opposed to an entree with side or condiment like most other entries where the ingredients aren't used in one recipe. 

I guess one of the points is to stretch your culinary muscles. I used to be what most people considered a "food wimp" before I became vegetarian. Heck, including the mint in my burger patty was something I almost, almost didn't do. But I'm glad I did it! It added a bit of depth and most assuredly added complexity to it, overall.

This is a great contest and I'm just thrilled to be somewhat involved. I'm off to bookmark a few of the other entries and I can't wait for Chopped Vegan #2!

Thanks for reading!