TACO BURGERS

Welcome!  This is my very first post!  

As I mentioned above, I have been forced to learn vegetarian cooking because my daughter has gone meatless.  This does not mean that I will not partake as a carnivore!  But in trying to be a good parent, I have to be sure my family is eating healthy and getting enough daily protein.  And you can be sure that when I eat out, I will be ordering a nice, juicy, rare steak!

For my first attempt, I thought I would try "Taco Burgers" from Happy Herbivore Cookbook by Lindsay S. Nixon.  Here is the recipe:

TACO BURGERS

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed                                                         

1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed   (I used white kidney beans)     

1 taco seasoning packet                                     (I used 1/4 c salsa)

1/4 c ketchup or tomato sauce                           (skipped - used salsa)                 

2 tbsp prepared yellow mustard                                                                             

2 tbsp Vegan mayo or plain vegan yogurt    (I used lowfat Hellmanns mayo)

2/3 c instant oats                                                                                                     

8 buns or corn tortillas                                       (I used whole wheat hamburger buns)                          

toppings                                                     (cheese, onion, avocado, salsa & jalopenos)                  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, mash beans with a fork until mostly pureed but still some half bean parts are left.  Stir in seasoning, ketchup, mustard, and mayo, and stir until well combined, then mix in oats.  Divide mixture into eight equal portions and shape into patties.  (They might feel a little wet, but they're fine.  Rinse off your hands frequently while shaping the patties.)  Bake patties for 10 minutes, flip them over, and bake for another 5-7 minutes or until lightly crusty on the outside.  Slap into a bun or tortilla with choice toppings.  

The first thing I noticed is that most of her recipes are not only vegetarian, but also vegan.  So you will see that I substitute anything 'vegan' with the regular product.

I did not have parchment paper, so I used foil - which didn't work too well.  The burgers were so liquidy that I couldn't shape them into patties and just spooned them onto the foil.  I added an extra 5 minutes to the first side so they were easier to flip - but they really didn't hold together to well.  Then I added another 8 minutes to the 2nd side and it still turned into hash instead of a patty.

Upon seeking out other bean burger recipes, I believe the recipe should add an egg and some bread crumbs to hold the burger together.  I will try the recipe again with added ingredients and post how it turns out.  I do want to note that the burgers really smelled good!  And I melted cheese on top (which helped in solidifying the shape).  Finally, adding raw onion, avocado slices, salsa and jalopenos really made the meal!  They were definitely messy - but also yummy!  Served cantaloupe as a side.    

GRADE: C

I just had to include some pictures of my beautiful niece!  Pictures by Catha Lin