Black Bean Burgers

Eating clean is challenging enough without taking into consideration the needs of the two pickiest eaters in the Philadelphia area. I try to find recipes that have something for everyone (for him: not spicy at all; no eggplant; no mushrooms; no zucchini; no broccoli; no eggs; no fish... I could go on, but it's frustrating to see it all in "print". For her: no beans; no goat cheese; nothing stringy; no fish.) As you can imagine, finding a recipe that will satisfy all three of our appetites is quite time-consuming. I wish I could say that I found the holy grail with this recipe, but I didn't. The child wouldn't even try it because she knew there were black beans in it. I wasn't going to tell her, I was just going to feed it to her, but she saw me prepping the recipe. *sigh*
Anyhow, I found this to be a satisfying and delicious burger! It had a good bite, and in a sandwich prepared with a thick tomato slice, some iceberg lettuce (I know, it has no nutritional value, but I heart it in a sandwich!), a dollop (always feel like Martha when I use that word!) of light sour cream, and some homemade salsa (no spice for the husband), it was fantastic! A really good (almost vegan except for the sour cream) burger. I'm looking forward to lunch leftovers! I'll make it again for me and the husband, while I reheat a frozen Boca burger for the child.


Black Bean Burgers
(makes 6)
2 cups cooked or 1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup pain whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tsp. chile powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. tomato paste (or ketchup) --- I used tomato paste
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (optional) --- I used it
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
About 2 tbsp. olive oil plus olive oil spray
Whole wheat buns



Mash the beans with a fork in a mixing bowl. You don't want to puree them; just get them mashed so that no whole beans are left, but you should leave some half beans.
Add the wheat gluten, bread crumbs, child powder, cumin, water, tomato paste, and cilantro if using, but don't mix yet. Use a microplane grater to the grate the garlic in. (A garlic press or very well minced garlic words, too.)Use the large holes on a box grater to grate in the onion.

Mix everything together with a fork, and then proceed to knead with your hands, until the mixture is firm and uniformly mixed (about a minute).

Preheat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Divide the burger mixture into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a firm ball. Use your palm to press the ball down on a clean surface to form a patty that is about 1 1/2" thick. Press so that the patty is flat on both sides. Make six patties.

Pour a thin layer of olive oil into the pan. Cook the patties three at a time for five minutes on each side, gently but firmly pressing down on then with a spatula. Spray with olive oil before turning over, for uniform browning. Once cooked, the patties should be very firm when you press down on them.

Serve warm on burger buns.

Creamy Tomato Soup

For the past week or so I've been reading about "eating clean." I'm intrigued and inspired to do it. It's challenging, especially when eating out, but I've decided not to kill myself trying to do it, just to do it as best as I can. Eat clean at home, and make the best food decisions when I'm out. Fair enough.

Tonight I made Creamy Tomato Soup from Veganomicon. Yes, this is a book of vegan recipes. And don't roll your eyes. This soup is delicious. Well, at least I think so. My daughter didn't like it, and my husband declared it "OK," of course, he has a cold and can't taste anything, so his opinion has no weight. (nose in air).

I substituted yucca for the potatoes just because I wanted to. I think it may have made it too thick, and the thickness was a turnoff for the offspring.

I may make it again, just make it a bit thinner.


Creamy Tomato Soup
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped coursely
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (crushed between fingers)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. waxy potatoes (2-4 averaged-size potatoes) peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 c. sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed!!!)
6 c. water or vegetable broth
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (the fire-roasted are especially worth it here)
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Saute for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. Pour in the water. Cover and bring to a a boil. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heath to medium, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sun-dried tomatoes are soft.

Add the crushed tomatoes and heat through. If you have an immersion blender, you're in luck! Puree the living hell out of it until it is very smooth. If you don't have one, just transfer the whole shebang to a food processor or blender, in cooled batches, then transfer back to the pot. Add the lemon juice and adjust the salt if you need to.

Serve!