Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:   - 1 can (16 oz) black beans

                        - ½ green bell pepper, inhalves                 

- ½ an onion, cut into halves

                        - 3 cloves garlic

                        - 1 egg

                        - I T chili powder

                        - 1 t cumin

                        - 1 t chili sauce or hot sauce

                        - ½ cup bread crumbs

Directions                                                                            

- If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum  foil.  If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.

- In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

-In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.

-In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.

-Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.

-If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

What makes this recipe good for you?

            A black bean burger is a healthy alternative to a traditional hamburger.  Typically, hamburgers are made with ground beef, which could be high in fat if the ratio of lean beef to fat is lower than 85/15.  The burger has only 300 calories, and also provides 7g of sugar, 1 g of saturated fat, while also providing the body with 10g of dietary fiber, as well as 12 g of protein.  What also makes this burger great is that you can cook it on the stove or cook it out on the grill.  It’s a food that is not only healthy for you, but it tastes great too