Bun-less Black Bean Burgers

On with the healthy eating!

We're less than TWO WEEKS out from this big she-bang, so I'm doing everything I can to make sure I'm eating as healthy as possible so I can thoroughly enjoy all of the fabulous East Coast food that awaits us on vacation.

WEEE OOOHH!!!!

---> By the way, where in the WORLD did the past 8 months go? Does ANYBODY remember Spring at all? Beginning of summer? Last Christmas? It's all a blur. Anybody? Anybody?

Onward!

On Friday I wanted something a little...different. I'd spent all week consuming many variations of delicious salads, as well as this fantastic veggie-filled lasagna, yet I was just ready for something a little more..."burger" -like.

Okay let's face it. I want a Mugshots burger. And I want it BAD.

However, giant chunks of delicious meat with thick, warm bread was not in the cards for me on that lovely Friday, but that's okay! Because THIS recipe was a surprisingly okay, VERY surprisingly great substitution!

But let me warn you, if you're seriously craving meat, you might want to go to Mugshots. But if you just want a burger, I'm confident that this will suit your fancy just fine:

Yummmm.

They're not that pretty -- but they taste GOOOOD. I want another one of these SO BAD.


They just might be on the rotation for this week! And might I mention that The Fiance' was thoroughly impressed by the tasty-ness of such a burger with no meat?

It's much, much lighter than ground beef -- and there's no worries of dripping grease! -- plus it's got a great flavor going on. It's a fast recipe, too :) Great for weeknight dinners alongside a nice sweet potato that has been cooking in the crock pot all day. Be still my rumbling stomach.

This recipe made about 6 burgers; 1.5 of which were leftover for lunch the next day...until I got hungry again right before bed. Then there was only half of a burger left. Whomp whomp whommmp.

And also? They taste GREAT (better, even?) WITHOUT the buns. Hellooooo carb cutting!

So these are basically guilt-free.

Actually, I believe they are. Yes, let's go with that. Allll sorts of good stuff in here! :)

Bun-less Black Bean Burgers with Corn

Makes 6 patties

What You'll Need:

1 can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tbsp tomato sauce

1 egg

4-5 tbsp Italian breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp hot sauce

dash of Tony's

1/4 - 1/2 cup corn (fresh or frozen works best) - depending on taste

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

What You'll Do:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, pour in your beans and mash with a fork until it has a smooth texture. Add in your garlic, tomato sauce, Tony's, cumin, and chili powder and stir until combined. Next, add in your egg and then the breadcrumbs, one tablespoon at a time, and stirring after each addition. Pour in your corn and hot sauce, then stir until it's evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

By now, your mixture should be thick enough to roll into burger patties (it will be messy!). If not, add in another tablespoon of breadcrumbs and stir. Pat mixture into 2- to 3-inch patties.

Bring 1 tablespoon of olive oil to medium-high heat in a skillet and place patties in the skillet. Pan fry patties for about 3 minutes on each side, then again for an extra minute.

Serve warm alongside veggies.