Semi-Homemade

…but not the Sandra Lee kind.  ;)

Freshman year in college, my vegetarian roommate introduced me to a tasty brand of black bean burgers.  They smelled so good every time she made one so I had to try it.  It was love at first bite.  I instantly became a fan of the meat-less burger and I still stock my freezer with them to this day.  I am always down for a quick and easy last-minute meal and this is one of them.  Last night I cooked some black bean burgers on the grill for my family.  Surprisingly, my dad ate two burgers.  When a 60-year old Greek man eats two black bean burgers, you know they are good.

Ingredients:

4 Spicy Black Bean burgers (frozen aisle)
Whole grain/whole wheat hamburger buns
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1-2 tablespoons chipotles in adobo (depending how spicy you like it)
1 avocado
1 jalapeño (optional)
1/2 small red onion (optional)
1 tomato, diced (optional)
1 lime
Green leaf lettuce (any lettuce will work for garnish on your burger)
Mushrooms (optional)
Salt

In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt and the adobo sauce with a pinch of salt.  This sauce will act as a mayonnaise.  In a separate bowl, mash the avocado and add the juice of one lime.  Season with salt.  If you want to make it more like a guacamole, go ahead and add the diced jalapeño, red onion and tomato.  If you decide you want to add mushrooms to your burger, quickly sauté the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt.  The mushrooms just bring an added texture and flavor to the burger.

Cook your black bean burgers according to the cooking instructions.  You can either cook them in a pan or on the grill.  The only thing left to do is toast the buns and start assembling.  Spread the chipotle “mayo” on the bottom bun then stack on a piece of lettuce and the black bean burger.  Top the burgers with the avocado spread and start chowing down.

X R I S T I N A      M A R I E
The Refined Palate

© Xristina Miros 2012

Tags: black bean burgers, burgers, chipotle, Christina Marie, grilling, guacamole, healthy, the refined palate, TRP, Xristina Marie