Chipotle Black Bean Burger

This recipe has gotten pushed back several times, and so I decided today it was finally time to explore the vegan realm of burgers.

Chipotle Black Bean Burger

Unfortunately, this one didn't quite turn out so well. This was a little bit of a pain to make simply because there were a lot of odd ingredients and the beans had to be mashed and whatnot. Once I added the oatmeal and panko to the wet black bean mash, the dough had to set for a few minutes.

Black bean and bread crumb "dough".

After that I formed the dough into patties and dropped them in a hot pan to brown on both sides. The first burger immediately burnt and then I accidentally dropped it on the floor. No good. I was much more careful with the second burger, and it seemed to be perfectly seared. It even smelled amazing!

Frying the burger was harder than I thought it would be--it burnt quickly.
This is the second one I made; you can tell because it's not completely black.

The taste really wasn't too bad, but the texture was completely off. The outside was good, but the center was mush, kind of like the consistency of raw hamburger meat. I ate most of it, but only because I was hungry. I was thinking that maybe a sliced tomato on top would make it a little more palatable, but I found my tomato to be frozen completely solid in the back of the fridge. So much for that.

One thing that did turn out pretty good earlier today however was the roasted sweet potato with breakfast.

Roast Sweet Potato

Salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of Pam spray is all these babies needed. Well, that and maple syrup for dipping, of course. I'm thinking I'll have to do some savory garlic and herb ones next time for dinner or a snack. Yum!

Too Pretty to Eat (Almost)

I didn't end up having time to eat any dinner last night, but I was able to make my super delicious lunch consisting of a Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich. I've already posted this recipe, but I just want to share the beauty once more...

Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich
*angels singing*

Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich

I have actually been feeling much better today, but not 100% normal yet. I'm a little less tired too, so maybe the energy boost is starting to kick in. Not sure yet. I had a hard time not taking a nap this afternoon, so I'm obviously not that energetic yet. Hopefully that changes soon.

Breakfast this morning consisted of oatmeal with green apples, toast, and pineapple. I was supposed to have Citrus Sage Oatmeal, but I couldn't get all of the ingredients I needed for that. So, apples it was, and I needed to keep plugging away at all that diced pineapple as well. I hadn't really had plain oatmeal before, and accidentally got quick oats. They were pretty gross, but once I got the apple in there and doused it with cane sugar and soy milk it wasn't too bad. Not really all that picture-worthy though.

The Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich was my lunch for day three. I was astounded by how delicious this sandwich was. I mindlessly scarfed it in about three bites just because it was so yummy. And the really cool thing is that I am pretty sure that you could put just about anything on it and it would still be amazing. Next time I am thinking avocado... I was supposed to have a Artichoke and Tomato Salad with this, but I couldn't get all of the ingredients for that either, so watermelon it was.

Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich

The first thing you are going to want to do it prep the zucchini. I used one entire large zucchini to make the sandwich. Begin by slicing it long ways into strips. I was able to put my mandolin to work on this job (with the hand guard, of course... *nudge nudge* Rich).

Sliced Zucchini

If you've got any other veggies you want on the sandwich you can slice them up this way too. The next step is to toast your bread. I used a 12 grain bread that I like, but you could use a ciabatta roll or just about anything.



Layer One: 12 Grain Bread

 

 



The next layer is going to be whatever condiment you'd like. I used a generous smear of low-fat spinach and garlic hummus, and that was pretty much the cherry on top. I would definitely go with hummus again, but if you aren't sticking with a vegan diet mayo could be good as well. The book suggested red pepper hummus, and I bet that'd be nice too.

Layer Two: Spinach & Garlic Hummus

Next is the zucchini. What you do it saute it on medium-high with balsamic vinegar (again, I used red wine vinegar) and garlic. It only takes about a minute on each side, and you have to be careful about everything burning to the pan. I was able to do my zucchini strips in three batches, and it went so fast that I didn't have time to take any pictures. Then pile it on the bread.

Layer Three: Balsamic Sauteed Zucchini

From here you can do whatever you'd like. I was thinking about putting a roasted red pepper, but then I changed my mind. I sliced a fresh tomato to put on my sandwich, and was very glad I did. You could also do avocado, sprouts, fresh baby spinach, raw onion, and much more. I bet that even apple slices could be good.

Layer Four: Tomato

Next you are going to want to spice it up with some herbs. I used some lovely fresh basil that I got at the farmers' market. This is where you can really be imaginative with flavor profiles. Don't forget salt and pepper as well!

Layer Five: Fresh Basil

And last but not least, the final slice of bread. To be honest, I would probably do another layer of hummus next time just because it was so good.

Layer Six: Bread

There you are. This sandwich was so good that if this was put beside a BLT with real mayo and thick slices of bacon, and I only got to choose one, I honestly don't know which one I would choose. Yeah, that good. Crazy, I know.

This actually reminds me of a recipe in a cookbook that my G'ma sent me. It is from Cuisine Lite's Fresh & Fabulous magazine, and is called a "high-rise" sandwich. Their's looks pretty good too, especially since it looks like they went crazy with the cheese.

"High-Rise" Sandwich from Cuisine Lite's Fresh & Fabulous