Two Really Great No-Meat Burgers For The 4th of July Grill

The 4th of July is almost here and all that I can think of are burgers! I am a HUGE fan of grilling, even if it's for vegetables. Yeah, you heard me right. I LOVE TO GRILL VEGETABLES. It is NOT blasphemous, so you should quit thinking that immediately. I was a griller before I went vegetarian and I still make some of my best meals on it now, as a vegetarian! Grilling things, adds a whole new genre of flavor to your food. That's all there is to it.

The very first time that I told Andy that I wanted to go vegetarian for my health, Andy's jaw dropped and he flat out told me, “no!”. I did not let that stop me, after all, I have a very good reason to want to go vegetarian (I am in no way saying that anyone's reasons are better or worse than my own, just that mine was easier to use against my husband!). The nerve pains that I have experienced can be so bad that I won't sleep for days on end. This was before my lifestyle change. Needless to say, our friends had a BBQ coming up that we were invited to and Andy had finally decided to jump on the bandwagon and came up with a black bean burger that we have won over stomachs with. My Mom, especially, will be very glad to finally get this recipe for this burger. She has been hounding me forever to get this recipe! Well, here you go Mom! I have finally come through for you.

Both of these burgers taste great with my Hummus recipe. We usually replace the mayo/ketchup/mustard with the hummus. The standard Hummus recipe works for both. In the Hummus for the Black Bean burger, I suggest you try putting a bit of cilantro and replacing the lemon with a lime. The lime juice in the hummus brings out a world of flavor in the black bean burger.

SPICY BLACK BEAN BURGER

INGREDIENTS

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Anaheim or hatch chili pepper (depends on the season)
1 Pablano pepper (You decide the temp that you want, if you don't want spicy then de-seed the peppers)
1 clove garlic
1/2 red onion
1 green bell pepper
1 lime
1 egg (Vegan alternative: 1 flax egg substitute)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp Vietnamese chili garlic sauce
1 cup bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

1)Put the peppers, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a food processor (We use a Ninja) and chop until minced.
2)Squeeze lime over minced vegetable mixture and let sit, soaking in the lime flavor while mixing egg/spices and mashing beans.
3)In a small bowl whisk/fork egg(or flax) mixture with garlic salt, cayenne, cumin, and chili garlic sauce.
4) In a large bowl mash black beans leaving mixture a little bit chunky. Mix in Vegetables/lime, egg mixtures, and bread crumbs.
5) Form burger shaped patties and either
a)Grill - Over Medium heat (we use coals but whatever you choose is fine) for 10-15 min. per side (We usually cook ours on a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent the hazards of sticking and/or falling apart)
b)Oven - 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes per side

GRILLED PORTOBELLO BURGERS

INGREDIENTS
2 large portobello mushrooms (de-stemmed VERY carefully)
1 packet “Good Seasons Zesty Italian Dressing Mix”
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (though if you only have white vinegar on hand, it's still tasty)
3 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Lime

DIRECTIONS

1) In a large bowl, whisk together dressing packet, olive oil, vinegar, lime, and water.
2) Marinate Portobellos for at least 30 minutes in this mixture (I have found with mushrooms that some marinades taste better, the longer they are left on)
3) Grill them bowl up, NOT turning them during the cooking process, for 10-15 minutes or until portobello is cooked all the way through.
4) Serve on a bun with some hummus, saute'd onions, spinach, and tomatoes with a side of sweet potato fries!