Black Bean Burgers

At my house we LOVE burgers. We are American, so of course we do.

Lately though, I have been cutting down on meat and have occasionally bought frozen veggie burgers. They are good, but pricey. My other objection is that they are made mostly from rice or soy and I have been looking unsuccessfully for bean burgers -- so I have been working on my own recipe.

I made some the other night we really enjoyed. They weren't really all that hard to make.

I used black beans. This is a small can of drained beans which equals about a cup and a half.

I use a potato masher. It doesn't matter if the beans are totally mashed. I then added the other ingredients. The recipe is below.

I used parchment paper on my baking sheet. These burgers would stick to a baking sheet and be hard to turn over without breaking apart. I spooned enough for each burger and then formed them into patties.

After baking them for 25 minutes, I turned them over and baked them on the other side for 5 minutes. Then I added soy cheese and let it melt a little bit.

I then placed it on a warmed bun, then dressed my burger with the usual -- tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mustard, ketchup and mayo. I made them a little larger than the bun. I really didn't mean to do that. I will make them a little smaller next time.

It's not beef but it was still pretty good.

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

1-1/2 cups black beans

1-1/2 tablespoons oat bran

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon salsa

garlic salt and pepper to taste

Optional, chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash the beans with a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mixture will be thick and creamy. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper that is lightly oiled. Divide the bean mixture in two large or three smaller mounds. Form the rounds into a circle (about the size of a bun). Smooth them on top and sides until they look like a burger. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Carefully turn the burgers and return to the oven for five minutes. If desired, melt soy cheese on top and dress your burger. Makes 2 large or 1 small burger.