Foodbuzz Family Bites: black bean burgers with honey mustard cole slaw

This was another Family Bites recipe, and for this I wanted to create a black bean burger that was substantial, yet not dense, and the end result was really delicious and one of the best non-meat burgers I've made. To increase the nutritional value, the burgers include both whole oats and oat flour, which also helps bind the bean mixture together and helps with the texture. The burgers have a Mexican flavor, so if you ate this as a sandwich you could serve it with guacamole and sour cream.

I want to experiment with freezing these. I'm guessing I'd have to cook them first, then freeze. To reheat I'd probably heat up some olive oil in a skillet, lightly sear both sides then add some water to the skillet, cover with a lid, and let steam until thoroughly heated, finishing by removing the lid and cooking until the water evaporates. I guess. But these would be great to have on hand.

As an accompaniment, I made a cole slaw with lime juice and honey mustard dressing with cole slaw, shredded carrots, and onions. Since I used Newman's Own dressing for the recipe, feel free to replace it with whatever you can find.

This is all I have to say because I have a migraine, and you'll find the recipe after the jump.

Wait. This was a latter-stage recipe, and I'm a bit disappointed because I felt like I lost my creativeness and copped out by making the cole slaw. They were looking for salads, but more along the lines of a meal salad than a side dish, and this wasn't very creative at all. What I realized throughout the entire process was that creating recipes was more difficult than I had originally thought, but for the most part in the time I had I think I did a good job, even if some of the recipes seem lackluster.

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Black Bean Burgers with Newman's Own Light Honey Mustard Cole Slaw
recipe by Christina Provo

A flavorful, hearty black bean burger paired with a crunchy honey mustard coleslaw is the perfect light, make ahead lunch that’ll take you through the day.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients -

Vegetable oil
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1/2 cups whole rolled oats
2 1/2 cups cooked black beans (if from a can, drain and rinse)
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup whole rolled oats, finely ground in food processor
1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
1 carrot, julienned
zest from 1 lime
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Newman's Own Light Honey Mustard Dressing, plus additional for serving
Black pepper
Chopped cilantro for serving

Directions -

1. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add bell pepper and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add in oregano, cayenne pepper, and salt and saute for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and let cook for 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Pour in 1 tablespoon lime juice and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in 1/2 cup whole rolled oats and cook, stirring, for a minute. Remove from heat.


2. In the bowl of a food processor, add 1 1/2 cups black beans and vegetable-oat mixture; pulse 5 times or until the black beans are broken up and no whole pieces remain. Scrape down the sides of bowl; add remaining 1 cup black beans and cilantro and pulse for about 7 times until mixture is blended (some black beans may remain whole). Dump mixture out into a medium bowl and stir in ground oats. Refrigerate for 25-30 minutes.


3. Meanwhile, mix together green cabbage, onion, carrot, remaining lime juice and zest. Stir together. Pour the Newman's Own Light Honey Mustard Dressing on top and sprinkle with black pepper. Stir to coat and refrigerate until ready to serve.


4. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Measure out 1/2 cup of black bean mixture per burger and pat out to a rough 3 1/2-inch diameter. Place in skillet. Repeat with burger mixture until 4 burgers are in skillet. Cook for 3 minutes; flip over and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove burgers to a plate and continue cooking remaining black bean mixture.


5. To serve, divide coleslaw between plates and place a black bean burger on top. Serve with additional Newman's Own Light Honey Mustard Dressing and chopped cilantro.

black bean and pumpkin soup

black bean and pumpkin soup, originally uploaded by Caudagali.

Another post from Once Upon A Tart, this time something savory and perfect for the season.

Black bean soup gets paired with pumpkin, cumin, cinnamon and ginger for a soup that's not only delicious, but warming, and who wouldn't want a bowl of soup like that right now? If you're used to the Panera black bean soup, this won't be quite so salsa-ish, tasting a bit more like mild chili than salsa.

While I initially thought the 1 tablespoon of cumin might be a bit overpowering, it really wasn't. These recipes have it all together, and while the taste of cumin was present, it melded with the cinnamon and ginger to unite as a whole.

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Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon and Ginger
From Once Upon A Tart

Makes 6 servings

ingredients ~

1 1/2 cups dried black beans, picked through, rinsed, and soaked overnight
6 cups cold unsalted water (for simmering the beans)
1/2 big yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound plum tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups (1 quart) vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

directions ~

1. Drain and rinse the soaked beans in a colander. Bring the water and the beans to a boil in a large soup pot over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about an hour, until the beans are soft to the bite but not falling apart or splitting. Drain the beans in a colander.


2. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a large soup pot over high heat, stirring frequently so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pan., until the onion begins to soften, 5-10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, for about 10 more minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent. (I added the spices at the end of the onion's cooking time and sauteed for about a minute before proceeding with the recipe)


3. Add the tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and pepper to soup pot, and saute until the tomatoes begin to break down and give off juices, 5-10 minutes. Pour in the stock, pumpkin puree, vinegar, and beans.


4. Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.


5. Remove the soup from the heat to puree. Pureeing makes it a thick, smooth, more cohesive soup, but you still want the texture of the black beans, so don't puree it all. If you're using an immersion blender, puree one-third of the soup right in the pot. Serve warm.


6. If you don't have an immersion blender, wait until the soup cools (I did not, I just was extra careful), then scoop up some with a ladle, or a heatproof measuring cup with a handle, and pour it into the bowl of a food processor (or a blender) fitted with a metal blade. Process in batches until you have pureed about one-third of the soup. Serve warm.