Black Tofu Burgers

Ryan and I have been enjoying my black bean burgers that I made about a month ago and froze.  However we are starting to run low, since I had some free time today I decided to make a new batch.  I found a recipe on the SoyJoy website, but it does not use any beans and that just seems like such a loss.  I altered the recipe a bit and they turned out pretty good.  I would add more seasonings or throw a few of the chipotle chiles into the food processor for more of kick.  Making these can be a little time consuming.  If short on time try sautéing them in a little oil till golden brown on both sides.

2 Tbs olive or canola oil
1 small onion diced
1/2 green bell pepper diced
3 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbs adobo sauce
1/2 tsp each (ground cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano)
1 1/2 cups fresh chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4-1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 8oz block extra firm tofu
2 eggs
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup roughly chopped unsalted almonds
1 can black beans rinsed

1) Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Saute the onion, pepper, adobo sauce, spices, and mushrooms until softened.  Add garlic and rolled oats continue cooking for 2 minutes.  If your pan becomes dry and things begin to stick or burn, deglaze using 1/4-1/2 cup of water.  Remove from heat and let cool.

2) Puree the egg, almonds, and 1/2 the black beans in a food processor.  Add the cooled onion mixture, tofu, brown rice, cilantro, bread crumbs, and the rest of the beans.  Pulse until the mixture is combined and still chunky.

3) Heat oven to 350*F.  Shape into burger patties about a 1/4" thick.  Mixture will be sticky.  Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Flip and flatted lightly with a spatula.  Bake another 10 minutes until browned on the outside.

4) Serve on a toasted bun with lettuce, cheese, tomato, avocado or any of your other favorite burger toppings.  Personally I love ketchup and mustard.  Serves 15

1 burger: 145 kcal, 6.6g fat (78% unsaturated), 15g carbohydrate, 7g protein, 318 mg sodium, 3g fiber.

The cost of each burger comes to approximately 57 cents  (0.0039 cents/kcal).  The average Boca or Morningstar burger has about the same number of calories but will cost you close to a dollar a patty or 0.0068 cents/kcal.  They also contain a lot more ingredients and sodium.  In the future I might consider adding protein powder to increase the protein content; but by topping it with some cheese I think I'll be ok in that department.

Random thought of the day:  Why do people insist on serving pasta salads at catering events?  They are bland and oily and usually do not complement the other dishes on the menu.