Black Bean, Corn and TVP Burgers

So, this blog is supposedly about my veggie burgers, but shown above is a picture of a salad, and what the heck it TVP anyway? Relax, read on and it will all make sense, grasshopper. Let me start off by letting you know that in this house we have been eating frozen, grocery store veg burgers regularly for at least the last year or so. I have decided that it is time to step it up and make my own. Not that I don't like the others, but, if we are going to really eat as well and naturally as we can, then it's time to rid the house of one more processed food, not to mention saving a bit of cash. Reading the ingredients on some of those boxes can really make a girls head spin. How exactly "natural" are "natural added flavors"? I am starting with the black bean variety simply because that is what I have on hand today and don't feel like a grocery trip. Feel free to substitute or add veggies and seasonings. I made these fairly mild, that's how we like them. Oh, the salad, well, since I am also trying to cut the calories and lose some excess weight, I eat veg burgers on a bed of lettuce. And finally TVP stands for textured vegetable protein and a great explanation can be found at What The Heck Is Textured Vegetable Protein. I added some to bolster the nutrition and give it a bit more texture.It is processed, so if you want to avoid that, try adding cooked brown rice. I was also too lazy to cook up any rice today.

1/4 cup TVP

1/4 cup hot water

1 14.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup yellow sweet pepper

1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup onion

1 clove garlic

1 handful fresh cilantro

1 egg white

2 tsp mexene

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

Pour the hot water over the tvp in a small bowl and let sit about 15 minutes so the TVP can rehydrate. When ready to add to the mixture, squeeze as much liquid as you can from the TVP.

Put the beans in the food processor and process until they look mashed. You could also mash them in a bowl with a fork. If you want it a bit chunkier, that's fine too.

To the beans add the veg, garlic and cilantro. They do not have to be finely chopped, just a rough chop will do as the processor will do the rest. Again, you could do all of this by hand, but why when the machine is faster and easier? Give these a few pulses until they are chopped but not pureed.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the egg white, Mexene chili powder (or seasonings of your choice), breadcrumbs and TVP and stir together until well mixed. I formed patties with 1/2 cup of the mixture and got 5 to a recipe. You can make them larger or smaller if you like. I placed mine on a silpat lined tray and put them in the freezer to chill up a bit, about 30 minutes.>

While they are chilling, heat the oven to 350 degrees. I baked them for 30 minutes, turning after the first 15. I chose to bake them to save on the calories. You could cook them in a lightly oiled pan as well. I liked the texture of these burgers. I bit soft on the inside, like refried beans. You could easily make a larger batch of them, bake part until they are almost done and then freeze to have on hand for a quick lunch or dinner. For those counting calories, I estimate each one of my five burgers to have 122 calories.>