Cowboy Burgers

Last summer at a family BBQ when everyone else was enjoying grilled chicken, I had grilled tofu burgers from my grocer's freezer section. I had overcooked them (okay, I epically cooked the snot out of them thereby inventing tofu briquettes). Not exactly appetizing. My aunt fed the leftover patty to her dog who proceeded to spit it out, scratch at it, bury it in the garden, and then peed on it. I promise I am not making that up! After that experience I lost my appreciation for frozen veggie burgers, which is a good thing because fresh homemade veggie burgers are simple, cheap and delicious.

While sniffing my way through my spice cabinet yet again I rediscovered a bottle of ground chipotle pepper. The smoky flavors had me thinking of other complementary flavors like garlic, paprika, onions, and BBQ sauce. That night the hubs and I had Cowboy Burgers for dinner. These are a basic bean burger with smokey flavors and just a little heat. Any kind of beans will do for this recipe, but I happened to use kidney beans and cannelini beans because that's just what I had in the cupboard. You'll definitely want to serve these on a grilled bun topped topped with pepper jack cheese, BBQ sauce, my Fresh Corn Salsa and a side of Baked Onion Rings.  Enjoy!

Cowboy Burgers, Serves 8

Bandit, the frozen burger nabber.

2 cans beans, any variety, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 T. canola oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
2 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 egg lightly beaten, optional to help with binding

Saute onion, pepper and garlic in 1/2 tsp of oil until just soft, about 5 minutes. Mash beans until they are mostly smashed but not completely pureed. Stir in sauteed vegetables, rice, seasonings, remaining oil, vinegar, tortilla chips and egg if you need it to help glue mixture together. Mix well. Form into patties and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until slightly crusted.