I’m so impressed with some of the recipes you guys have been trying! Feel free to post them in the comments section here or on my page! I’ll gladly give YOUR recipes a try (unless they contain raisins, you commie!).
I decided to go vegetarian in high school and finding things to eat wasn’t hard because…teenage girls generally don’t eat much. Potlucks and buffets and dinners at the mercy of meat-eaters posed some challenge, but I was usually able to at least scrounge some cheese and bread. Going vegan is an entirely different challenge. The dirty bastards (you know the ones) put milk in EVERYTHING. So now when I get a potluck dinner invite, I plan to bring everything that Brad and I will need for a meal, because its unlikely we’ll eat otherwise. I don’t mind doing it because a) I can’t expect everyone else to know or care about my diet and b) I look at it as an opportunity to expose people to new foods.
My friend Diane hosted a potluck dinner a while ago and I can’t recall what I brought but I do know it was something lame because I was lazy…which means I should have had to subsist on carrots, but no! Diane actually made me the most adorable little vegan black bean burgers AND she made cute little buns to serve them on!! All homemade! I was touched beyond belief…she literally had a house FULL of people and more than enough work to do, and she took the time to make special food for me. (There was another vegan in the house, but…I’m sure it was all for me.) In addition to being thoughtful, the meal was also awesome. I immediately went home and recreated the recipe...Brad loved them and he calls them Tammy Burgers, but they’ll always be Diane burgers to me! Thank you, Diane!
Black Bean Diane/Tammy Burgers
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 can black beans, well drained or the equivalent in freshly cooked beans
- 1/2 cup flour (whole wheat works great)
- 2 slices bread, crumbled (I use Dave’s Killer Bread, any variety)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional: I add a chipotle pepper (you can find them canned in the Hispanic foods section) to give it some heat and flavor. Try adding sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, anything you like!
- oil for frying
Sautee the onions until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mash the beans until almost smooth. Add the sauteed onions and the rest of the ingredients and mix well. I usually just get in there with my hands and mush it around until its well combined.Form bean mixture into patties, approximately ½ inch thick and fry in a small amount of oil until slightly firm. Make veggie burgers and enjoy!
**We usually have them with some chipotle mayo. Throw a chipotle pepper or two into a food processor with some Vegenaise. YUM! I also like to add a vegan cheese sauce. You can find the recipe at The Voracious Vegan…this stuff looks terrible but what it lacks in sex appeal, it makes up for in taste
