Vegetarian Tailgate

Although it is not football season just yet (I'm secretly counting down...) a tradition at my college is an annual football game where the offense and defense split into two teams. Its a very meaningful game because it symbolizes the end of the spring semester, intro into finals, bittersweet memories for the seniors as this is their last tailgate and a reminder on how much my school loves football! The Blue and White game is something that people begin to talk about as early as February! Keeping this in mind, tailgating is a huge aspect of football season and my school holds nothing short of this. This weekend there will only be a few things you'll be smelling - the burning of charcoal as people start up their BBQ, the tartness of vinegar from some coleslaw for those bbq's, and a variety of beer... no tailgate is complete without beer!
In order to fulfill my desires of being fed a tailgate (it is unfortunately rare), I found a great recipe for a hearty vegetarian burger that no one would really think is that vegetarian. The classic beef patty can now be substituted for something a little healthier and a little less time consuming; this black bean burger is hearty, delicious and a great substitute for a regular burger patty!

The ingredients for the burger are as follows:

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

(2 jalapenos, optional, seeded)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

One can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 c. cooked green lentils (I used canned)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 eggs

1 c. bread crumbs

 Rinse the beans and the lentils with COLD water and make sure to drain completely. In a small pan heat up some olive oil and throw in the chopped onion and red peppers; add the garlic once the onion has started to lose a little bit of color. Once these 3 have cooked, turn off the heat and allow them to cool.In a food processor, pulse the onion pepper and garlic along with some cilantro and some jalapeno’s if you want that kick. Slowly add the beans the lentils and keep pulsing until you see a sort of pasty consistency. 

Once you’ve reached your ideal consistency, add some salt and pepper and the eggs (or more oil) as your binding agent. Afterwards, add some bread crumbs in the same process and keep combining. Make sure you’re stirring otherwise the food could be getting stuck in between the blades of the food processor. Keep adding bread crumbs until the mixture starts to stick together.

In a bowl, add some flour and make sure to have flour on your hands before you start to create the patties. You’d want to form about 1/2-3/4 inch thick patties.

 

In a well-greased skillet with about medium to medium-high heat, you want to gril for about 5-8 minutes on both sides. You want to add some oil in between sides just ot make sure you’re getting a great char on both sides. You want the interior to be soft with the outside being crunchy, it’ll be great on a toasted bun!

As for condiments, you can add whatever you want… avocado or salsa, peppers or continuing with the kick of jalapeno would be great too! Enjoy!