Black Bean Burgers :D

 Mmmm... just looking at the picture makes my mouth water :) When Mike and I lived in Japan we went through about a month of being "vegetarian". It was fun... well, most of the time! haha. This is one of our most favorite vegetarian recipes that we still continue to make often... it is VERY budget friendly, heart healthy, and easy on the waistline as well! The boys both thoroughly enjoy these and eat them up just as they would any other burger :)

 The cast of characters....

So heres the recipe....
Spicy (but not TOO spicy) black bean burgers
1/2 green pepper (a little more or less depending on how much you like the taste of peppers)
1/2 medium onion
1 16 oz can of black beans
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 egg
1 TBL. chili powder
1 TBL. cumin
1 tsp hot sauce (I like Cholula Chili Garlic, but we have made them with no hot sauce and they are just as good!)
1/2 c. oatmeal (or breadcrumbs, but breadcrumbs have absolutely no nutritive value)

Preheat griddle to about 350-375. Rinse beans and mash with a fork. Use a food chopper or processor to finely chop onion, garlic, and green pepper. Be sure to drain some of the juice from the pepper, or else you may need to add more oatmeal to your burgers. Beat egg and add. Stir in spices, hot sauce and oatmeal and mix thoroughly. Place on griddle by spoonful and shape into a good patty size. Allow to cook for about 5-8 minutes per side depending on thickness. We like ours pretty thin :)

Place on a nice multigrain bun and top with cheese and claussen pickles mmmmm. Really, it has to be claussen pickles. There is no substitute. The boys really like these with ketchup. Mike and I prefer them with A-1 but from this point you can do your own thing ;D  
Enjoy!